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      05-11-2017, 04:40 PM   #1
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Thumbs up G30 Review from F10 Owner

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Well I took my F10 535i xDrive into the dealer for a repair and was lucky enough to receive one of their first G30 loaner cars. I thought I would write a little review with impressions on the differences/improvements from the F10 generation. Overall it’s a solid upgrade and don’t think anyone will be disappointed.

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Exterior

I really don’t have much to say here. It just looks like a newer 5-series. Nothing outlandish but a really nice refined piece of design. When seeing the G30 parked next to an F10 (wish I had taken a pic) you can really see the “newness” of the G30 and slightly wider stance. I feel that the design is best on the standard sport line trim, the M-sports lower air dam is a little too wide and short. My biggest complaint really is the selection of rims that BMW currently offers. I wish there was a simpler 5 spoke type design and most of the designs are a little too busy for me.

Interior

Wow! They have made some really great changes on the inside of this car. The overall feeling of space is increased. One of my passengers immediately commented that there was more legroom because the glovebox doesn’t hang down into the passenger footwell as much as the F10. I’m so excited that they have made the sport seats standard in the USA! Although, I fear that American’s of a certain type may not enjoy them so much, but I loved them. No need to upgrade to the multicontour. I cannot stress enough that the sensitec seats do not do the G30 justice, with the addition of the sport seats the rough texture makes it difficult to slide in and out of the car often resulting in an untucked shirt. I also do not like the odor that they provide to the interior. The steering wheel with paddles feels great to hold and has the usual buttons. I’m not sold on the partial bezel digital gauge cluster but the graphics look great and it has wonderful details. The upper dashboard trim doesn’t have the expensive dense feel of the F10’s and the sensitec stitching isn’t a big improvement, certainly doesn’t fool me into thinking it’s leather. The ambient lighting is a mega-crowd pleaser and is integrated beautifully to the trim lines of the interior.

Driving Experience

This is another area where the G30 takes a big step forward from the F10. I have to make sure I reiterate that I am coming from an F10 535i xDrive which has the hydraulic steering and is quite a bit heavier than a base G30 530i. I immediately noticed how they have decreased the amount of turns from lock to lock. Going around a cloverleaf that I take every day is much more pleasant now that I do not have to cross my arms as I do in the F10. The weighting is much lighter than my F10 but didn’t really bother me. The road feel is about the same. Overall the G30 just feels a lot more nimble and doesn’t roll in corners so much. The engine is astoundingly quiet (I thought the F10 528i was quiet!). It has more than enough power to give you some RWD fun and make quick work of my commute. For normal driving I see little reason to upgrade to the 540i. The transmission is just as quick here as the F10 and has no complaints from me. Glad the shift paddles are standard now! My loaner had the base 18” wheels and rode extremely smoothly, my F10 has 19’s so it’s hard for me to tell if the ride really is that much smoother. Either way it’s plush when you need it to be and can be flicked through corners with ease.

Infotainment

iDrive as before is simply the best. Audi has great graphics and a pretty interface but for ease of navigation I think iDrive is ahead. However I do have some gripes with the newest version. In an effort to simplify the experience and make it more accessible for touch I feel that they have created a few too many submenus. I liked how on NBT I could just go to Vehicle Info and scroll to the trip computers. Now I have to go to “My Vehicle” and then to “Driving Data” and then select “Trip Computer”. This is repeated throughout the system, it can easily be learned but was a little distracting at first. Also “Technology in Action” what does that have to do with the “Sport Displays”! Lastly, this may be something to do with this car not having Carplay or the wireless charging but when I plugged my iPhone in there is no shortcut to Podcasts or Audiobooks like on NBT and when I did switch from Bluetooth to USB I got the error like I used to get on my CIC that I can’t do both at the same time and I have to manually configure it instead of the seamless switch like with my NBT system.

Details

These are a few random observations that show some bigger changes BMW is making to its vehicles that I came across. After 15 years of BMW making stalks that always immediately return to center much to everyone's initial disdain they have brought back normal stalks just like in every other car. I actually missed the electronic ones since the stalk never snaps back into place as you went around a corner and the wipers reset every time you cycled the power to the car.

Next, for some reason they have decided to reinstate the coolant temp gauge instead of the oil temp gauge they've had for years. I'm not sure why they did this, I find the oil temp to be more useful than coolant temp. Finally, I REALLY miss the quick center vent fresh air adjuster. I know you can get to it by pushing the Menu button and then going to the adjustment menu but that's annoying seeing how I adjust that often. It's a feature only BMW’s have had and I've grown to really like it.

