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      05-12-2011, 12:07 PM   #23
kmarei
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before we bought my wife the new X3
i asked her i'll get you which ever one you want
but you have to test drive the X3, the Q5, and the GLK
she wanted the GLK initially
we test drove the X3 first
then we went straight to the Benz dealer
we test drove the GLK
her first remark "the interior looks cheap compared to the X3"
she also noticed it's much smaller in the front
the angle of the entire dashboard is almost vertical
she and i both felt we were too close to the dashboard
and if you move the seat back to account for this
rear legroom is tiny, and i was sitting too far from the steering wheel
no way to get it right

we both loved the Q5 interior, i still think Audi make the best interiors
but the engine in the Q5 sucks (3.2)
i had that engine in my A5 and hated it
so we settled on the X3
and she loves it
she made a comment the other day
the X3 is FAST
some guy in an Acura (ofcourse) was trying to race her
so she floored
it and she said i could see him get smaller and smaller in my rear view mirror

outside of how well BMW does the controls
only Porsche is the same

there are a lot of things in design that i think other car companies don't look into
from things like where the turn signal stalk is in relation to where your hand would sit on the steering wheel, must you extend your hand or do you simply use the tip of your finger etc
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      05-12-2011, 02:35 PM   #24
Mako
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaw View Post
better seat is also part of comfort which I already did give credit to M-B..
But C'mon you can't tell me there is no difference here in these photos!!! The design of the BMW is a master piece!!!
If you don't agree, I can't even imagine why you are in this forum!!!!
If you are just comparing the X3 to the GLK, I totally agree, I thought you were saying all mercedes cars, the new C Class (and even old C Class) interior does not look like the GLK, the GLK is just horrible.
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      05-12-2011, 05:07 PM   #25
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Originally Posted by Mako View Post
If you are just comparing the X3 to the GLK, I totally agree, I thought you were saying all mercedes cars, the new C Class (and even old C Class) interior does not look like the GLK, the GLK is just horrible.
I'm not sure if the GLK interior is that bad, I wouldn't be suprised if it was; the ugly exterior was enough to repel me so I never took a look.

TBH I think mercedes interiors are quite good, not as well made as audi but good none the less. I actually like the the C & E class interiors more than the 3 & 5 series but different people have different tastes. As kmarei has said bmw pays a lot of attention to fine details and little things such as the positioning of the turn signal stalk, people always complained that the stalk was too low when I had the mercedes and would accidently hit the cruise control stalk above it.

I know bmw has a large emphasis on the driving experience and in doing so makes the interior very utilitarian, some people like this but I think they go a bit overboard. In substituting the lack of buttons bmw forces you to use the iDrive system and it's copious amount of menus, even worse lists don't save where you left off so if you exit it half way you have to start from the beginning. Sometimes it's nice to just push a physical button to get to the function you want or dial a number with actual keys. I also think mercedes does a better job with the keys on the steering wheel since you can actually go left & right and has not only a better looking instrument panel (the dials are sunken back) but better use of space since they put a screen in the middle of the speedometer which is wasted space in bmw and many cars.

PS: I was driving around dusk last night and noticed that the side mirriors aren't auto-dimming. It's funny how they are heated, lower when reversing, and electronically fold in but can't stop the blinding headlights from the guy in back of you.
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      05-13-2011, 12:32 AM   #26
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even worse lists don't save where you left off so if you exit it half way you have to start from the beginning. Sometimes it's nice to just push a physical button to get to the function you want or dial a number with actual keys.
I'm not sure that's entirely true as you have a Back button now that memorises where you've been on the iDrive menu system and there are also 8 favourite buttons that can be assigned to any sub menu function (e.g. dial a phone number or tune to a specific radio station) and the standard buttons for Tel, Nav, CD, Radio, as well as the buttons on the steering wheel and voice commands
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      05-13-2011, 11:54 AM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sfax View Post
I'm not sure that's entirely true as you have a Back button now that memorises where you've been on the iDrive menu system and there are also 8 favourite buttons that can be assigned to any sub menu function (e.g. dial a phone number or tune to a specific radio station) and the standard buttons for Tel, Nav, CD, Radio, as well as the buttons on the steering wheel and voice commands
Agree on this. I've never used an idrive before this week when I gave up a pretty low tech 2003 audi allroad for a high tech x3 35i. There IS a learning curve. Day one it seems incomprehensible - made worse because my CA was strangely incompetent using it. He was focused on the wonders of the voice command system but I hate voice commanding my car, makes me feel like a lunatic. Anyway, I've spent some time and attention becoming familiar with the functions now and I can see the logic in the design. I do like the dedicated buttons and the tactile feel of the idrive control. Before long I will not have to "think" at all to access the control I need.

It occurs to me however that when I occasionally loan my car to a family member I will will have to say DO NOT try to figure out the idrive system while you drive around town or you will crash the car!
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      05-13-2011, 12:10 PM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marmik View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by sfax View Post
I'm not sure that's entirely true as you have a Back button now that memorises where you've been on the iDrive menu system and there are also 8 favourite buttons that can be assigned to any sub menu function (e.g. dial a phone number or tune to a specific radio station) and the standard buttons for Tel, Nav, CD, Radio, as well as the buttons on the steering wheel and voice commands
It occurs to me however that when I occasionally loan my car to a family member I will will have to say DO NOT try to figure out the idrive system while you drive around town or you will crash the car!
Yup. My brother in law has christened his i-drive the "i-crash" given the near misses he had in his 5 series when he first picked it up.

Had mine 2 weeks now and was actually just thinking on the drive home tonight how good it is. Intuitive and easy to use on the move. The short cut buttons are really useful an I love the way they remind you what is assigned to them as you hover your finger in front of it.
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      05-13-2011, 02:47 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DJ Daddy-O View Post
Yup. My brother in law has christened his i-drive the "i-crash" given the near misses he had in his 5 series when he first picked it up.

Had mine 2 weeks now and was actually just thinking on the drive home tonight how good it is. Intuitive and easy to use on the move. The short cut buttons are really useful an I love the way they remind you what is assigned to them as you hover your finger in front of it.
right because who has time to learn it while parked! I certainly don't
I learn all my cars while at stop lights, probably not safe, but that is what insurance is for.
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      05-13-2011, 03:38 PM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marmik View Post
Agree on this. I've never used an idrive before this week when I gave up a pretty low tech 2003 audi allroad for a high tech x3 35i.
My friend has 2000 something allroad too, the air suspension is so cool!
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      05-13-2011, 10:59 PM   #31
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My friend has 2000 something allroad too, the air suspension is so cool!
Have to admit I already miss the air suspension a little bit. I loved that twin turbo allroad but I pretty much wore it out at 134k miles. The X3 35i is really a great alternative - way better mpg and you don't give up any zoom!
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      05-15-2011, 03:27 AM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mako View Post
If you are just comparing the X3 to the GLK, I totally agree, I thought you were saying all mercedes cars, the new C Class (and even old C Class) interior does not look like the GLK, the GLK is just horrible.
The GLK and C-class interiors looks the same to me, VERY similar. In fact they're based on the same platform so there's a lot of similarities.
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