[malpatti]

Thought I'd start a new thread with my first impressions on the car I picked up last night. 2021 540i xDrive in Mineral White with Ivory White Nappa and Luxury Seating Package + massaging seats, Driving Assistant Plus, Parking Assistance, Premium Package, style 663 19" rims.

I had to drive it back to town for 90 minutes and set it on the ACC with the lane assist thing and I didn't really have to do much driving... flick the indicator and it moved into the next lane. Nuts.

Ride was a little stiffer than I would prefer on the 19" run flats but this AM it seems I've already gotten used it. It's less like riding on a "saggy college couch" and more "on a firmer but taught West Elm sofa". Would love to try it with non-run flats one day though.

The automatic parallel parking feature is very impressive as is the the semi autonomous driving tech, seems they've upgraded it a lot.

The remote engine start is AWESOME... car is cool before I even hop in. No need to use the app and do it 10 mins out, I mean if you're a couple of hundred yards away it'll be cool-ish by the time you're in it.

The "mild hybrid" 48V tech means I don't even notice the auto/stop start. Like.. it's instant. Now, the ability to turn it off has been disabled (unless in sport mode) but that doesn't matter anymore.

Full screen CarPlay on the 13.5" screen is too much... waste of space. Wish I could have additional BMW content on the right side like the previous generation. The Apple Maps instructions on the HUD is fantastic and simple - next turn etc. Also shows up on the instrument panel with cards showing multiple turns coming up. Ahhhh.

BMW Maps aren't particularly good. Ditched it after the first ride home. And don't miss the lane indicator on the HUD which you don't get with Apple Maps... it's too small always squinting.

Didn't know it came with a drive recorder... it's setup now.

HK sound system is solid.

The Nappa leather is very plush. The multi contour seats maybe have too many options?! Still trying to figure out the right setting. The massaging feature is much improved though... so relaxing.

The ambient lighting at night is very bright! Had it on green and I felt like I was in a UFO with all the tech. Super fun.

Those are just first thoughts. I haven't even tried the Apple Car Key yet!!

[LogicalApex]

Great to see first impressions popping up!

Surprised you don't like BMW Maps. I've used CarPlay in my MY2020 a few times and I keep going back to BMW Maps as I much prefer them. You can go into Car -> Settings -> Displays and adjust the HUD as well, including size. Might help to eliminate the squinting.

What don't you like about BMW Maps?

Good to hear on the Mild Hybrid. Sounds like it is as I expected. Drives a lot more like a 530e when it comes to Start-Stop so you don't feel like you notice or care about it in any capacity.

[MauiSteve]

I'm a huge fan of mineral white Wish they offered the MSport in MW without having to pay for individual paint.

Thanks for the report on auto start stop. Interesting that you can't shut it off in comfort now. I don't like it on my 2020, and used Bimmercode to remember I like it shut off.

[luckybeard]

Thanks for your post!
Is HK sound a standard? I don't see an option to add it in configurator, only Burmister on higher and models.

[malpatti]

Originally Posted by LogicalApex

Great to see first impressions popping up!

Surprised you don't like BMW Maps. I've used CarPlay in my MY2020 a few times and I keep going back to BMW Maps as I much prefer them. You can go into Car -> Settings -> Displays and adjust the HUD as well, including size. Might help to eliminate the squinting.

What don't you like about BMW Maps?

Good to hear on the Mild Hybrid. Sounds like it is as I expected. Drives a lot more like a 530e when it comes to Start-Stop so you don't feel like you notice or care about it in any capacity.

This mess... how do you work out where you're going? All the lines look the same Plus I'm not convinced their Real Time Traffic feed is accurate... I was stuck in traffic last night and not a thing on it. But I will give it another go... edit some settings. It's certainly better when you tell it "point in the direction of where you are going".

Premium Package includes HK now! It should include heated steering wheel tbh but I guess folks in CA don't need it. Executive package I think is not that valuable now, ceramic controls are kinda redundant since LCI includes high gloss controls. Rear sunshade could be valuable I guess if you have kids.

[SteveinArizona]

Originally Posted by malpatti

This mess... how do you work out where you're going? All the lines look the same Plus I'm not convinced their Real Time Traffic feed is accurate... I was stuck in traffic last night and not a thing on it. But I will give it another go... edit some settings. It's certainly better when you tell it "point in the direction of where you are going".

Premium Package includes HK now! It should include heated steering wheel tbh but I guess folks in CA don't need it. Executive package I think is not that valuable now, ceramic controls are kinda redundant since LCI includes high gloss controls. Rear sunshade could be valuable I guess if you have kids.

Its not the car:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/20...XNO/story.html

I went to college at Brandeis. For two weeks I had a car there. I went into
Boston with some friends. Returning to Waltham, I kept the Prudential Tower in my rear view mirror and started heading west. Eventually I found myself under the Tobin bridge. The tower never left my rear view mirror.

Seriously, do you have the HUD? I find the HUD navigation is much better and simpler than the IDrive screen.

