If you are thinking of buying a BMW read this

The longer I have my 06 5 series BMW the more I regret the purchase.
I have owned Lexi, Infiniti, Corvettes, Cadillacs, Volvos, Saabs and I have
never regretted a purchase as much as I do this one.
It is fun to drive and admittedly handles better than any other sedan I can
think of but the ergonomics, to put it simply, leave too much to be desired
for a car in this price class. BMW has some of the best drive
train/suspension engineers in the world, maybe the absolute best.
Unfortunately BMW has absolute idiots, basically morons, designing the
interiors and controls of the vehicle.
One really need not go further than the cup holders, but it gets worse.
At my height, 5' 11", it is impossible not to constantly bang my left leg
against the rock hard faux wood hand rail on the door. This aggravates me
more than anything. I feel like I get bitten every time I drive the car.
Many necessary functions, including cruise control, are difficult to operate
in their left of steering wheel location (it is a right handed world after
all). The steering wheel heater button is utterly incaccesible unless you
lean over the steering wheel and look for it hidden in the recesses of the
left side of the steering wheel. Or is that the steering wheel up and down
button? In and out?
Setting the air conditioning requires navigating through the BMW version of
the worst of Windows as well as using a traditional switch on the dashboard.
There is no way to rapidly adjust fan flow without having to go through a
complex ordeal that requires you to divert your attention from the road to
use the computer screen. Unless you simply want maximum blasting of the air,
which is available by a button on the dash.
Switching radio stations is a major ordeal and an act of faith: it works
blindly or you have to navigate through multiple computer screens using the
Teutonic Wheel of Death. If not set on preprogrammed stations, which has an
unrealistically limited number of settings, then if you are temporarily in
an area where the signal is weak that particular station will not be
recognized on the "all stations" settings.
Did I mention that the "all stations" settings arranges all receivable
signals in a non sequential order? Therefore pushing the up or down button
on the steering wheel does not necessarily take you to the next station in
order of frequency.
The voice command system works about as well as any computer voice
transcription system, which is to say not at all. Not even slightly. Not
even a hiccup. Its sad when even the service technician shrugs his shoulder
and says it is just another non-perfected gimmick.
I do like the blue tooth. However if you have a Verizon but not a Cingular
treo, the same frigging phone, only some but not all of your preprogrammed
numbers will be available. Back to the computer screen and the Teutonic
Wheel of Death.
Once a destination programmed into navigation has been reached major
reprogramming is required to stop getting directions. Also the directions
are inaccurate: when the freeway veers left the voice tells you to exit the
freeway to the left although there is really no frigging exit involved. It
will tell you to exit the freeway to the right, if the freeway veers right,
and if there happens to be an exit there you can guess the rest.
My wife likes the car, at least.

"bmoag" > wrote in message
news
> The longer I have my 06 5 series BMW the more I regret the purchase.

Didnt you take a test drive ?

I own a 2000 E38 which is great to drive and the switches are well
thought out and easy to use. However, on a 48-hr test drive in the new
7 series with the i-drive, I found much the same issues; having to
navigate through loads of screens to do the simplest tasks. It seems
that BMW removed all the switches to make a simple 'cleaner'
one-control interface; but while I loved the way the car drives and the
comfort and features, it was a relief to get back into my car with its
simple interface.
Just my opinion...

La Tercia Real

On 13 Apr 2006 01:31:05 -0700, "La Tercia Real"
> waffled on about something:

>I own a 2000 E38 which is great to drive and the switches are well
>thought out and easy to use. However, on a 48-hr test drive in the new
>7 series with the i-drive, I found much the same issues; having to
>navigate through loads of screens to do the simplest tasks. It seems
>that BMW removed all the switches to make a simple 'cleaner'
>one-control interface; but while I loved the way the car drives and the
>comfort and features, it was a relief to get back into my car with its
>simple interface.
>Just my opinion...

In a recent UK TV program, Top Gear, they did a 0-60 test on the new
M6, they timed it at a 14 minutes... They included all the time it
took to set the engine to maximum power, sort out the suspension and
traction control settings using the i-Drive... LOL!

Dodgy.
--
MUSHROOMS ARE THE OPIATE OF THE MOOSES

"bmoag" > wrote in message
news
> Unfortunately BMW has absolute idiots, basically morons, designing the
> interiors and controls of the vehicle.

Giving an alternative viewpoint I own a Roadster S (which has the Z4
interior) and really, really like the whole package. Perhaps it is just a 5
series 'thing'?

> One really need not go further than the cup holders, but it gets worse.
> At my height, 5' 11", it is impossible not to constantly bang my left leg
> against the rock hard faux wood hand rail on the door.

I'm 6" 1" and find the cabin very comfortable to get into and out of - I am
surprised that the 5 is so awkward.

