Steve Hammes Review

[dn325ci]

Don't really agree with him. He's down on the x5 (and also the new 435i coupe) for pricing.

http://http://testdrivenow.com/2014-...-video-review/

[barcelona]

Thanks, dn325ci. Below is the same in you tube.
Below

He dislikes the seats, really. But then I haven't sat in my rear seats.
Silly question why is he driving in over a foot of snow with Goodyear Eagle LS2 all seasons? Would BMW NA not provide proper snow tires? He implied traction was ok. And obviously stopping on LS2 were bad.

[dn325ci]

Originally Posted by barcelona

He dislikes the seats, really. But then I haven't sat in my rear seats. Silly question why is he driving in over a foot of snow with Goodyear Eagle LS2 all seasons? Would BMW NA not provide proper snow tires? He implied traction was ok. And obviously stopping on LS2 were bad.

Yeah, it's just sort of odd the small things he chose to pick on. Like the back seats/front headrests thing. You could say that about almost any SUV. And the tires. And the windshield wipers. It's like he woke up on the grumpy side of the bed. It think was more a defense so he could complain about pricing at the end.

Mods, I probably should have added this to the reviews thread. Feel free to move it there if you like.

[RickP]

Is that mocha nappa with the contrast stitching but WITHOUT comfort seats? No wonder he complained about the seating.
Edit: looks like Mocha Dakota has contrast stitching. Still, he didn't demo it with comfort seats. I'm surprised BMW would offer a demo optioned as such.

[rh71]

why is that a different shifter than the production models?

[NoPII]

Originally Posted by rh71

why is that a different shifter than the production models?

That's the standard "non m-sport, non ceramic controls" shifter?

[tiburonh]

Assuming they provided the car for him, how much lamer could BMW be than to give a reviewer a car with defects (the steering wheel heater didn't work the stop/start thing didn't work). First they let cars out of the factory with a host of mistakes, and now they let reviewers review cars with mistakes. Isn't it time for some heads to roll at BMW?

[Shaw]

Originally Posted by RickP

Is that mocha nappa with the contrast stitching but WITHOUT comfort seats? No wonder he complained about the seating.
Edit: looks like Mocha Daktona has contrast stitching. Still, he didn't demo it with comfort seats. I'm surprised BMW would offer a demo optioned as such.

This is mocha dakota...Nappa comes with comfort seats which is not on this car...

[Shaw]

I'm begining to re-think my selection of seats...I've ordered the exact same seats as in this car...
The change to Nappa with comfort was almost an extra $5,000 (taxes included)

[RickP]

Originally Posted by Shaw

I'm begining to re-think my selection of seats...I've ordered the exact same seats as in this car...
The change to Nappa with comfort was almost an extra $5,000 (taxes included)

You can save a few $$ and opt for the multi-comfort seats. They're worth it.

Edit: I meant multi-contour seats.

[Shaw]

Originally Posted by RickP

You can save a few $$ and opt for the multi-comfort seats. They're worth it.

not sure what you mean by multi-comfort...if you mean multi-contour, isn't that the same as the sport seats?
If so, in Canada, they offer Comfort Seats with Sport Package (no sport seat)...which is very strange!
Anyways, as mine is a luxury and not a sport, it comes with standard seats...I could only order Ivory and Black that came with comfort seat with more reasonable price...Mocha would have been a special order and so higher...not sure what to do...

[Genechen22]

In the US comfort seats are for the rear seats so they move back and forth. The multi contour seats are the 20 way adjustable seats.

[dn325ci]

I ordered the multi-countours and maybe that was a good investment. I don't think the sport seats are the same, though the sport seats do have significantly better side bolstering.

This report provides quite a contrast. Test car had comfort seats and winter tyres, but most importantly the heated steering wheel worked

http://driving.ca/bmw/x5/reviews/roa...-x5-xdrive50i/

[barcelona]

Thanks Eaglesrest.
Graeme Fletcher tested and commented on the feel, ride, & suspension and some electronic aids.

The review period was choice. Probably the worst ice storm in Toronto, same one that hit Michigan, Maine and New Brunswick.

All in the first 2 sentences: frightful — caked rock-solid ice horrendous delightful, afire and gently toasted.
He says Msport is a steal at $4000. It was even better when it was only $3200 ( months ago).

[MysticBlue]

Originally Posted by tiburonh

Assuming they provided the car for him, how much lamer could BMW be than to give a reviewer a car with defects (the steering wheel heater didn't work the stop/start thing didn't work). First they let cars out of the factory with a host of mistakes, and now they let reviewers review cars with mistakes. Isn't it time for some heads to roll at BMW?

The start/stop function has a lot of permissives before it will activate. The engine has to be warmed up, so it won't work on a short drive. It won't activate in certain driving situations, like lots of stop and go. It won't activate in certain weather conditions. If it's too hot or too cold the AC and heat wouldn't do very well if the engine kept stopping. In cold, wet weather you would have problems with the windows fogging up. Electrical load at the time is also a factor. It is likely that the start/stop feature worked as intended, but he didn't know about how it worked. This is a common problem with test drivers and reviewers... they rarely know all the ins and outs of the vehicle they're reviewing.

[Shaw]

Originally Posted by MysticBlue

The start/stop function has a lot of permissives before it will activate. The engine has to be warmed up, so it won't work on a short drive. It won't activate in certain driving situations, like lots of stop and go. It won't activate in certain weather conditions. If it's too hot or too cold the AC and heat wouldn't do very well if the engine kept stopping. In cold, wet weather you would have problems with the windows fogging up. Electrical load at the time is also a factor. It is likely that the start/stop feature worked as intended, but he didn't know about how it worked. This is a common problem with test drivers and reviewers... they rarely know all the ins and outs of the vehicle they're reviewing.

That's correct...my 328ix doesn't always activate this option especially in colder conditions...it has its own calculations before activation...

[kip1]

Is it True that torque vectoring Comes only With the dynamic suspension option? Its sad because 3rd row deletes it.

[1230vani]

Originally Posted by Shaw

I'm begining to re-think my selection of seats...I've ordered the exact same seats as in this car...
The change to Nappa with comfort was almost an extra $5,000 (taxes included)

Me too, am disappointed how they look like. Are these sport seats in the video? I ordered sport with lumbar. Dakota mocha not available with comfort I also do not like the contrast stitching, never liked that.

[barcelona]

Mr Hammes drove 35i, Luxury Line. ( no snow tires, no DHP, no M Sport).
As of July 2013.
1 50i comes standard with Muti-contour(MC) seats. Hence the tester has let's call it base seats.

2. MSport(ZMM) option gets Sport Seats for 35( I, x, d) or pay $950 for MC along with ZMM . 50i remains at MC.

3. To upgrade 35 from base to MC without MSport is ZLS Luxury Seating Package ( Front Ventilation seats and MC ).

So 35 gets base. Can upgrade by one to sport seats or upgrade by two to MC seats.

[dn325ci]

Originally Posted by barcelona

3. To upgrade 35 from base to MC without MSport is ZLS Luxury Seating Package ( Front Ventilation seats and MC ).

You can also get a non-Msport Dakota-equipped 35i to MC by option code 456 for MSRP $1300. That's MC seats without ventilation.

[P1]

The rear seats in the F15 are leaps and bounds better than the E70 seats. I always laugh at car reviews. It's too personal.