[samik_jonak]

Congratulations! The old generation 5 series looks beautiful but the interior shows it's age. Glad you went with the new one.
P.S: We have to plan a NYC / NJ Team-bhp meet-up.

[Motorhead3321]

Congrats!! The car looks beautiful and elegant. The design language lean towards making a very stunning on-road presence. Please put an update on the driving experience post the run in period.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by samik_jonak

Congratulations! The old generation 5 series looks beautiful but the interior shows it's age. Glad you went with the new one.
P.S: We have to plan a NYC / NJ Team-bhp meet-up.

Thanks! have sent you a PM on email.

Originally Posted by Motorhead3321

Congrats!! The car looks beautiful and elegant. The design language lean towards making a very stunning on-road presence. Please put an update on the driving experience post the run in period.

Thanks! I have completed almost 1k miles in about a week, will write an update.

As for now all I have is 39.9 MPG ( about 17 km/L) for the mileage for a 700 miles (about 1,100 km ) roadtrip

[Foxbat]

I went on a roadtrip on the weekend and managed to click this picture at a usually crowded spot in NJ in the morning. The iron structure behind the car is a memorial of the World Trade Center.



Tried out driving on the snow with the xDrive and honestly I couldn't tell any difference. Maybe in more slippery conditions it comes into play. The rear view of the car is nice and well proportioned. I initially didn't like the rear silver claddings but they seem to look good now.



Parked in front of the old covered bridges in Vermont.



All vehicles in the US come with the premium Harman/Kardon sound system(in the previous generation you had to get the premium package). It has nice bass and sound quality and sufficient for my needs. Back in 2009 I had a 2000W audio system on my Alto but I think those days are over

The locking and seat memory controls are touch sensitive panels now which I find annoying not easy to get used to. I prefer the physical buttons. All the vents are also hidden in between the panels so you have to look very closely to notice them. This gives the dashboard a very clean and uncluttered look.



The headlight switches are also the same touch sensitive panels. Even the vent controls.


On the central console they have got rid of all the buttons. Even the emergency blinkers are a touch screen button. The HVAC controls have to be operated through the screen which is difficult to do while driving. There are some voice controls but not sure if they operate the climate control. So far only have tried opening the windows through them or navigation.

One good feature is the remote start through the app or remote (when nearby). The car heats the seats, steering wheel and interior so its ready to drive when you arrive. I have the optional ventilated seats which makes summer drives more comfortable.



There is no more central gear lever but now you get this slider similar to other new BMW cars. Its easy to use I prefer this to the old lever mechanism. There is a premium rotary dial at the center to navigate the screen if you don't like the touch screen.



On the roof there is a central panel which has various touch panels for lights. Luckily the sunroof is still a physical switch. My car has an interior camera which you can monitor through the app also remotely.



With the Premium package you get the Head up Display. The Dials are digital and you can customise them as per your wishes.



The "5" is the 530i is bigger now so you know clearly what series BMW it is.



Incase you are walking by on the side and are wondering what series BMW it is just look at the C pillar.



If you are about to enter the car after opening the drivers door and still wondering what series BMW it is just look at the top right interior of the door!



So far the only accessory I have bought is this metallic key cover which makes the key 2-3x heavier. The key is very flimsy and more fit for a budget car.



The best view I believe is from the front where the DRLs and headlights complete the iconic quad lights of a BMW.

[samik_jonak]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Thanks! have sent you a PM on email.

Sorry I couldn't find the PM. Can you please send a message on my Insta? You can search with my username.

Thanks! I have completed almost 1k miles in about a week, will write an update.

As for now all I have is 39.9 MPG ( about 17 km/L) for the mileage for a 700 miles (about 1,100 km ) roadtrip

Milage is impressive. The best milage I get from my 2021 Audi Q3 is 31 MPG. My wife's Sentra compensates that with 45 MPG.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by samik_jonak

Milage is impressive. The best milage I get from my 2021 Audi Q3 is 31 MPG. My wife's Sentra compensates that with 45 MPG.

I think the 48-volt mild hybrid powertrain helps a lot to improve the mileage.

The Nissan Sentra is always very close to my heart. My father had a 1989 model which he drove till 1996 when we moved back to India. All my childhood memories are from that car. Here is a picture for reference.