> Many necessary functions, including cruise control, are difficult to
> operate in their left of steering wheel location (it is a right handed
> world after all).

I'm right handed and find that controls for cruise on the left are more
sensible as I prefer to keep my right hand on the wheel. But that's just a
personal thing.

>The steering wheel heater button is utterly incaccesible unless you lean
>over the steering wheel and look for it hidden in the recesses of the left
>side of the steering wheel. Or is that the steering wheel up and down
>button? In and out?

That sounds posh. Us poor Roadster S users can't have heated steering
wheels. Would be useful in a softtop too.

> Setting the air conditioning requires navigating through the BMW version
> of the worst of Windows as well as using a traditional switch on the
> dashboard.

I can't comment on that as the Z4 doesn't have iDrive. Instead we just have
an old-fashioned dial as well as the cold blast button.

> Switching radio stations is a major ordeal and an act of faith: it works
> blindly or you have to navigate through multiple computer screens using
> the Teutonic Wheel of Death. If not set on preprogrammed stations, which
> has an unrealistically limited number of settings, then if you are
> temporarily in an area where the signal is weak that particular station
> will not be recognized on the "all stations" settings.
> Did I mention that the "all stations" settings arranges all receivable
> signals in a non sequential order? Therefore pushing the up or down button
> on the steering wheel does not necessarily take you to the next station in
> order of frequency.

I can imagine that to be very annoying - again we don't have iDrive just a
normal radio system. Even with the pro sat nav computer stuff it works just
as well as a 'normal' car radio.

> The voice command system works about as well as any computer voice
> transcription system, which is to say not at all. Not even slightly. Not
> even a hiccup. Its sad when even the service technician shrugs his
> shoulder and says it is just another non-perfected gimmick.

That surprises me. Voice activation in the Roadster is excellent - even
though it is a soft-top and you would expect the extra engine noise to
interfere. I find it necessary when dialing numbers as otherwise you have to
look at the sat nav screen and dial the radio to select numbers - very
dangerous.

> I do like the blue tooth. However if you have a Verizon but not a Cingular
> treo, the same frigging phone, only some but not all of your preprogrammed
> numbers will be available. Back to the computer screen and the Teutonic
> Wheel of Death.

I agree the Blue Tooth integration is superb.

> Once a destination programmed into navigation has been reached major
> reprogramming is required to stop getting directions.

Just two clicks required on the pro sat nav without iDrive. Guess iDrive
doesn't have much going for it?

> Also the directions are inaccurate: when the freeway veers left the voice
> tells you to exit the freeway to the left although there is really no
> frigging exit involved. It will tell you to exit the freeway to the right,
> if the freeway veers right, and if there happens to be an exit there you
> can guess the rest.

Now this is something I can sympathise with. It does it here in the UK too -
even on b roads. You come up to a sharp left turn and it tells you it's a
junction. Doesn't do it all the time but it is annoying when it does.

> My wife likes the car, at least.

So does mine. Not necessarily a good thing when she won't give you it back.


---
Sam

I remember the good old days, when BMWs were drivers cars and didn't
have most of the facilities you moan about. Cars are for driving, not
gadgets. BMW seems to have forgotten that.

--
Who needs a life when you've got Unix? :-)
Email: , John G.Burns B.Eng, Bonny Scotland
Web : http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk - The Ultimate BMW Homepage!
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"John Burns" > wrote in message
...
>I remember the good old days, when BMWs were drivers cars and didn't
> have most of the facilities you moan about. Cars are for driving, not
> gadgets. BMW seems to have forgotten that.

It is concerning that manufacturers think we want more buttons to press when
at the end of the day we just want to be able to drive - with as few buttons
as possible! What else do we buy a car for?

---
Sam

On Thu, 13 Apr 2006 11:42:55 +0100, "Sam Smith" >
waffled on about something:

>"John Burns" > wrote in message
...
>>I remember the good old days, when BMWs were drivers cars and didn't
>> have most of the facilities you moan about. Cars are for driving, not
>> gadgets. BMW seems to have forgotten that.
>
>It is concerning that manufacturers think we want more buttons to press when
>at the end of the day we just want to be able to drive - with as few buttons
>as possible! What else do we buy a car for?

Actually you've got that round the wrong way.

We want lots of sensible buttons, in sensible places that do just one
thing.

Not a twisty pressy i-Drive button that does 27 things and requires
you to take your eyes of the road to check that you're turning the
radio up and not disengaging traction control and engaging the nitrous
injection!

Dodgy.
--
MUSHROOMS ARE THE OPIATE OF THE MOOSES

"Dodgy" > wrote in message
...

> Not a twisty pressy i-Drive button that does 27 things and requires
> you to take your eyes of the road to check that you're turning the
> radio up and not disengaging traction control and engaging the nitrous
> injection!

So sell it and go buy another brand