[LogicalApex]

Originally Posted by malpatti

This mess... how do you work out where you're going? All the lines look the same Plus I'm not convinced their Real Time Traffic feed is accurate... I was stuck in traffic last night and not a thing on it. But I will give it another go... edit some settings. It's certainly better when you tell it "point in the direction of where you are going".

Yeah, I have it set to orient the map in the direction of travel as I similarly find that the easiest to follow mentally.

For me, the traffic information is very accurate. But keep in mind how it sources its information to make it super accurate. Everyone is competing with Real Time Traffic information and it "sucked" before because most GPS devices relied on data fed back by DOT sensors (cameras, etc) on major roads and highways (you can often see them looking like camera atop traffic lights at intersections). Google/Waze/Apple Maps were better as they leverage cell phone data in real time and a lot of users have and use them. BMW and other car makers are competing better now and the cars report their traffic data back in real-time and it feeds off that too (even if you're not using BMW Maps). As a result, these systems will improve as more and more cars feeding back are on the road. It is cross manufacturer so you're not limited to only other BMWs on the road.

It is VERY accurate for me and only a few times have I popped onto a road that was slow that it didn't know about ahead of time. And I noticed within a couple of minutes of me being on it the map would flip to yellow or red depending on traffic. It has even done great re-routing me in major storms and letting me know about dangerous road conditions before I encounter them.

I also find the HUD Map to be very good and not distracting.

[Wivenhoe]

In the U.K. the live traffic comes from all the TomTom sat navs feeding back the speed of the car - I bet the majority of TomTom users don’t realise their car is reporting their speed ! Mostly it is very accurate.

[LogicalApex]

I assume you opted for Wireless charging in the car. Did they fix the one glaring problem with this in the LCI? Did they add an AC vent into the wireless charging pad area?

I had my phone shutoff on a long road trip where I was running Waze in the background on it due to GPS + Charging heat overcoming the limited cooling in the box.

Originally Posted by Wivenhoe

In the U.K. the live traffic comes from all the TomTom sat navs feeding back the speed of the car - I bet the majority of TomTom users don’t realise their car is reporting their speed ! Mostly it is very accurate.

Not for iDrive 7 cars. They all use Here Live Maps which has crowd sourced RTTI from all car models on the here platform. It is the main driver for BMW Maps RTTI being updates every couple of minutes.

[malpatti]

I will give BMW Maps a few more attempts then. It does have HUD but I'll adjust the size etc. Perhaps the traffic jam was a sudden thing and the system hadn't caught up to it and neither would have Apple/Google.

It does have the wireless charger (the packages are supersets now, from comfort -> premium -> executive) but I don't think there's a cooling vent in there, I'll check. I haven't felt my iPhone 11 Pro Max get too hot just yet but I haven't gone for multi hours trips. Biggest issue is I don't it supports Qi fast charging (iPhones can handle 7.5w but most wireless chargers are 5w) so I'll keep a charging cable just in case I need a proper charge.

Oh FYI the seat ventilation worked fine... I know folks have complained. Maybe it got better or maybe it suits what I think it should do but it definitely cooled my back down effectively after a minute or two. Definitely not "air conditioned" though just regular venting.

[LogicalApex]

Originally Posted by malpatti

I will give BMW Maps a few more attempts then. It does have HUD but I'll adjust the size etc. Perhaps the traffic jam was a sudden thing and the system hadn't caught up to it and neither would have Apple/Google.

It does have the wireless charger (the packages are supersets now, from comfort -> premium -> executive) but I don't think there's a cooling vent in there, I'll check. I haven't felt my iPhone 11 Pro Max get too hot just yet but I haven't gone for multi hours trips. Biggest issue is I don't it supports Qi fast charging (iPhones can handle 7.5w but most wireless chargers are 5w) so I'll keep a charging cable just in case I need a proper charge.

Oh FYI the seat ventilation worked fine... I know folks have complained. Maybe it got better or maybe it suits what I think it should do but it definitely cooled my back down effectively after a minute or two. Definitely not "air conditioned" though just regular venting.

Sounds like the wireless charger hasn't changed at all. It isn't a big deal to me, but I know some others have noted it.

[jondoc72]

Can you post interior pics?

[COBodom]

Thank you for sharing your first impressions.

I am looking forward to trying the massage seats and the self parking features on the LCI. I consider massage seats borderline useless on my pre-LCI 540. The parking feature is entirely useless on my car. Its embarrassing to even attempt. Takes ages and multiple tries to find the parking spot.

Disappointing that BMW does not offer the LCD screen for climate control. I was hoping they would bring it to US with the LCI. Guess some 4 zone climate control story will repeat itself...or not.

Side note, I just watched a few reviews of the MY21 AMG E 53, the interior looks way more upscale and that new AMG steering wheel....sick.

Benz wont beat BMW lease figures though

[Wivenhoe]

Originally Posted by LogicalApex

I assume you opted for Wireless charging in the car. Did they fix the one glaring problem with this in the LCI? Did they add an AC vent into the wireless charging pad area?

I had my phone shutoff on a long road trip where I was running Waze in the background on it due to GPS + Charging heat overcoming the limited cooling in the box.

