2011 535xi, Alpine White with Cinnamon Brown Dakota. Premium 1 and 2 with Convenience pkg. (no sports package and so far I’m OK with that . . . particularly since I didn’t get the 19” tires with all of the bubble issues).
My last 3 cars (trading every 3 years) have been: E320, S430 and most recently a Lexus GS45h. I almost purchased a 7 series when I purchased my second Mercedes but I did not like the iDrive. I actually walked into the dealer a couple of months ago thinking I would purchase the 750i but the sales rep suggested the 5 series because he said it had almost as much leg room as the 7 (bzzzzz). Plus, he knew that I was a hybrid-driving, tree-hugging, granola-eating Missouri democrat. I am sensitive to emissions and gas mileage.
I ordered my car during first week of April and picked it up last week, on the way out of town and drove about 400 miles in the first 2 days. Bimmerfest forum members were a wealth of knowledge about how to follow my car on its quest from Deutschland to USA.
First impressions were very good. The 535 is a beautiful car. Love the white but the leather was not quite as light, tan and rich as I expected but I like it nevertheless. Following are my observations, fresh from my first road trip:
Cabin room
I was disappointed in the leg room. I would like another inch or two in the driver’s leg room. And, on a long trip, I like to stretch my legs all of the way out to the left of the brake. The 535 did not have enough room to do that. In addition, when the front seat is all of the way back it leaves very little room for back seat passengers. I should have purchased the 7 series. Oh well.
Headrest
Liked it, but for whatever reason, the headrest was not comfortable for my wife.
Door locking
Someone can probably assist me with this. As far as I can see, there is no manual door lock button on the driver’s door. So, how do you unlock the back door if I get out of the car and try to open the back door without the key?
iDrive
At first, it was sensory overload. After spending the weekend with the iDrive, I’m finding it easier to operate and it provides many useful functions. It’s like I just purchased a really big white computer. When going on test drives the sales guy said I would be able to sync my iPhone with iDrive Office and that I would be able to get my emails and texts – and it would even read them to me. That was one of the major selling points of the car for me. Oops. It doesn’t work with the iPhone. I’m not very happy about this, but I assume Apple will acquiesce at some point; hopefully sooner rather than later.
Blind Spot Detection
I like this, in theory, but it doesn’t seem to work consistently. I’m sure this is driver’s error so I will give it some time.
MPG
One of the reasons I got the 535 vs. the 550 is the fuel efficiency. I don’t do it to save money; rather I do it to save energy for the world (see above comments regarding being a bleeding heart liberal). I drive about 78 mph on the highway and averaged about 26.5 mpg. I fully expect this to improve over the next few weeks. I got the x-drive because my Lexus was rendered useless in the numerous snow storms we have had in Missouri over the past couple of year. I fully expect this all-wheel drive to be a tank.
Wipers
Because I got very little instruction from the dealership (my fault, not theirs. I basically gave them a check and my Lexus, signed a few forms and skedaddled out of there), I didn’t know how many of the features worked. It was raining and I couldn’t figure out how to activate the rain senor. My wife pulled the manual out of the glove compartment and it was easier than I thought. I love the digital manual on the iDrive, but it can only be used while the car in in Park.
Power
The car is powerful enough for me. I was used to the peppiness of the hybrid Lexus, and the 535 is not a step down. The only issue, so far, is the hesitation when punching it from a stop. I too expect this to be resolved in the next few weeks, once the car learns my driving behavior.
Lane Change
I thought I would love this feature, but it is useless so far. Maybe when I drive at night and have a hard time staying awake it will come in handy.
Satellite
I am supposed to get free Satellite for a year. It isn’t activated so I guess I am supposed to call them to activate it. Right?
Key
I’ve read in this forum that many people think the key is too large. It is not that much larger than my Lexus or Mercedes key, so I have no issues with it.
Lack of driver storage
There is not as much storage as my previous 3 cars. The elbow rest storage is not nearly as deep as I am accustomed. The secondary glove compartment to the left of the steering wheel helps but I would still like there to be about 30% more storage for my usual stuff.
Navigation
I’ve read many negative forum postings about the navigation. It seems to be easier to operate and follow than the Lexus and Mercedes systems of old. The biggest advantage/difference is that you can operate it while driving. THANK GOD. I’m a big fan of Google Map on my iPhone’s. It is simply the best. But, so far, I am having fairly good luck with the 535 system. As I use it more I will update this posting.
