Soon to be 6'er (I hope)

[Beerman]

Hey guys-

Looking to finally order up the following 6 coupe:

Stratus Grey
Black Pearl Leather
Dark Birch

Sport Package

Steptronic
Comfort Access
Heated Seats
HUD
Satellite

Undecided:
Active Steering--any thoughts?

I've done some light test driving and it's obviously a great car, but still have some serious issues with the iDrive. I detest it. I 100% believe that it should be optional with a choice of another, more button-laden, center console. Another thing that I'll have to come to grips with is the sunroof that does not fully open. Being in SoCal, I have mine fully open 80% of the time.

Some quick questions:

Have any of you gone from despising the iDrive to actually becoming friends?

Same with the sunroof...anyone go from having one open often to not feeling claustrophobic?

Blind spots. How are they during regular driving?

Lastly, I would love to get any recommendations for dealers in the Los Angeles area. My last BMW was purchased at Long Beach. I thought they were fine, but I don't know anyone there anymore. All of my current browsing has been at Beverly Hills BMW where I'm continuously stunned by how unhelpful and unknowledgeable the sales staff are there. I also get my current car serviced there and I give them a huge :thumbdwn: . I have no problem driving a few hours for a better deal.

I've been lurking in this forum for over a year and want to thank all of you for the keeping the info flowing. Hope to chime in myself when I pull the trigger on the order form ;) .

Cheers.

[imolazhp_ci]

Will Shaw at Long Beach has been excellent.... he is helping me currently with an order for an 07 335i coupe that i will be doing european delivery on. Will is in the Internet/Fleet sales dept.

[HGilmore]

Hey guys- Looking to finally order up the following 6 coupe:




Undecided:
Active Steering--any thoughts?


Some quick questions:

Have any of you gone from despising the iDrive to actually becoming friends?


Yes, yes, yes, get active steering. The 6 is a "porker of a car" :rofl: and AS makes the process silky smooth and effortless, but still provides the "feel" that BMW's are known for. It is a plus in many way's and you wont regret it. I would'nt order a 6 without it.

Also, I despised Idrive originally but came to like it (limited) after some time spent at the clicker. Slow speed from click to click but the "fine-tuning" available to set up the car the way you like it, is the beauty. Once everything is set and you have the hang of it, it's really very user friendly.

Good luck with your purchase.

[Gran Turismo]

Welcome to the dark side,:drink:man! :thumbup:

Undecided:
Active Steering--any thoughts?

I guess the best for you would be to try test driving a 6er with and another one without the AS. I immediately liked it: The higher 'gear ratio' at low speeds is great for parking, but the steering feel is still perfect to me in the twisties.
Some quick questions:
The only thing I dislike about the iDrive is how S-L-O-W it is at times. Other than that just be aware that you won't necessarily need it every time you're driving the car. I actually only use it when needing the NAV or changing playlists or albums on the iPod, as the most important audio system and AC functions can be operated via available buttons. That's something you don't necessarily realize yet when trying to understand the iDrive for the first time.

I won't comment much on the sunroof since I don't have one at all plus even a dark headliner (not available in the US). Despite of that I'm still not claustrophobic, probably due to the fact that I never have the urge to look to the skies while driving as there's usually enough going on in front of me... But that could be just me, of course.

The blind spots are only an issue when parking, and luckily we all have the PDC. After a week you'll start trusting it :D and after a month or so you'll start getting some feel for the dimensions of the car and actually even could do without the PDC at familiar places.

[Beerman]

Will Shaw at Long Beach has been excellent....

Thanks! :thumbup:

Yes, yes, yes, get active steering.

I immediately liked it: The higher 'gear ratio' at low speeds is great for parking, but the steering feel is still perfect to me in the twisties.

Two votes for the AS which is nice because that's the way I was leaning. I just remembered some complaints (on the 3's I think) that BMW had oversoftened the steering.

One last thing that I'm worried about is my driveway has a fairly steep incline right off the street. I'm going to have to talk a dealer into letting me drive home in one to make sure I can get up the driveway without any serious bumps, scrapes, or bruises...

Thanks for the replies.

Cheers.

[650iOzBoy]

Welcome Beerman :drink: .

Agree with HGilmore and Gran Turismo. I hardly recall any member here who dislikes Active Steering. Coupled with Dynamic Drive (a.k.a Active Roll Stabilisation), the car handles like a dream.

iDrive takes a little while to get used to. After a month or two for me, the directions/screens are almost intuitive to follow. You will remember the frequently used functions and won't even have to look at the screen to locate it. I really like the concept of almost all functions in one interface, keeping the dash very clean. iDrive is not perfect, however. It can be slow. It can have glitches (which seem to be commonly with Bluetooth) but I have never had any glitches with it so far.

