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?
