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2013 LCI Facelift in Person at Dealer

3039 Views 13 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  f01driver, 
D
I saw the 2013 LCI facelift in person at my dealer yesterday (silver/black) and must say I'm underwhelmed!

I didn't drive it, as it was on display, and it didn't have the LED headlamps, but the pre-facelift front and rear fit the image/presence of the car so much more.

The new front bumper is absolutely convoluted, the new headlamps and grill are nice upgrades, the rear lamps (supposedly darker) are indistinguishable from the current ones (pre- to post-facelift X5 rear lamps had far more differentiation) and the rear bumper looks lighter in weight, taking away from the stature of the rear (there's something wrong with the new chrome bar at the bottom of the bumper, which looks cheesy, whereas the chrome bar at the top of the trunk lid and/or at the bottom of the 760 rear look as though they are metal from a distance).

I don't like the new seat design; it doesnt do anything for comfort and when sitting in the rear, the front seat backs look cheaper/narrower. The 760 burl wood trim as an option for the entire lineup is a nice touch. The chrome ring around the front cup holder cover and the chrome bars on the front and rear ash tray covers are very nice subtle upgrades.

I was expecting something awesome with the supposed "3D-like" iDrive system graphics, but after toggling through some screens, it's neither here nor there. Instead of quickly getting from one screen to the next, I found myself waiting for the stupid flashing/pulsating animations to stop (gimmicky at best) before I could focus on screen content. It's also more difficult to read prior screen content when the current screen is overlapped and to the right of same, as the text is uselessly angled (I suppose for that "3D-like" effect, which it does NOT achieve).

Nevertheless, I still look forward to driving it to experience the new drivetrains and additional soundproofing.

Does anyone know what the rubber circle below the temperature knob is; is it the ambient temperature sensor, but revised?

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eLECTRO eDITION
IBM famously created the Clit Mouse.
Little button, temperature reset favorite (resets temp to your preprogramed preset).... OOOOOh so good, YRMV
:D
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Here's pictures of the 2013 model without the LED lights, I'm glad the exterior changes are very minor for the LCI models.

http://www.bmwofbeverlyhills.com/new/BMW/2013-BMW-750LI-1602051c0a0d048d0186d31547b4aeae.htm

m sport;

http://www.bmwofbeverlyhills.com/new/BMW/2013-BMW-750LI-160204b50a0d048d0186d31516ac637d.htm
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D
I dislike the new front and rear bumpers so much in person that the M Sport Package may be the only way to go now; no wonder it went unchanged!

And I now realize what the chrome surround to the cup holder cover reminds me of: the Apple iPhone 4 (which I love the design of)!
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dbs600 said:
I dislike the new front and rear bumpers so much in person that the M Sport Package may be the only way to go now.
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The rear bumper looks awful with that lower chrome strip. Why BMW puts so much chrome on the 7 series is beyond me, it's so tacky and ugly.
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Most of the BMW LCI design changes in my mind are contrived, and not as elegant and cohesive as the original designs. I did like the E65 and E90 LCI changes, but didn't really appreciate the E46, E90 and F01 updates.

But as with all the LCI changes, its what happens below the skin so to speak which counts. In all instances, the cars have been considerably refined in my opinion. And that's what we as drivers appreciate the most, and in some ways, I prefer that this is where a lot of the effort has been concentrated.
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dbs600 said:
I saw the 2013 LCI facelift in person at my dealer yesterday (silver/black) and must say I'm underwhelmed!

I didn't drive it, as it was on display, and it didn't have the LED headlamps, but the pre-facelift front and rear fit the image/presence of the car so much more.

The new front bumper is absolutely convoluted, the new headlamps and grill are nice upgrades, the rear lamps (supposedly darker) are indistinguishable from the current ones (pre- to post-facelift X5 rear lamps had far more differentiation) and the rear bumper looks lighter in weight, taking away from the stature of the rear (there's something wrong with the new chrome bar at the bottom of the bumper, which looks cheesy, whereas the chrome bar at the top of the trunk lid and/or at the bottom of the 760 rear look as though they are metal from a distance).

I don't like the new seat design; it doesnt do anything for comfort and when sitting in the rear, the front seat backs look cheaper/narrower. The 760 burl wood trim as an option for the entire lineup is a nice touch. The chrome ring around the front cup holder cover and the chrome bars on the front and rear ash tray covers are very nice subtle upgrades.

