I now have had my GT for a week. Waited 8 weeks for delivery on the West Coast - tracking the car was cool, but frustrating with the "slow boat" - particularly with the Panama Canal. But pricewise, my timing was perfect - I negotiated a good price when there were no incentives and then got the current financing and $1,000 credit upon delivery.
Imperial Blue 535, Active Steering, Dynamic Handling, Sport Package, Cameras, Value Package - a lot of technology and features packed into the car - and I love it!
My impressions and review of my car - moving from a 2001 X5 4.4, Sport suspension:
The GT handling and ride is awesome. The first thing I noticed was how small the turning radius of the car is when I nearly clipped the curb on my first right hand turn. I had read accounts that were pro and con on the active steering and was concerned, but my experience with it is great. At slow to moderate speeds it is nimble, at high speeds it is precise without being twitchy.
Without a A/B comparison, I cannot assess the Dynamic handling and sport package pro and con. I haven't fully done the options, turning features on and off, but the handling is amazing for a car this size and weight. It has the handling of a much smaller car. It always stays flat through any turn and speed. Not a fan of the Comfort+ setting - the floating of the car is disconcerting to me to the point of nausea on certain undulating surfaces. The 19 inch wheels are pretty in a classic way and came with the Pirelli P-Zero. The tires seem to grip pretty well, but I have not pushed them yet.
The X5 was eleven years old so I did not have experience with iDrive, but it is quite well done, now. I keep on discovering new things as I have now loaded my own music, worked through navigation and it's features, and generally played around. Just yesterday I discovered that Nav has additional features when it is in split screen. I love discovering new things, but wish the manual (printed, online, and onboard) could be more complete. I guess it is hard to do that when there is so much in the car.
I was a little sheepish about ordering the camera package as I thought I was a good enough driver without it, but it is very helpful. It took awhile for me to get used to flipping through the modes, but top down is great for tight spaces, and rear view is very accurate with turning aids coupled with PDC. I am still getting used to the fender cams as I think you can be fooled with the distances - only to be used when absolutely necessary.
The interior is wonderful. I like the luxury and comfort - and am amazed at the capacity. The rear actually has a little larger foot print than my X5. I am using the OEM rear mat from the X5 and it is a nearly perfect fit, and my golf clubs in bag will fit laterally in the GT but could not in the X5. Since the rear seats and leg room are larger in the GT it has more square foot capacity with the seats down than the X5 had. Of course because of the roof line it does not have the full cubic capacity, but comes close because it has a lower floor without the spare tire in the X5.
I cannot wait to finish the current "babying" phase as I break in the car. Then I will be able to see what it really can do. I do not miss the bigger engine as the car is quick off the line and feels like it will like to rev up after polishing up the internals through break in. I am looking forward to getting good gas mileage.
The only cons so far are the cup holders are terrible, although I don't know what else they could have done to fit in the storage spaces and iDrive controller. Rear view through the hatch is very limited and backing up would be scary without the rear view camera. It takes getting used to using a camera. I miss not having an "accessory" mode. Or at least I have not found a way to enable such a mode. I have only found "ignition" with and without engine running, and radio. I would like a mode where the iDrive is fully functional and the windows are operable without the halos (daytime running lights) on. Right now if I want to play with Nav, or open windows, etc. I have to turn on ignition and the lights are on unless I turn off the light option in settings.
Enough with my rambling on how great my car is...
I want to explore using a roof rack on the car as I have done frequently with the X5. Occasionally I need to haul something and I also want to use a bike rack on the roof as I have now lost my hitch. I have used a Yakima hitch mounted bike rack in the past. I would consider installing the disappearing Westfalia hitch, but it does not appear to have a receiver, just includes the ball. I have looked at adapting my Yakima roof rack, but the specified towers and landing pads look like it will rest on the paintwork.
Question: does the BMW base rack system also rest on the paintwork? I have talked to a couple of dealer parts departments and they do not know. The diagrams show a coupling screwed into the roof mounting points, but we cannot tell if anything touches the paintwork beyond inside the mounting. This is a special order item and they would charge a restocking fee if I don't like the rack.