[Foxbat]

I have completed about 1,600 miles (2,500 km) in the last 1.5 months in a mix of city and highway driving and observed the following positives and negatives:

Pros:
-Head up Display is great for navigating in traffic. Works well with Google Maps and the inbuilt navigation. Wireless charing and connection to Android works flawlessly.
-Huge interior space at both the front and rear. Quality of panels and soft materials is top notch.
-Effortless cruising on the highways, lane assist is very helpful once you get used to it.
-Sport mode is awesome, its not a sports car but 0-100 km/hr in 5.5 seconds is pretty quick and it handles well around the curves. The fake exhaust sounds add to the experience
-Gesture control and voice control (open windows, sunroof, music controls etc.) are pretty useful once you get used to them.
-BMW app which allows remote start(great for winter or summer) and digital key and also monitors the car allowing you to see the surroundings and interior. Sounds gimmicky but is useful especially when you have to park the car in unfamiliar areas or find it in huge parking lots.
-Self parking is great parking in tight spots and getting out. However the speed at which it does this is pretty terrifying. You can control the speed with the brake pedal however.
- 12 speaker Harman Kardon sound system (standard feature) has decent sound with bass and the woofer in the front dash.
-Great fuel efficiency, overall 33 MPG (14 km/l)and a best of 42 MPG (17.8 km/l) on a highway only trip.

Cons:
-The car is HUGE. Its more than 16.5 ft long and 6.25 ft wide. Driving in narrow lanes of NYC and NJ and parking on the street or parkings garages is not easy. I have still not got accustomed to its width even though I have driven SUVs which are longer and wider than this. This is because you sit higher up and get a much better view in a SUV. I used to think the Porsche Panamera was very long and wide car which would be difficult to drive in traffic and narrow lanes. I found out a few days back the 530i is almost exactly the same dimensions as the Panamera (same length, just 1 inch less wide but 4 inches taller)
-The suspension is a bit stiff but acceptable for US highways. However over rough city roads in the NYC area the ride is pretty bumpy
-The windscreen wipers have a mind of their own in auto mode. Sometimes they are too slow, sometimes too fast and sometimes they don't turn on at all.
-Automatic trunk opener by your leg kick works only 60-70% of the time

Strange safety feature I discovered: You can't drive the car with the driver's door open. I was trying to reverse into a tight spot and opened the door to get a better view and the car kept shifting into park mode.

A recent picture against the NYC Skyline.

[mobike008]

Nice Pic. I have been there a few times. How did you take the car till that vantage point?

Some points on your feedback.

1. Google Maps does not show up on HUD. BMW like most luxury cars is tied into Apple Maps via. CarPlay. In any case, I use only Apple Maps or BMW Navigation so it's fine for me.

2. Not sure what's wrong with your wiper control. Do you know there are many settings to control it. There is a small knob that controls the speeds. I find BMW wiper control awesome. Comparatively, my biggest grouse is Tesla wiper control is completely erratic.

3. Opening the trunk with kicking underneath the boot is a fantastic feature and I use it all the time. It works 100% each and every time. You need to find the correct way to " kick" ....Be in the center and kick gently and you don't have to go really underneath. Just below bumper also works absolutely fine.

4. Gesture control is great but, it's also a bit annoying as you cannot move your hands while talking...lol!

5. Another annoying thing is never say the word " BMW" when driving, BMW Lady Godess immediately wakes up and says " How can she help you"

6. BMW wireless connectivity to phones is one of the best in the business. It is so seamless, you will never even know. I'm a big fan of this feature.

Nice to see the updates. Keep munching those miles and keep updating the thread and do share lots of pics from your pretty surroundings.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Nice Pic. I have been there a few times. How did you take the car till that vantage point?

.

Thanks. Its a busy road by the Hudson river in Hoboken, NJ and on a sunny afternoon typically there are 100+ cars parked. I went on a cold winter afternoon.

Originally Posted by mobike008

1. Google Maps does not show up on HUD. BMW like most luxury cars is tied into Apple Maps via. CarPlay. In any case, I use only Apple Maps or BMW Navigation so it's fine for me.

