Time to finalize my X5D order

Ok, dealer chosen, deal made, and I am very happy with price paid and treatment from dealership.

My order status is now 111 and it is time to make final changes to my order

Current
Space Gray
Oyster
Sports activity with 19's
Adaptive drive
Premium package
Premium sound
Multicontour seats
BMW apps.

What I am thinking of changing is the interior. I love the look of the Oyster but I plan on owning for 7 years/100K miles. I have a chocolate lab that will ride with me a couple days a week in the back seat. I have a great water resistant seat cover from Orvis that will go in the back. I have used it in my S4 for 18 months and my rear seats look brand new. I have no kids. I will scotch guard the leather as soon as I get it. My worry is i have a fairly active outdoor lifestyle. lots of skiing in the winter and hiking/biking/camping in the summer. I hike 50 days a year and will be jumping back in the X5 after 6 hours out sweating in the gorge while hiking. Black just seems to be easier even if it is more boring(to me) Will I regret the Oyster a year from now? I didn't like the Cinnamon in person as much as I thought I would last week. I love the Oyster and the two tone look. I don't mind black either.

I am also thinking of the running boards. I have a cargo box and bike racks that I will use fairly frequently. I tested out the running boards today and it definitely made it easier to reach the roof. I know they will mess up my pant legs but trade one for the other, i guess? I was able to get out easily by just swinging my legs around and stepping on the board with one foot while stepping out with the other. BTW, I am 6'2, my partner, she is 5'4. FWIW when I sat in one today w/out running boards, my legs automatically hit the trim piece below the door anyways. So, running boards or not, it appears it I get out naturally, my legs will hit something.

Space save spare? I want the carpeted storage area that comes if I don't get the spare. looks like ordering the spare after is going to cost me 3X as opposed to buying a piece of carpet and putting it in when I am not using the spare.

Thoughts? I need to email my CA i the morning.

Skiing in winter? Cold weather package.

Originally Posted by Rickm5X3

Skiing in winter? Cold weather package.

I decided that with my seats heated and a roof rack I really couldn't justify the $750 for a heated steering wheel and 2 rear heated seats. I don't need a ski bag as my gear always goes on the roof and never inside.

Thanks for the input though

I'd get the space saver now. You can always sell it later if you don't think you need it. It's only less than $150 from the factory.

I know $750 is a lot for a heated steering wheel, but in my opinion it is definitely worth it, even in Atlanta, much more in PNW.

Originally Posted by jonnyz1245

Ok, dealer chosen, deal made, and I am very happy with price paid and treatment from dealership.

My order status is now 111 and it is time to make final changes to my order

Current
Space Gray
Oyster
Sports activity with 19's
Adaptive drive
Premium package
Premium sound
Multicontour seats
BMW apps.

What I am thinking of changing is the interior. I love the look of the Oyster but I plan on owning for 7 years/100K miles. I have a chocolate lab that will ride with me a couple days a week in the back seat. I have a great water resistant seat cover from Orvis that will go in the back. I have used it in my S4 for 18 months and my rear seats look brand new. I have no kids. I will scotch guard the leather as soon as I get it. My worry is i have a fairly active outdoor lifestyle. lots of skiing in the winter and hiking/biking/camping in the summer. I hike 50 days a year and will be jumping back in the X5 after 6 hours out sweating in the gorge while hiking. Black just seems to be easier even if it is more boring(to me) Will I regret the Oyster a year from now? I didn't like the Cinnamon in person as much as I thought I would last week. I love the Oyster and the two tone look. I don't mind black either.

I am also thinking of the running boards. I have a cargo box and bike racks that I will use fairly frequently. I tested out the running boards today and it definitely made it easier to reach the roof. I know they will mess up my pant legs but trade one for the other, i guess? I was able to get out easily by just swinging my legs around and stepping on the board with one foot while stepping out with the other. BTW, I am 6'2, my partner, she is 5'4. FWIW when I sat in one today w/out running boards, my legs automatically hit the trim piece below the door anyways. So, running boards or not, it appears it I get out naturally, my legs will hit something.

Space save spare? I want the carpeted storage area that comes if I don't get the spare. looks like ordering the spare after is going to cost me 3X as opposed to buying a piece of carpet and putting it in when I am not using the spare.

Thoughts? I need to email my CA i the morning.