Summary

Overall, I think this new 5 is a great improvement over the last generation and the driving dynamics exceeded my expectations. I can see myself having one after my F10 ages and I can get it in Moonstone. A few things on the options that I would point out. Definitely get the leather seats the stitching detailing and comfort is worth it. I would not really bother with the “icon adaptive lights” because most likely they’ll be dumbed down for the US and the standard ones were great. I think the dynamic dampers would be worth it especially considering they are now a standalone option. I would pass on the sensitec dashboard and instead choose the ceramic controls which I feel make a bigger difference to the interior. The standard stereo actually sounded pretty good, better than the F10. I would want to try the HK system before I committed and totally go for the B&W system if I had money to burn.
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      05-11-2017, 05:35 PM   #2
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Thank-you for the review as a previous gen owner - that is helpful!
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      05-11-2017, 08:21 PM   #3
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Pretty good review. One thing I would say about the HK system is the front speakers are a noticeable upgrade over my M235i HK speakers but the rear speakers are a downgrade.

Solution? What I have found works best is to turn the balance more to the front and it sounds truly amazing. I have not heard the BW system but it can't sound good enough for me to pay that much for a sound system. I also haven't heard the Hifi base system but I have heard really good things about it.

Final thoughts about the sound system? I have no regrets getting the HK. Just do the balance as I mentioned and they really sound amazing.
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      05-11-2017, 09:01 PM   #4
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Thanks for this. As soon as mine arrives I'll be sure to weigh in as a F10, E60, E39, E34, and E28 owner. I've seen complaints you can't even imagine about new each generation, but I've never been disappointed. :-)
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      05-12-2017, 12:18 AM   #5
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Thanks for this review , much appreciated . You have a car that's already one of the 5 Series ever made and if a G30 will make you satisfy then BMW did really a great job indeed, I don't care about what car mags waffles about per se steering wheel on the G30 , real BMW Owners is what I literally care about
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      05-12-2017, 11:20 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daveschroeder View Post
Thanks for this. As soon as mine arrives I'll be sure to weigh in as a F10, E60, E39, E34, and E28 owner. I've seen complaints you can't even imagine about new each generation, but I've never been disappointed. :-)
Exactly! A lot of people may complain about the cubby next to the driver not being lined but for any perceived step back they take at least 5 other steps forward. Now if I could just get the weighting/feel of my F10 steering with the ratio of the G30!
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      05-12-2017, 03:08 PM   #7
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That looks amazing inside... I wonder how I can get that inside the M2...I really am not a fan of the interior lighting that I have.
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      05-12-2017, 03:16 PM   #8
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Nice review. Thanks for posting
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      05-12-2017, 04:10 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phennighausen View Post
The upper dashboard trim doesn’t have the expensive dense feel of the F10’s and the sensitec stitching isn’t a big improvement, certainly doesn’t fool me into thinking it’s leather.
Doesn't the G30 have the option of a full leather interior? I've only seen pics of the G30 with sensitec and that tacky fake stitching.
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      05-12-2017, 04:22 PM   #10
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Very awesome first impressions review. Thank you for sharing.
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      05-12-2017, 04:29 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SliChillax View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by phennighausen View Post
The upper dashboard trim doesn’t have the expensive dense feel of the F10’s and the sensitec stitching isn’t a big improvement, certainly doesn’t fool me into thinking it’s leather.
Doesn't the G30 have the option of a full leather interior? I've only seen pics of the G30 with sensitec and that tacky fake stitching.
Currently you can only get the sensitec with stitching as an option on the dashboard. I'm assuming the Individual interiors will have full leather and it could be a standalone option later.
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      05-12-2017, 04:30 PM   #12
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I agree with your review about the car feeling refined and "new." I just got back from a BMW event here in SoCal where we got to push the new 5 series to the limit. We got to take the 540i Xdrive and rear wheel drive around the mini autocross track a few times. The items I don't like is the new HUD, gauges and steering wheel. The steering wheel is so big it blocks the view of the gauges it is almost like they want you to focus only on the HUD. The HUD to me just has too much going on now. Overall, I don't feel the G30 is a major improvement from the F10.
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      05-12-2017, 04:33 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phennighausen View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by daveschroeder View Post
Thanks for this. As soon as mine arrives I'll be sure to weigh in as a F10, E60, E39, E34, and E28 owner. I've seen complaints you can't even imagine about new each generation, but I've never been disappointed. :-)
Exactly! A lot of people may complain about the cubby next to the driver not being lined but for any perceived step back they take at least 5 other steps forward. Now if I could just get the weighting/feel of my F10 steering with the ratio of the G30!
If I could only get the steering weight/feel of my E39 with the ratio of the G30..... wishful thinking
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      05-12-2017, 04:48 PM   #14
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one thing I want to point out is, all F10 5er does NOT have hydraulic steering. I see you have an individual F10 but it still does not have hydraulic steering.
I still agree with you that the G30 is a big step forward compare to the F10. I had a F10 as well.