Overall, I love the car and feel good driving it. Quite an image change from the Mercedes to the Lexus to the BMW. There are a few little kinks, but I am quite confident that I will end up loving every aspect of the car.
My last 3 cars (trading every 3 years) have been: E320, S430 and most recently a Lexus GS45h. I almost purchased a 7 series when I purchased my second Mercedes but I did not like the iDrive. I actually walked into the dealer a couple of months ago thinking I would purchase the 750i but the sales rep suggested the 5 series because he said it had almost as much leg room as the 7 (bzzzzz). Plus, he knew that I was a hybrid-driving, tree-hugging, granola-eating Missouri democrat. I am sensitive to emissions and gas mileage.
I ordered my car during first week of April and picked it up last week, on the way out of town and drove about 400 miles in the first 2 days. Bimmerfest forum members were a wealth of knowledge about how to follow my car on its quest from Deutschland to USA.
First impressions were very good. The 535 is a beautiful car. Love the white but the leather was not quite as light, tan and rich as I expected but I like it nevertheless. Following are my observations, fresh from my first road trip:
Cabin room
I was disappointed in the leg room. I would like another inch or two in the driver’s leg room. And, on a long trip, I like to stretch my legs all of the way out to the left of the brake. The 535 did not have enough room to do that. In addition, when the front seat is all of the way back it leaves very little room for back seat passengers. I should have purchased the 7 series. Oh well.
Headrest
Liked it, but for whatever reason, the headrest was not comfortable for my wife.
Door locking
Someone can probably assist me with this. As far as I can see, there is no manual door lock button on the driver’s door. So, how do you unlock the back door if I get out of the car and try to open the back door without the key?
iDrive
At first, it was sensory overload. After spending the weekend with the iDrive, I’m finding it easier to operate and it provides many useful functions. It’s like I just purchased a really big white computer. When going on test drives the sales guy said I would be able to sync my iPhone with iDrive Office and that I would be able to get my emails and texts – and it would even read them to me. That was one of the major selling points of the car for me. Oops. It doesn’t work with the iPhone. I’m not very happy about this, but I assume Apple will acquiesce at some point; hopefully sooner rather than later.
Blind Spot Detection
I like this, in theory, but it doesn’t seem to work consistently. I’m sure this is driver’s error so I will give it some time.
MPG
One of the reasons I got the 535 vs. the 550 is the fuel efficiency. I don’t do it to save money; rather I do it to save energy for the world (see above comments regarding being a bleeding heart liberal). I drive about 78 mph on the highway and averaged about 26.5 mpg. I fully expect this to improve over the next few weeks. I got the x-drive because my Lexus was rendered useless in the numerous snow storms we have had in Missouri over the past couple of year. I fully expect this all-wheel drive to be a tank.
Wipers
Because I got very little instruction from the dealership (my fault, not theirs. I basically gave them a check and my Lexus, signed a few forms and skedaddled out of there), I didn’t know how many of the features worked. It was raining and I couldn’t figure out how to activate the rain senor. My wife pulled the manual out of the glove compartment and it was easier than I thought. I love the digital manual on the iDrive, but it can only be used while the car in in Park.
Power
The car is powerful enough for me. I was used to the peppiness of the hybrid Lexus, and the 535 is not a step down. The only issue, so far, is the hesitation when punching it from a stop. I too expect this to be resolved in the next few weeks, once the car learns my driving behavior.
Lane Change
I thought I would love this feature, but it is useless so far. Maybe when I drive at night and have a hard time staying awake it will come in handy.
Satellite
I am supposed to get free Satellite for a year. It isn’t activated so I guess I am supposed to call them to activate it. Right?
Key
I’ve read in this forum that many people think the key is too large. It is not that much larger than my Lexus or Mercedes key, so I have no issues with it.
Lack of driver storage
There is not as much storage as my previous 3 cars. The elbow rest storage is not nearly as deep as I am accustomed. The secondary glove compartment to the left of the steering wheel helps but I would still like there to be about 30% more storage for my usual stuff.
Navigation
I’ve read many negative forum postings about the navigation. It seems to be easier to operate and follow than the Lexus and Mercedes systems of old. The biggest advantage/difference is that you can operate it while driving. THANK GOD. I’m a big fan of Google Map on my iPhone’s. It is simply the best. But, so far, I am having fairly good luck with the 535 system. As I use it more I will update this posting.
Overall, I love the car and feel good driving it. Quite an image change from the Mercedes to the Lexus to the BMW. There are a few little kinks, but I am quite confident that I will end up loving every aspect of the car.