[Malibubimmer]

I agree with everything everybody has written except phillippek is the Official Vendor of the Goodes. He is a frequent poster on this Board and works for a Southern California (but not L.A.) dealer. If nothing else. you know whom to avoid, right? (Someone might very well think it is Santa Monica BMW but I couldn't possibly comment.)

As for the iDrive, it is slow, but it becomes easy to use after an hour or two. I am amazed that it took OzBoy so long to figure it out. But if you look at his avatar and sig you will see that he is from a galaxy far, far away, a long long time ago.

Get Active Steering. The 6er is a big beast. The only thing which will surprise you is that BMW has lied about the turning radius. It is not 37.5 feet. It is over 41 feet. The AS will help a little with that. All your other choices seem real good ones. BMWs have pretty good road clearance, but your plan to have your dealer allow you to test drive one up your driveway is a good idea. You probably won't be in the market for bigger wheels or lowering. One trick I have learned in the boonies is that you often have to approach steep drives at a bit of an angle.

[650iOzBoy]

I am amazed that it took OzBoy so long to figure it out. But if you look at his avatar and sig you will see that he is from a galaxy far, far away, a long long time ago.



;) True, my good Viceroy. I should have wrote clearer. I meant it took me a month or so to have fully memorised most of iDrive's functions, including the more obscure ones that I hardly ever use.

[Beerman]

I am amazed that it took OzBoy so long to figure it out. But if you look at his avatar and sig you will see that he is from a galaxy far, far away, a long long time ago.

I bet he's happy the Millenium Falcon didn't have an iDrive...

Edit: All kidding (venting) aside, I reluctantly understand that I'll get used to the iDrive. But, it's the slow response that you guys have cited that bugs me. BMW is such a high performance company, I wish they would kick that thing up a notch.

Cheers.

[Boxboss]

Other than that just be aware that you won't necessarily need it every time you're driving the car. I actually only use it when needing the NAV or changing playlists or albums on the iPod, as the most important audio system and AC functions can be operated via available buttons. That's something you don't necessarily realize yet when trying to understand the iDrive for the first time.
I completely agree. Nav and audio are my primary uses and Nav infrequently at that.

The blind spots are only an issue when parking, and luckily we all have the PDC. The A pillar caused me some visibility issues when we did the ToD runs - and only left turns at that. I have a vert and maybe the AP's on it are larger? Then again, the ToD was continual 90-180 degree turns and not what one usually encounters in day to day driving. As one attendee put it, "First drive I've ever been on where I'm following someone and can see the front of their car!" :eeps:

[will@lbbmw]

Thanks for the recommendation, Jonathan!

Anyways, I sent you a reply to your email, Brian! I hope we can work something out!

Will

[sgv]

1. I guess I have inactive steering. AS is just another gadget prone to go wrong.
2. Idrive is better than I expected. I agree that the most important improvement would be speed. Paucity of search functions for the navigation is another disappoinment .
3. I love the panoramic moonroof. I'd rather have one this size than a smaller one that opened.
4. Congrats on a great choice. Great color selection.

[Boxboss]

AS is just another gadget prone to go wrong.I believe the majority of those on this forum like AS. As far as "prone to go wrong"...there was a issue with the steering angle sensor (AFAIK this defect was related to condensation and a new manufacturer of this part) but this has been corrected and dealt with and was a problem in a realtively small number of builds. I like AS and would not consider it a "gadget."

[sgv]

I believe the majority of those on this forum like AS. As far as "prone to go wrong"...there was a issue with the steering angle sensor (AFAIK this defect was related to condensation and a new manufacturer of this part) but this has been corrected and dealt with and was a problem in a realtively small number of builds. I like AS and would not consider it a "gadget."

I am not surprised many "like" it. I think it's hard to isolate one's impression of the active steering during a test drive of a great car. I really enjoyed my test drive of an AS 6er. But how may have driven AS and non-AS sport 6ers back to back? I did and found that I liked the non-AS more. JMHO.

[Beerman]

I am not surprised many "like" it. I think it's hard to isolate one's impression of the active steering during a test drive of a great car. I really enjoyed my test drive of an AS 6er. But how may have driven AS and non-AS sport 6ers back to back? I did and found that I liked the non-AS more. JMHO.


Thanks, I'm happy to hear also from someone who prefers Non-AS. To be totally honest, I have no clue whether the car I drove had it or not. I just wasn't thinking of it at the time. I might try for a back to back test drive, but in reality it's doubtful.

I notice you also have a manual. This 6 will be the first in my last three cars that isn't manual and it's a tough call. When I was looking at the '06's there was an extra gas guzzler tax or something that they added on to the manuals. That got me thinking about getting the step that I've heard such good things about. Apparently, they've dropped the tax in the '07 due to increased efficiency but I haven't really gone back to thinking about the manual. Now looking at your non-AS and manual tranny I'm starting to wonder if I'm getting soft! :D

Thanks again for the opinions, I'm sure you all know the slight second guessing in the 11th hour...