The car you are about to order is exactly the same as my car minus de cold weather package. I have two little dogs that ride in back all the time - I think dogs are better than kids for your interior but maybe that's just me After almost a year and 16K miles my interior looks great and I'm very glad I ordered it. Order the spare and forget the extra storage and replace the run flats with Pirelli Scorpion Verde tires - fantastic tires for the car. I just put on a set of winter wheels and tires and the Scorpion Verdes with 16K+ miles look great at about 1/2 used. Have an alignment done at your local alignment shop as soon as you get the car at the same time you remove the run flats - mine was way off from the factory. Congrats! You are ordering the "perfect" car

Oyster = is all but white, I would go with something darker.

I was in the same boat with the decision process with the interior color when ordering my 2013 a month ago. I came from a 2010 X5 48i with Sapphire Black and the Saddle Brown (2010's Cinnamon) interior. I really liked the contrasting look of that interior and was very high on ordering oyster after seeing it in person and liking the contrast with the Sport Activity anthracite headliner. On the final day I changed to black interior and in an effort to lighten up the interior I ordered the brushed aluminum trim. I have a 2013 50i in Platinum Grey with the 20" Sport Activity wheels and could not be happier.

After talking with a couple of CAs, they both said that the oyster will not wear very well with my two kids. One said that they had a black lab and it was not very good with the beige interior on the 5 series. You said that you had a seat cover for the dog but I would be concerned about the side bolsters when exiting the car. I had an issue with blue jeans rubbing on my 2010 when exiting the vehicle and was afraid this would happen on the much lighter oyster. Since you plan on owning the car for 7 years, I would be concerned with how active you are. I agree that the look of the oyster is very nice but I decided against it even on a 3yr lease.

I also skipped on the running boards with both cars. I am 5'10" and my wife 5'5" and occasionally rub my pant leg but decided against the REQUIRED step on the running board. I'm also just not that fond of the look anyway, not streamlined enough for my taste and just look clunky IMHO. Good luck and congrats!

I hate the look of the osyter, but that is totally a personal prefernece.

The brown leather with the space grey looks so much richer. A dark brown leather is a real leather. IMO



Ordered a 2009 a while back with Sand interior- it was horrifically bright, so much so that we declined delivery and ordered cinnamon/saddle.

A

PS I use the seat heaters constantly, even in the summer. (built in heating pad)...but never use the steering wheel heat.

I used my heated steering wheel every day in winter on my E60 and F10 and it's the only thing I miss on my M3 since it's not an option. Once you tried it you want it. Also don't you miss out on the headlight washers on the X5 without CWP? It gets pretty dirty around the passes in winter so it's useful even if you might curse it when it messes up your detailed hood when you just wanted to remove a smashed bug on the window... I had oyster on the F10 and I'm so glad to be back to black. I'll never get anything else again, well maybe dark brown but not cinnamon. You never regret black interior. Good luck!

Originally Posted by solstice

. You never regret black interior. Good luck!

Don't you find that the summer sun makes in unbearably hot????

Oh...wait...Seattle.

Nevermind



A

I am in the same boat. Is the premium sound worth the money? The sales said that he didn't think it's worth the money because it only has two extra tweater and a more powerful amp. I am also on the fence on the tech package, not sure if the side view cameras and auto highbeam worth the extra money? They don't look very useful to me. Thoughts?

You really MUST listen yourself, not count speakers. IMO. I wouldnt trust a salesperson to evaluate this for you....

A

My moms first BMW was with the premium sound, her second with the basic setup. I can tell you, that the basic is terrible in comparison. When you get the volume louder, it crackles. Her premium system on her first X3 never crackled.

Switched interior to black and am going to also call and get the space saver spare today.

In regards to the sound. I used to be really into audio gear and in my home have owned various setups over the years culminating in a Mcintosh system with B&W 803 diamond speakers. Not the best but pretty darn good after 20 years of tweaking components. I ended up selling the whole thing after I moved b/c I had found that each $XXXX in components ended up giving me the smallest increment of added value and listening pleasure. now I lsten to a 10 year old Rotel/Canton system and it is hard to tell the difference in my space.Any audiophile will tell you the same I am sure.

I listened to both the standard and the premium sound back to back. Cars are harsh environments to get good sound in. Hard plastics, glass, and all the angles play havoc on acoustics. I wouldn't say the difference was earth shattering by any means however I did notice a distinct difference between the two systems. More clarity and bass at higher levels. Since I like to listen loud on roadtrips, the $950 was worth it to me. I am coming from a 2012 Audi S4 with the B&O system. One thing for sure, neither BMW system is anywhere near as good as the B&O in the S4. and that was only an $850 upgrade. I think that may be one of the best in house car audio systems going in the bang for the buck category.

