Creature Comforts Review...

[Ray33]

I have not had the opportunity to drive the car properly since last Friday so i have decided to do a review on the on board toys and the like for now.

USB Connection - very happy with this. My last car could only do 5 playlists and was a bit restrictive. With this you can access everything as if you had the i-pod in your hand.
Logic 7 - Holy fuck! The sound is crazy, cannot fault it.
Navigation - the limited use i have had leads me to believe it is very good but time will tell.
Bluetooth phone - I use a HTC touch and it worked first time with no problems. All contacts are synchronised and voice command etc works perfectly. People can hear you even a high speeds etc. No complaints.
On board computer - very good except for the range which makes me want to It is telling me so far that i am using 16.7 litres per 100K's!!
Seat position - overall very good but i do agree that the seat is a little on the high side at its lowest setting. I used to drive a Z4M so maybe its because i am used to being down lower?? Either way I think that it could do with another few centimetres of travel downwards.
Steering - 90% happy with it but definatley not as precise as the Z4M. However i understand that they are both very different cars and will give very different feels. I am sure once i forget what the Z4M felt like i will have no issues.
High beam assistant- the business! has not made a single mistake so far on judging the conditions ahead, (including reflective signs etc).
Adaptive Headlights - Good but not exaclty life changing.
Comfort access - make sure you get this on your options list! Brilliant for entry just pull the door handle and starting the car - just press the start/stop button - no need to insert key. For leaving the car its probably as easy to use the remote. Really happy with it overall.
Climate glass - (or whatever they call it) looks great as it blends it with the black of the CFRP to make it all look like one section over the back window in certain light conditions.
Seat Belt hand over - looks a bit flimsy to me, how long will it last??
Voice Control - In general this is good but i think it is very easy to look like a complete twat using this system if there are other people in the car, probably best kept for private times...

Thats all i can think of for now, I will update with driving impressions as i get a few more kilometres under my belt.

[Epacy]

Good to hear about the other features of the car.

[Romo]

Seat Belt hand over - looks a bit flimsy to me, how long will it last??

+ 1

If you leave the door open, the seat belt hand over will not activate it self

Grap the seatbelt and close the door, the thing will last forever

[911 Now]

Regarding USB port- Forgive my ignorance but when you say "like having the Ipod in your hand" are you referring to the Idrive controller?

[Ray33]

Originally Posted by 911 Now

Regarding USB port- Forgive my ignorance but when you say "like having the Ipod in your hand" are you referring to the Idrive controller?

No i just mean that you have total control over your ipod from the steering wheel and the i-drive wheel i.e. you are not restricted to playlists. You can search by genres, playlists, artists, alblums etc etc.

[phoenixbmwlife]

Thanks for the review

[UltimateBMW]

Sounds great. Does the High Beam Assistance actually turn your high beams on and off depending if there are any on-coming cars or not?

[eclipsisNA]

The iPod adapter is probably my favorite feature on my M5. I couldn't stand having to burn hundreds of CDs to listen to 16 tracks per disc. My iPhone holds about 800 songs at the moment, which is unreal compared to dealing with my old M3's sound system. Also, for those looking at M Audio, it absolutely blows away the HK system in the old M3. I'm not an audiophile in any sense, but anybody with a decent pair of ears can tell the enormous difference between the new and old.

[911 Now]

Originally Posted by Ray33

No i just mean that you have total control over your ipod from the steering wheel and the i-drive wheel i.e. you are not restricted to playlists. You can search by genres, playlists, artists, alblums etc etc.

Sounds great! thanks- I still have a single CD player. I look forward to finally catching up with the times.

[dillon733]

Im glad they are offering comfort acess, i have it on my 7 and love it.... although i don't feel its worth $1000 on the 7.
Hopefully b/c on the M3 its offered in the technology package and they won't nickle and dime you for all the options it includes

[JEllis]

Thanks for the write up!

The E92 328/335 guys said the same things about the seat belt guide in the beginning but I havnt much since...

Jason

[Ray33]

Originally Posted by UltimateBMW

Sounds great. Does the High Beam Assistance actually turn your high beams on and off depending if there are any on-coming cars or not?

It does. It may on occassion get caught out by a very large reflective sign, but besides that its great. Picks up rear lights from the correct distance also.

[Ray33]

Originally Posted by Xcellere

The iPod adapter is probably my favorite feature on my M5. I couldn't stand having to burn hundreds of CDs to listen to 16 tracks per disc. My iPhone holds about 800 songs at the moment, which is unreal compared to dealing with my old M3's sound system. Also, for those looking at M Audio, it absolutely blows away the HK system in the old M3. I'm not an audiophile in any sense, but anybody with a decent pair of ears can tell the enormous difference between the new and old.

I have about 6000 songs on my ipod at the moment and can access them all from the steering wheel, it's brilliant!

[13eastie]

Originally Posted by UltimateBMW

Sounds great. Does the High Beam Assistance actually turn your high beams on and off depending if there are any on-coming cars or not?

I can't say I agree with Ray about this. Maybe I just got a duff one, but I find it hopeless. Experience ranges from mildly annoying to frankly terrifying.

Ray is spot-on about the set-belt thing though. I had really hoped someone would sense that this feature (which can only have been conceived with enormous fat people in mind) could be dispensed with for the "M". People actually laugh at this thing...