quote from OP below
[Driving Experience

This is another area where the G30 takes a big step forward from the F10. I have to make sure I reiterate that I am coming from an F10 535i xDrive which has the hydraulic steering and is quite a bit heavier than a base G30 530i. I immediately noticed how they have decreased the amount of turns from lock to lock. Going around a cloverleaf that I take every day is much more pleasant now that I do not have to cross my arms as I do in the F10. The weighting is much lighter than my F10 but didn’t really bother me. The road feel is about the same. Overall the G30 just feels a lot more nimble and doesn’t roll in corners so much. The engine is astoundingly quiet (I thought the F10 528i was quiet!). It has more than enough power to give you some RWD fun and make quick work of my commute. For normal driving I see little reason to upgrade to the 540i. The transmission is just as quick here as the F10 and has no complaints from me. Glad the shift paddles are standard now! My loaner had the base 18” wheels and rode extremely smoothly, my F10 has 19’s so it’s hard for me to tell if the ride really is that much smoother. Either way it’s plush when you need it to be and can be flicked through corners with ease. ]
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      05-12-2017, 04:52 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hyperboost View Post
one thing I want to point out is, all F10 5er does NOT have hydraulic steering. I see you have an individual F10 but it still does not have hydraulic steering.
I still agree with you that the G30 is a big step forward compare to the F10. I had a F10 as well.
Actually I believe the F10 535i xDrive did have Hydraulic assist while the F10 528i xDrive had EPS for packaging reasons. See this article from Car and Driver.
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      05-12-2017, 05:17 PM   #16
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Nice review! In the meantime, BMW is sending direct marketing to some current F10 owners. I received a,...get this,..a box about the size of a VHS tape case. I thought perhaps they sent me a DvD on the new 5. Nope! They sent a video-gram! As in, a self-contained pull-out brochure that also has a hi-res video monitor (approx. 2.5" x 4.5") for playback of information on the new 5! There are 5 Menu buttons across the top - Connectivity Technology Performance Luxury Convenience.

So, the heck with direct emails! It's time for video-grams now! Go BMW!!!!!
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      05-12-2017, 06:10 PM   #17
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Completely agree that the smell of sensatec is not pleasant
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      05-12-2017, 06:12 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JMD View Post
Nice review! In the meantime, BMW is sending direct marketing to some current F10 owners. I received a,...get this,..a box about the size of a VHS tape case. I thought perhaps they sent me a DvD on the new 5. Nope! They sent a video-gram! As in, a self-contained pull-out brochure that also has a hi-res video monitor (approx. 2.5" x 4.5") for playback of information on the new 5! There are 5 Menu buttons across the top - Connectivity Technology Performance Luxury Convenience.

So, the heck with direct emails! It's time for video-grams now! Go BMW!!!!!
What?!

Yet they still make 3 series with halogen bulbs. Glad to see BMW have their priorities right with our hard earned / spent money.
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      05-12-2017, 09:03 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phennighausen View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by hyperboost View Post
one thing I want to point out is, all F10 5er does NOT have hydraulic steering. I see you have an individual F10 but it still does not have hydraulic steering.
I still agree with you that the G30 is a big step forward compare to the F10. I had a F10 as well.
Actually I believe the F10 535i xDrive did have Hydraulic assist while the F10 528i xDrive had EPS for packaging reasons. See this article from Car and Driver.
I can confirm my 2013 F10 535i xDrive does in fact have hydraulic steering. I drove a friend's 2013 F10 528i xDrive before buying my car and noticed his was equipped with electric power steering, and noticed mine was hydraulic immediately upon driving my car for the first time.
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      05-12-2017, 10:46 PM   #20
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Here is my 2cents after driving it:

If you are leasing F10 and need replacement, you will be perfectly happy with new G30.
If you own F10 and are happy, you are not missing much with new G30.
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      05-13-2017, 12:20 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phennighausen View Post
Finally, I REALLY miss the quick center vent fresh air adjuster. I know you can get to it by pushing the Menu button and then going to the adjustment menu but that's annoying seeing how I adjust that often. It's a feature only BMW’s have had and I've grown to really like it.
I've been inside one at dealership, I've seen tons of pictures yet I haven't noticed that. I guess You have to drive one to actually do. This is really crap. I use it all the time in F30 and I probably will move to G30 at some point
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      05-13-2017, 02:27 AM   #22
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Great review, thanks. Refreshing to see an F10 owner not give into cognitive dissonance trying to convince himself he shouldn't upgrade.
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