I emailed my CA yesterday regarding the individual sound and was told that the premium sound is the best sound I can get in my X5.

Originally Posted by jonnyz1245

I emailed my CA yesterday regarding the individual sound and was told that the premium sound is the best sound I can get in my X5.

Well, as a audiophile you may want to recognize that the Dirac system is what the individual gets you so it COULD be of value to you.

Originally Posted by ndabunka

Well, as a audiophile you may want to recognize that the Dirac system is what the individual gets you so it COULD be of value to you.

Right, I understand that. I made the rolling eyes gesture at the fact that the CA at the believes the premium sound is the BEST and didn't know about the individual sound.

I am sure the Dirac system great but am not sure if i want to spend the extra $ on it, mainly due to the fact that I don't know how much more it will cost.

Thanks!

Just got a space gray truck with sand beige nappa leather. I would not suggest nappa with a dog but the beige with the black headliner and dash with the sport package is very nice IMO. By the way if you are interested I have an E70 unused spare with the stuff to hold it down. No jack or lug wrench. PM if interested.

Ok, order is done and finalized for the LAST time, much to the relief of my great CA.

X5D
Space Gray
Oyster Nevada leather (went back and forth between this and black and went Oyster. I think it looks amazing)
Dark bamboo trim
Sports activity package
Adaptive drive
Multicontour seats
Premium package
Enhanced premium sound 752
BMW apps
Running boards
Space savers spare

Now all they have to do is build the thing and get it here to the west coast

Oh, and sell my S4. Anybody want to buy a mint 2012 S4 6speed?

oyster is awesome. cinnamon is too red and the old Saddle looked better.

Excellent! Now the wait begins!

I was like you...changing everything until the last minute. You almost could hear the sigh of relief from my CA when the car's status changed to "In production".

We got our's in September. Love, love, love it! First BMW, from Mercedes and the difference is huge. Went with the oyster over platinum gray exterior. Great combo.

Already started the fun: have fender flares on the way, 19" M Sport 223 wheels in the garage, Blizzaks on for winter. Now if I can find time to clean the salt off!

Originally Posted by troymi

We got our's in September. Love, love, love it! First BMW, from Mercedes and the difference is huge. Went with the oyster over platinum gray exterior. Great combo.

Already started the fun: have fender flares on the way, 19" M Sport 223 wheels in the garage, Blizzaks on for winter. Now if I can find time to clean the salt off!

Very nice. Plat was my second color choice. If I wasn't so lazy about cleaning exterior I would have gotten it but I figured Space would be a bit easier to keep clean as I think it hides the road grime a bit better than Plat. Its funny, I have no problem keeping my interior clean but not the exterior.

How has the Oyster done when it comes to dirt etc?

I have Oyster with two kids and a dog, just keep some leather wipes in the car and stay on top of it. It holds up fine.

Originally Posted by BMW Power

I have Oyster with two kids and a dog, just keep some leather wipes in the car and stay on top of it. It holds up fine.

Nice! That's what I have been hearing re: keeping Oyster clean. I am going to have the seats Scotchguarded or similar and then keep some microfiber/leather wipes in the car.

I have no kids but do have a dog. I have used the cover in the link below from Orvis in the backseat of my S4 for the last 18 months and the seats underneath look brand new My dog has been in my car caked with mud and soaking wet and not a thing got through the seat cover.

http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=9P1C

Originally Posted by jonnyz1245

Very nice. Plat was my second color choice. If I wasn't so lazy about cleaning exterior I would have gotten it but I figured Space would be a bit easier to keep clean as I think it hides the road grime a bit better than Plat. Its funny, I have no problem keeping my interior clean but not the exterior.

How has the Oyster done when it comes to dirt etc?

We ALWAYS got black or dark grey interior before. One aspect of this car that drew us in was the oyster leather and the contrasting black carpets. I will say that in the 4(ish) months of driving there is no concern about the light color at all.

Now, we have a small black long hair dog that is not supposed to shed. And I have a small, long hair blonde wife (can't comment on the shedding). I find more blonde hair on the black carpet than I find anything out of the norm on the oyster leather. That sounds like a personal problem though. Anyway, I use zymol on leather (clean then condition) and I see no issue with this. Just beauty.

If I ever have time and the temp gets above freezing ever, I'll clean it up and post real pics finally. Look forward to enjoying your choice.