Cheers.

[Boxboss]

I am not surprised many "like" it. I think it's hard to isolate one's impression of the active steering during a test drive of a great car. I really enjoyed my test drive of an AS 6er. But how may have driven AS and non-AS sport 6ers back to back? I did and found that I liked the non-AS more. JMHO.:thumbup: To each his own. I haven't drive a non-AS sport 6er so maybe I'm missing the boat. I will say that parking and other low speed maneuvers are a dream in an AS sport 6er compared to other non-AS cars that I've owned.

[sgv]

Thanks, I'm happy to hear also from someone who prefers Non-AS. To be totally honest, I have no clue whether the car I drove had it or not. I just wasn't thinking of it at the time. I might try for a back to back test drive, but in reality it's doubtful.

I notice you also have a manual. This 6 will be the first in my last three cars that isn't manual and it's a tough call. When I was looking at the '06's there was an extra gas guzzler tax or something that they added on to the manuals. That got me thinking about getting the step that I've heard such good things about. Apparently, they've dropped the tax in the '07 due to increased efficiency but I haven't really gone back to thinking about the manual. Now looking at your non-AS and manual tranny I'm starting to wonder if I'm getting soft! :D

Thanks again for the opinions, I'm sure you all know the slight second guessing in the 11th hour...

Cheers.

Maybe you should consider test driving a manual tranny although it may be difficult to find one in stock. I absolutely love it despite getting hit with the gas guzzler tax (which is no longer implemented as you state). The steptronic I test drove was the best slushbox I have driven. Drive them all and decide. It's a big investment (not the best word choice) so might as well be certain. Good luck on your decision but you really can't go wrong with any of your choices here. The only mistake one could make is passing on the HUD; it is very sweet.

[cobradav]

Not doing racing for a hobby or a living I probably miss what may be wrong with AS. However, in Autox or ToD driving I found the car to be far more nimble than would otherwise be expected from a 4000 lb plus car. Pics and movies of the 6er in these types of driving situations shows a very flat cornering plane and less whipping of the steering wheel back and forth. A little easier to use one hand and one on th eshifter when necessary (I do not have SMG with paddles). Not driving a non-AS in these situations I cannot compare, however. But with or without AS you get one heck of a car.

I think being forewarned on the iDrive will actually result in your being pleasently surprised in real use (after HAL trains you that is). Yes it is slow, but you just start adjusting and go on. Between voice control, programmable steering wheel button functions, and some short cuts you can get around quite well. The clean and uncluttered look is well worth it especially when you realize that this doesn't just replace buttons you were used to in other cars, but adds functions that would have required many 10s of more buttons.

[Spyder]

I hardly recall any member here who dislikes Active Steering.

Short memory. Beerman, do a search on Active Steering for some of my misgivings after driving two 650's, one with, and one without AS, for about 2k mi each. Reviews have been mixed in the mags, but to each his own.

iDrive. I disliked it at first, but have since made my peace with it. If it responded more quickly, I'd even say I liked it.

Sunroof. I bought the car in spite of the fact that it didn't have a roof that retracted. Now I like the trade: a larger glass roof that really opens up the interior instead of a smaller one that is open to the air.

LA dealers. This is my fourth BMW, so I've had my ups and downs (mostly downs) with socal dealers. Steve Thomas, who arranged my Euro delivery, and is now servicing my car, is the best one I've dealt with.

[Beerman]

Hey all, quick update:

I decided not to order up a 650i, but rather see if one close enough in color/options came along. Well, one did and it's currently waiting for me at Long Beach BMW. I'll have to drop the active steering, gain Logic 7, and probably lose real time traffic. No biggie. Still Stratus and black pearl.

I'm wondering what tips people have for pickup day...floor mats, extras, things to avoid, etc. All of those things that you wish you had done on pickup day that you didn't think about until a week later.

Also, any current thoughts on leasing vs. buying? I've always purchased and have never really though about leasing, but I have a feeling that this car will take a pretty big hit in resale value. Especially with the potential (although minor) upgrades of the 2008.

Lastly, if all goes well, I hope to join the 645, 650, and M6 on Sunday!

Cheers.

[Gran Turismo]

Congrats! :thumbup:

IMHO the only thing you really have to care about on pickup day is a thorough inspection of the car for scratches or other shipping damages, also underneath the car (skirts).
Take a camera with you if you think the pickup day is worth being documented.

Regarding accessories, there's always time for returning later to your dealership. No need to worry about floor mats as yours apparently already are black, unless you were thinking of rubber ones. A trunk net or the (tire) mobility kit are further handy accessories, but your dealership currently might not have those in stock.

Regarding resale (buy) vs. residual (lease) value - I'd guess the engine change from 645Ci to 650i had more impact than the expected MY08 changes, especially if it's a 'regular' Steptronic model. New options (regardless if minor or major ones) have to be expected with every new model year anyway.