I was expecting something awesome with the supposed "3D-like" iDrive system graphics, but after toggling through some screens, it's neither here nor there. Instead of quickly getting from one screen to the next, I found myself waiting for the stupid flashing/pulsating animations to stop (gimmicky at best) before I could focus on screen content. It's also more difficult to read prior screen content when the current screen is overlapped and to the right of same, as the text is uselessly angled (I suppose for that "3D-like" effect, which it does NOT achieve).

Nevertheless, I still look forward to driving it to experience the new drivetrains and additional soundproofing, which the model I viewed did not have.

Does anyone know what the rubber circle below the temperature knob is; is it the ambient temperature sensor, but revised?
Click to expand...
Why would they make the seats narrower? I mean, aren't most 7's purchased by older fat-asses like me? I've read this before and I'm a bit concerned - will have to drive one...
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I think they are just as wide, but not as deep - so this gives more rear knee room. So there's just as much space for your bottom, but potentially less padding for your back. I'm not sure if the change applied to the standard seats only, or both standard and comfort seats. It's a strange change, considering most people wouldn't usually say the 7 series is short on space.
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chrischeung said:
I think they are just as wide, but not as deep - so this gives more rear knee room. So there's just as much space for your bottom, but potentially less padding for your back. I'm not sure if the change applied to the standard seats only, or both standard and comfort seats. It's a strange change, considering most people wouldn't usually say the 7 series is short on space.
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Agreed -

I think I read the word narrower in some BMW literature, so lets see...I'm heading to a dealer shortly to try one...will try and take some photos if there is time...
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So just took the 2013 750il x-drive for a drive, and, well, what a nice car.

I found the ventilated seats to be fine, the same or slightly better comfort than my current 2011 740i with ventilated seats.

The ride was superb (with a caveat/question I will pose later) The feel was a great combination of increased comfort, lightness, yet complete control and feel of the road. somewhat contradictory but in a very positive way.

Now, I have Active Roll Stabilization in my car, and this didn't. So my only unknown aspect to the ride is this: does ARS create a stiffer ride than a car without it? Meaning, would my current 740 feel a bit more forgiving if I didn't have ARS and that it what I'm experiencing, or is it more the new suspension features of the 2013's? I don't know...)

Acceleration and shifting was outstanding, very exhilarating actually - almost none of the lag feel anymore.

New display is great - brighter, sharper, better use of color, much smoother zooming and menu access - I view it as a distinct benefit over the existing system

Saw the M package as well, and was not loving the chrome accents on the bumpers, nor the lower front grill.

So if there is truth that the October builds might offer the new MFID and the iDrive touch among other mid-production bump-ups, I think I will upgrade - otherwise I will wait, as I want the latest tech. While the looks may be quite similar (save the LED headlights, which did look great in person), it feels a lot more like a newly designed vehicle.

This was not a facelift, but an organ transplant.

Separately, I sat in a 2013 650i and played the B&O sound system, and felt it was a nice improvement over the premimum sound system, but unsure if it's $3,700 better. I'd probably get it cause I'll simply regret not having done so, but will still listen further....
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BMR2009
Interesting comments. Thanks for sharing.

Maybe I'll wait to the big redo. My car is just fine.
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thrang said:
Why would they make the seats narrower? I mean, aren't most 7's purchased by older fat-asses like me? I've read this before and I'm a bit concerned - will have to drive one...
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It's not that they are actually narrower (didn***8217;t measure; ha), but when you're sitting in the rear and looking forward at the front seat backs, they appear narrower and umm, less premium. Might be the way in which the leather is cut/stitched/wrapped; not sure. That was my first impression; others may feel differently... but in the end, not a significant problem.
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dbs600 said:
It's not that they are actually narrower (didn't measure; ha), but when you're sitting in the rear and looking forward at the front seat backs, they appear narrower and umm, less premium. Might be the way in which the leather is cut/stitched/wrapped; not sure. But that was my first impression; others may feel differently...
Click to expand...
They are a bit thinner front to back, yes, but for me it was fine...
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Like I said in the other thread, I don't think it's worth updating from the pre-LCI model to the LCI because you know the redesigned 7er is only a couple years out from been released.
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