Epic journey to pick up wife's new X5

[chiplee]

Originally Posted by r33

Man, sweet garage. Can I move in?

That depends. Can you assemble cabinets?

[opasha]

@chiplee, wow, thanks for sharing! I love the work you've done...seriously, that's amazing. I wish our 3 car garage looked even a fraction of yours. We have so much space, but my parents don't throw any junk and everything I end up cleaning/clearing for space ends up getting occupied no matter what I do. Our floor also definitely needs to be redone as well.

[chiplee]

Originally Posted by opasha

@chiplee, wow, thanks for sharing! I love the work you've done...seriously, that's amazing. I wish our 3 car garage looked even a fraction of yours. We have so much space, but my parents don't throw any junk and everything I end up cleaning/clearing for space ends up getting occupied no matter what I do. Our floor also definitely needs to be redone as well.

Thanks man. I think we all spend some time with a cluttered garage at one point or another. I just reached my breaking point and decided I was done with open shelving and stuff in plastic bins everywhere. I kinda' went all out making it something I could be proud of and get a lot of enjoyment from. There'll be a 10 foot bamboo work surface, Race Deck tile parking pads for the cars, and 33' of pro grade cabinets and drawer units.

[opasha]

Originally Posted by chiplee

Thanks man. I think we all spend some time with a cluttered garage at one point or another. I just reached my breaking point and decided I was done with open shelving and stuff in plastic bins everywhere. I kinda' went all out making it something I could be proud of and get a lot of enjoyment from. There'll be a 10 foot bamboo work surface, Race Deck tile parking pads for the cars, and 33' of pro grade cabinets and drawer units.

That sounds like an awesome project...def something I'd also enjoy doing. I had no clue what Race Deck tile parking pads were until I looked them up. Very cool .

[HMN]

Congratulations! I hope your wife enjoys the new F15. Looks great.

[chiplee]

Originally Posted by Hamad Nasser

Congratulations! I hope your wife enjoys the new F15. Looks great.

Thanks. First week was awesome. This one is an upgrade from our E70 in just about every way, but we were just as excited about that car when we bought it in 2010. I'll be interested to see if BMW can turn out another X5 upgrade in 6 or 7 years that offers as much of an improvement over the F15 as the F15 does over the E70. Msport steering wheel and head liner and leather dash add a very special touch of refinement to the interior, as does fine line trim and ceramic controls. The control display and the head up display are awesome as well, and I think we are both comfort access cripples already. The transmission feels even smoother, if that's possible, and the electric steering makes the vehicle feel more nimble. I think Harman Kardon is good for the price but not "great". All in all, we're in love. M50d grill inserts and a few subtle mods should be all this one needs for the duration of our ownership.

[Kief]

Originally Posted by chiplee

Msport steering wheel and head liner and leather dash add a very special touch of refinement to the interior, as does fine line trim and ceramic controls.

Chip, thanks to your pics and thread I finalized my wife's order this morning and broke down and got the leather dash with black Dakota! I think it looks great, and adds a bit more luxurious feel at a much lower price than getting a design package. Thanks for posting!

[chiplee]

Originally Posted by Kief

Chip, thanks to your pics and thread I finalized my wife's order this morning and broke down and got the leather dash with black Dakota! I think it looks great, and adds a bit more luxurious feel at a much lower price than getting a design package. Thanks for posting!

Congrats! It's a killer combo and yes, very luxurious for the price. We considered canberra beige but we just couldn't do it with a 3 yo.

[Kzang]

Beautiful X5... Msport just makes the new F15 so much better.
Love the steering wheel with paddle shifters

I am a little confused about people's comment about the steering being more precise or other positive comments over the hydraulic steering from the E70.
Can you comment more in details on how the F15 is more improved over the E70 other than the interior which is given

[chiplee]

Originally Posted by Kzang

Beautiful X5... Msport just makes the new F15 so much better.
Love the steering wheel with paddle shifters

Thank you. We're very happy with it.

I am a little confused about people's comment about the steering being more precise or other positive comments over the hydraulic steering from the E70.
Can you comment more in details on how the F15 is more improved over the E70 other than the interior which is given

Yeah, so the steering feels amazing most of the time. There is a TON of assist at low speeds, which really does make it easy to whip around a parking lot or make a U turn or whatever. It'll make it easy to curb a wheel, too, so watch out for that.

At high speed though, the road conditions and even weather conditions can really wreck your drive. I ran into some gusty conditions delivering ours to my wife and it was very labor intensive keeping it between the lines. This was in eco pro mode, so I don't know if comfort or even sport might have stiffened up the wheel to make it less of a fight. I have no idea how it's programed.

A poster in another thread said he's considering having toe in added (front tires turned in toward each other slightly) which can make a car drive nicer at the expense of some tire wear and efficiency. I think that might be a good idea. He seemed to know the e70 shipped from the factory with toe in and the F15 is not shipping that way. I haven't done any research about that but if true it seems like a good place to start if the steering bugs you.

[chiplee]

Finally snapped a few pics with the 60d. No time to adjust anything, just large jpeg captures.











Oh and just for good measure, this is me.

[1230vani]

Originally Posted by chiplee

Finally snapped a few pics with the 60d. No time to adjust anything, just large jpeg captures.











Oh and just for good measure, this is me.

Great photos, i was like, is that a kid in the back. Awesome photos, last one is of course the coolest! Great car and nice photos, thanks for sharing!

[Kief]

Originally Posted by chiplee

Finally snapped a few pics with the 60d.

Great pics Chip. Interior looks awesome. Can't wait to get the same setup.
BTW, I hope my 20" come with Pirellis and not the crappy Dunolps

[chiplee]

Originally Posted by Kief

Great pics Chip. Interior looks awesome. Can't wait to get the same setup.
BTW, I hope my 20" come with Pirellis and not the crappy Dunolps

I was pretty happy about that, too. Not such a rush to switch to the non-RFT's I added the space saver spare to accommodate.

[simplemind38]

Gorgeous photos man. Dig the Hornet selfie! congrats.

My f15 (always wanted one of those ) is scheduled to arrive at my dealer on Monday. This will be the longest weekend I have ever had to endure.

[chiplee]

Originally Posted by simplemind38

Gorgeous photos man. Dig the Hornet selfie! congrats.

My f15 (always wanted one of those ) is scheduled to arrive at my dealer on Monday. This will be the longest weekend I have ever had to endure.

Thanks. So did your F15 show up?

[simplemind38]

Originally Posted by chiplee

Thanks. So did your F15 show up?

It did! officially picked it up on the 29th of September. It has been great so far. I just logged my first 1,000 miles as of today, and still find myself in awe of what I get to drive around in.

I am taking it on a road trip to California on Tuesday, and I can wait.

[Zirenz2006]

Congrats! Looks great, love the leather dash and fine line trim.