Any thoughts?
Imperial Blue 535, Active Steering, Dynamic Handling, Sport Package, Cameras, Value Package - a lot of technology and features packed into the car - and I love it!
My impressions and review of my car - moving from a 2001 X5 4.4, Sport suspension:
The GT handling and ride is awesome. The first thing I noticed was how small the turning radius of the car is when I nearly clipped the curb on my first right hand turn. I had read accounts that were pro and con on the active steering and was concerned, but my experience with it is great. At slow to moderate speeds it is nimble, at high speeds it is precise without being twitchy.
Without a A/B comparison, I cannot assess the Dynamic handling and sport package pro and con. I haven't fully done the options, turning features on and off, but the handling is amazing for a car this size and weight. It has the handling of a much smaller car. It always stays flat through any turn and speed. Not a fan of the Comfort+ setting - the floating of the car is disconcerting to me to the point of nausea on certain undulating surfaces. The 19 inch wheels are pretty in a classic way and came with the Pirelli P-Zero. The tires seem to grip pretty well, but I have not pushed them yet.
The X5 was eleven years old so I did not have experience with iDrive, but it is quite well done, now. I keep on discovering new things as I have now loaded my own music, worked through navigation and it's features, and generally played around. Just yesterday I discovered that Nav has additional features when it is in split screen. I love discovering new things, but wish the manual (printed, online, and onboard) could be more complete. I guess it is hard to do that when there is so much in the car.
I was a little sheepish about ordering the camera package as I thought I was a good enough driver without it, but it is very helpful. It took awhile for me to get used to flipping through the modes, but top down is great for tight spaces, and rear view is very accurate with turning aids coupled with PDC. I am still getting used to the fender cams as I think you can be fooled with the distances - only to be used when absolutely necessary.
The interior is wonderful. I like the luxury and comfort - and am amazed at the capacity. The rear actually has a little larger foot print than my X5. I am using the OEM rear mat from the X5 and it is a nearly perfect fit, and my golf clubs in bag will fit laterally in the GT but could not in the X5. Since the rear seats and leg room are larger in the GT it has more square foot capacity with the seats down than the X5 had. Of course because of the roof line it does not have the full cubic capacity, but comes close because it has a lower floor without the spare tire in the X5.
I cannot wait to finish the current "babying" phase as I break in the car. Then I will be able to see what it really can do. I do not miss the bigger engine as the car is quick off the line and feels like it will like to rev up after polishing up the internals through break in. I am looking forward to getting good gas mileage.
The only cons so far are the cup holders are terrible, although I don't know what else they could have done to fit in the storage spaces and iDrive controller. Rear view through the hatch is very limited and backing up would be scary without the rear view camera. It takes getting used to using a camera. I miss not having an "accessory" mode. Or at least I have not found a way to enable such a mode. I have only found "ignition" with and without engine running, and radio. I would like a mode where the iDrive is fully functional and the windows are operable without the halos (daytime running lights) on. Right now if I want to play with Nav, or open windows, etc. I have to turn on ignition and the lights are on unless I turn off the light option in settings.
Enough with my rambling on how great my car is...
I want to explore using a roof rack on the car as I have done frequently with the X5. Occasionally I need to haul something and I also want to use a bike rack on the roof as I have now lost my hitch. I have used a Yakima hitch mounted bike rack in the past. I would consider installing the disappearing Westfalia hitch, but it does not appear to have a receiver, just includes the ball. I have looked at adapting my Yakima roof rack, but the specified towers and landing pads look like it will rest on the paintwork.
Question: does the BMW base rack system also rest on the paintwork? I have talked to a couple of dealer parts departments and they do not know. The diagrams show a coupling screwed into the roof mounting points, but we cannot tell if anything touches the paintwork beyond inside the mounting. This is a special order item and they would charge a restocking fee if I don't like the rack.
Any thoughts?