Not for iDrive 7 cars. They all use Here Live Maps which has crowd sourced RTTI from all car models on the here platform. It is the main driver for BMW Maps RTTI being updates every couple of minutes.

In the States but not the U.K. -

BMW has chosen TomTom to provide drivers with live traffic information, online routing and electric vehicle (EV) services for BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles.

This agreement follows an extensive testing programme that began in April 2018.

TomTom Traffic provides drivers with live updates on upcoming traffic and delays, keeps the driver accurately informed and reduces the total travel time. TomTom’s online routing technology uses cloud-based processing power to quickly send alternative routes to the navigation system embedded in the vehicle.

[clee1982]

good to know the 48V start/stop is seamless enough now that you don't care, right now (2019 car) the first thing I do after start the engine is turn off auto start/stop...

[LuvMyE92]

Congrats on the new car!

The very first thing I did after buying my 540i was to buy tires for it. I stuck the runflats up on a shelf to use at lease turn-in.

My logic was that I'd have to buy tires anyway, so why not do it early and enjoy the ride? Of course, that was before the lockdown and not driving the car for 5 months.

[1newbmwowner]

After owning 4 Audi A6s and 2 S6s (the most recent 2 cars), I purchased my first BMW since the Audi 2020 S6 no longer offers a biturbo V8. I purchased a custom build 2021 M550i. I tried to order this car in April, but the Wuhan virus shut down the factory and my order was cancelled. This worked out to my benefit as the my order was accepted for the refreshed 2021 model. I has every option except for window shades, ceramic controls and the optional Wilkins sound system.

I picked up my new car on 8/31 from BMW of the Mainline. The car is very impressive. I love the bluestone metallic color. The biturbo V8 is sweet, powerful, has plenty of torque with about 80 HP more than my 2017 Audi S6. The engine sound is nice whereas the Audi had a muted exhaust system the made dampened the engine sound inside the car.
The M550i seems more balanced is not nose heavy like the Audi S6. I have only had the car a week, but I'm very happy that I made the switch.

Yesterday, we drove to the NJ shore for the day to pick up my daughter and her boyfriend. I averaged 24 miles/gallon on the drive. After adjusting the front seats for fit my adult and tall daughter and her boyfriend into the back, I was very cramped as I'm 6'5" tall. This was about the same as my Audi. Both cars do not have generous back seat room if you have really tall people in the front seats.

One disappointment with the BMW is that I have the optional spare tire. This fills up the well in the trunk and the trunk depth is not as large as the Audi. The result is that overpacked bags do not fit. We had to take clothes out of the largest back in order to fit within the trunk height. The Audi has a much bigger trunk.

Here are a few photos of my new ride. Loving it so far!

Bud

[Lawguy]

Originally Posted by 1newbmwowner

After owning 4 Audi A6s and 2 S6s (the most recent 2 cars), I purchased my first BMW since the Audi 2020 S6 no longer offers a biturbo V8. I purchased a custom build 2021 M550i. I tried to order this car in April, but the Wuhan virus shut down the factory and my order was cancelled. This worked out to my benefit as the my order was accepted for the refreshed 2021 model. I has every option except for window shades, ceramic controls and the optional Wilkins sound system.

I picked up my new car on 8/31 from BMW of the Mainline. The car is very impressive. I love the bluestone metallic color. The biturbo V8 is sweet, powerful, has plenty of torque with about 80 HP more than my 2017 Audi S6. The engine sound is nice whereas the Audi had a muted exhaust system the made dampened the engine sound inside the car.
The M550i seems more balanced is not nose heavy like the Audi S6. I have only had the car a week, but I'm very happy that I made the switch.

Yesterday, we drove to the NJ shore for the day to pick up my daughter and her boyfriend. I averaged 24 miles/gallon on the drive. After adjusting the front seats for fit my adult and tall daughter and her boyfriend into the back, I was very cramped as I'm 6'5" tall. This was about the same as my Audi. Both cars do not have generous back seat room if you have really tall people in the front seats.

One disappointment with the BMW is that I have the optional spare tire. This fills up the well in the trunk and the trunk depth is not as large as the Audi. The result is that overpacked bags do not fit. We had to take clothes out of the largest back in order to fit within the trunk height. The Audi has a much bigger trunk.

Here are a few photos of my new ride. Loving it so far!

Bud

Beautiful car.

What’s the Wuhan Virus?

[Ck00]

I order bluestone on my lci as well. Looks great!

Im really hoping we are all way past calling it the wuhan virus by now.

[Lawguy]

Originally Posted by Ck00

Im really hoping we are all way past calling it the wuhan virus by now.

My point exactly. Unreal.

[DBV1]

Originally Posted by Ck00

I order bluestone on my lci as well. Looks great!

Im really hoping we are all way past calling it the wuhan virus by now.

Not a big deal, as that is where it started and came from. No different than naming past flu outbreaks.

[Lawguy]

Originally Posted by DBV1

Not a big deal, as that is where it started and game from. No different than naming past flu outbreaks.

Yeah, I’m sure that’s the reason. Sad.