[m630]

welcome and congrats on the best car and best color scheme, SG is the best color that BMW offers in the US!!!!

though i understand you are want to get the car asap, i would NOT take the car without A/S, no matter what others say!!!! if u want the 6er, which is a big GT to feel smaller than the M3, you need A/S... and I have driven both extensively, and right after each other, and you cant imagine how different the car feels and drives with A/S, it is a MUST

Logic 7 is also a must, but the RTT is BS, so no big deal there....the mats better come with the car for $85K, so dont let them try to charge you for them

if you do go with this car, im assuming you have negotiated a deal since you are taking one off the lot, rather than ordering your car specifically for yourself, so dont fall for any BS in that area either

as for buy vs lease, though i used to believe in ownership, never again would i for such a technological car....these cars are WORTHLESS without the warranty, and if you are a finance whiz, like yours trully, you will easily understand that there is no financial reason to buy vs the lease, unless you are shady and write off a GT thru your S-corp or something :p

so, i lease, happily, and when the warranty is up, it will be time for a new baby :thumbup:

[BHR4CE1]

Hey all, quick update:

I decided not to order up a 650i, but rather see if one close enough in color/options came along. Well, one did and it's currently waiting for me at Long Beach BMW. I'll have to drop the active steering, gain Logic 7, and probably lose real time traffic. No biggie. Still Stratus and black pearl.Lastly, if all goes well, I hope to join the 645, 650, and M6 on Sunday!

Cheers.

CONGRATS! Maybe I will see you tooling around here in Long Beach. I live about 8 minutes from LB BMW. If you see a black M6 cabrio...say hi. It would be great to see you at the GTG on Sunday too!

[cobradav]

Hey all, quick update:

I decided not to order up a 650i, but rather see if one close enough in color/options came along. Well, one did and it's currently waiting for me at Long Beach BMW. I'll have to drop the active steering, gain Logic 7, and probably lose real time traffic. No biggie. Still Stratus and black pearl.

I'm wondering what tips people have for pickup day...floor mats, extras, things to avoid, etc. All of those things that you wish you had done on pickup day that you didn't think about until a week later.

Also, any current thoughts on leasing vs. buying? I've always purchased and have never really though about leasing, but I have a feeling that this car will take a pretty big hit in resale value. Especially with the potential (although minor) upgrades of the 2008.

Lastly, if all goes well, I hope to join the 645, 650, and M6 on Sunday!

Cheers.

A lot of these might be old news or second hand to most, but always good to have a reminder:

[Beerman]

Thanks guys. Great list Cobradev...I had not seen that before.

m630, I hear you on the Active Steering. I believe the one I test drove did not have it, and it felt fine to me. I think at this point, I will just make it a point not to drive anything with AS so I won't know what I'm missing;)

Leaning towards the lease. Doing some homework now..

Cheers.

[m630]

Thanks guys. Great list Cobradev...I had not seen that before.

m630, I hear you on the Active Steering. I believe the one I test drove did not have it, and it felt fine to me. I think at this point, I will just make it a point not to drive anything with AS so I won't know what I'm missing;)

Leaning towards the lease. Doing some homework now..

Cheers.

:thumbup: no worries! it'll still be the best car you've ever owned either way, good luck and show us those pix already!!!!! :D

[Boxboss]

One item I didn't see on Cobra's list, and I'm not even sure if the 650's have it, but if there are dealer programmable options for the fob, get them programmed. If you have it done later, if applicable, they may try to charge you for it.

:dunno: I drive an old non-problematic 645, and am speaking from the '04 7er fob point of view.

[HGilmore]

Hey all, quick update:

I decided not to order up a 650i, but rather see if one close enough in color/options came along. Well, one did and it's currently waiting for me at Long Beach BMW. I'll have to drop the active steering, gain Logic 7, and probably lose real time traffic. No biggie. Still Stratus and black pearl.

I'm wondering what tips people have for pickup day...floor mats, extras, things to avoid, etc. All of those things that you wish you had done on pickup day that you didn't think about until a week later.

Also, any current thoughts on leasing vs. buying? I've always purchased and have never really though about leasing, but I have a feeling that this car will take a pretty big hit in resale value. Especially with the potential (although minor) upgrades of the 2008.

Lastly, if all goes well, I hope to join the 645, 650, and M6 on Sunday!

Cheers.
Good luck with the car. The Logic 7 gain is a big plus. :thumbup:

[Boxboss]

Lastly, if all goes well, I hope to join the 645, 650, and M6 on Sunday!

Cheers.Looks like the 650 is scratched for Sunday.

[Malibubimmer]

Looks like the 650 is scratched for Sunday.

Possibly scratched forever. But the BMW CL55 AMG will be there.