2. Not sure what's wrong with your wiper control. Do you know there are many settings to control it. There is a small knob that controls the speeds. I find BMW wiper control awesome. Comparatively, my biggest grouse is Tesla wiper control is completely erratic.
.

Did you mean the directions don't show up on HUD or the complete map layout? Directions show up 100% I am sure for Google Maps. Sometimes in crowded areas the HUD shows the complete layout of streets and landmarks also, not sure if it was BMW navigation or Google Maps, will have to check.

Yes I am aware of the controls but it still is too slow on the fastest auto setting in rain.

Originally Posted by mobike008

3. Opening the trunk with kicking underneath the boot is a fantastic feature and I use it all the time. It works 100% each and every time. You need to find the correct way to " kick" ....Be in the center and kick gently and you don't have to go really underneath. Just below bumper also works absolutely fine.


5. Another annoying thing is never say the word " BMW" when driving, BMW Lady Godess immediately wakes up and says " How can she help you"

.

Will take your advice and refine my technique Yes its annoying whenever you mention BMW the assistant pop us, you can change the word to something else from BMW but I haven't yet.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Thanks. Its a busy road by the Hudson river in Hoboken, NJ and on a sunny afternoon typically there are 100+ cars parked. I went on a cold winter afternoon.

Got it. I would go back and get a night shot.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Did you mean the directions don't show up on HUD or the complete map layout? Directions show up 100% I am sure for Google Maps. Sometimes in crowded areas the HUD shows the complete layout of streets and landmarks also, not sure if it was BMW navigation or Google Maps, will have to check.

Yes I am aware of the controls but it still is too slow on the fastest auto setting in rain.

What I meant is if you are using google maps on Android Auto, the HUD does not display the google maps navigation.

HUD displays maps only if it's Apple Maps or BMW Navigation.

Not sure if that has changed in ID8.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by mobike008

What I meant is if you are using google maps on Android Auto, the HUD does not display the google maps navigation.

HUD displays maps only if it's Apple Maps or BMW Navigation.

Not sure if that has changed in ID8.

So I was pretty sure but checked again and HUD does display Google Maps navigation, also shows lane changes on the highway and plays voice guidance. I had rented a 2023 BMW 430i coupe a few months back and had the same experience.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

So I was pretty sure but checked again and HUD does display Google Maps navigation, also shows lane changes on the highway and plays voice guidance. I had rented a 2023 BMW 430i coupe a few months back and had the same experience.

Maybe I was not able to explain correctly. Here is an example of how navigation looks on Heads-Up-Display (HUD).

Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. BMW Navigation.

Apple Maps- Look at how clean is the HUD display with speed limit and directions on top of line bar.





Google Maps- Sometimes just a line appears of HUD and sometimes it says " Calculating route" the whole time. This makes me believe that BMW does not support full navigation UI for google. Is your's different?







BMW Navigation- It's classy and this is the best UI for HUD. I use it always for long distance and when I am in the mountains and woods when there is no cellphone network. Works like a charm.

Btw, that car is same as yours except it's an "e".

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Maybe I was not able to explain correctly. Here is an example of how navigation looks on Heads-Up-Display (HUD).

Thanks for the detailed analysis and pictures. When using Google maps the HUD shows directions similar to (if not same) as the one for Apple maps in your picture. On roads with two or more lanes it also shows which lane you should be in to take turns along with voice guidance while using Google Maps. My car has iDrive 8.5 Operating System.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Thanks for the detailed analysis and pictures. When using Google maps the HUD shows directions similar to (if not same) as the one for Apple maps in your picture. On roads with two or more lanes it also shows which lane you should be in to take turns along with voice guidance while using Google Maps. My car has iDrive 8.5 Operating System.

Gotcha. Must be an ID8 improvement. I anyways hardly use google maps as I am an Apple Fanboi. Glad to know that BMW finally brought Google Maps out of its "orphan" status to mainstream.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Strange safety feature I discovered: You can't drive the car with the driver's door open. I was trying to reverse into a tight spot and opened the door to get a better view and the car kept shifting into park mode.

Yes, same with my 2020 G20. Hugely irritating and was sure the ZF8 had failed when it happened the first time. Nor can you fold the ORVMs unless < ~20 km/hr! A sure recipe for acidosis in India on single lane roads.