BMW and M Power Owners

Soldato
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They are in my experience very reliable. Remember, it constantly recalculates remaining range based on the driving you're doing. So, if you drive from Newcastle to Southampton at 70mph on the cruise control and then fill up you'll have an enormous predicted range which will then fall very quickly if you start driving round and round town instead.



Yes, depending on the age and model of car there will be either an 'All' or a 'Sync' button on the climate panel - if this is turned on, the driver side control will adjust both together. If this button isn't present then the answer is no. Pretty sure its an F Series onwards function.
Cheers, there’s no auto sync button on mine so I’ll either leave them both the same temperature or lower the passenger side and just adjust my side.

Also noticed there’s no way to have the air coming through the vents and to clear the windscreen at the same time?

Pressing the windscreen button moves all the air away from the front vents unless again there’s a button I can press?
 
Man of Honour
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Cheers, there’s no auto sync button on mine so I’ll either leave them both the same temperature or lower the passenger side and just adjust my side.

What car is it?

Also noticed there’s no way to have the air coming through the vents and to clear the windscreen at the same time?

Pressing the windscreen button moves all the air away from the front vents unless again there’s a button I can press?

It should only take a minute or two clear the windscreen though, so once you get used to the system in practice this is not an issue.
 
Man of Honour
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So I need to push the button on a car this week really for daily use.

Fox if you don't mind, current 5 series, 30K to spend, any pointers?

Not fussed about colour, but nice spec etc would be great.

I bow to your knowledge on BMW, I am lost on the current models really.




Or F10 model but with Active Ride thingy I guess.
 
Last edited:

OG

OG

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So I need to push the button on a car this week really for daily use.

Fox if you don't mind, current 5 series, 30K to spend, any pointers?

Not fussed about colour, but nice spec etc would be great.

I bow to your knowledge on BMW, I am lost on the current models really.




Or F10 model but with Active Ride thingy I guess.


My posts a few pages ago about a BMW warranty were related to 30k on a 5 series, admittedly a touring but I guess the questions around spec etc still apply. The standard equipment compared to an F series is huge and so going on the hunt for making sure it has pro-nav isn't really a thing anymore, however a few things I found:

  1. People have spec'd m-sport pro packages all over the place which gets you HK audio and tinted rear windows but also appears the majority of people went for 20' wheels as part of the package. For me this made the ride waaay to harsh and just didn't really suit the type of car I expected the 5 series to be.
  2. 530d or nothing in my opinion. I test drove a couple of 520d's and the extra cost of the 6 cylinder engine was worth it. Just a lot smoother, quieter under load and obviously the extra power is nice.
  3. I ended up looking for models that had HK audio as an option (sounds great, finishes the interior off), folding/anti-dazzle wing mirrors, Icon LED headlights (really finishes off the front of the car, I don't necessarily need the fancy adaptive headlights) and something other than black leather interior (just to brighten it up a bit).
  4. SE or M-sport trim. M-Sport (on the 530d anyway), gets the fancier painted brakes and m-sport suspension as standard. Everything else 'under the hood' is the same as the SE as far as I'm aware, I guess personal preference. M-sport seem to retain value better (simply compare similar cars using WBAC and there's a clear difference) but BMW AUC pricing doesn't seem to reflect this. I went for an SE that had all the options I wanted rather than an m-sport that didn't have as many things I wanted.
  5. I believe July 2019+ cars have idrive 7 which gets you android auto/car play as standard and the 'live cockpit' which gives directions/more info in the instrument cluster. My budget didn't stretch to this model year. I don't really like the dial shapes on the live cockpit but something to look out for.
  6. I didn't get a chance to test drive a car with adaptive suspension (which is apparently essential if you read every review of the car :p) but I was more than happy with the ride quality of the SE on 18's, really was not as wallowy as I expected.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
17 Oct 2002
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159,534
So I need to push the button on a car this week really for daily use.

Fox if you don't mind, current 5 series, 30K to spend, any pointers?

Not fussed about colour, but nice spec etc would be great.

I bow to your knowledge on BMW, I am lost on the current models really.

It's a really bad time to buy as you know - you're going to get so little for your money even at £30k. I paid less than this for a 12 month old one, today you'd be lucky to get a decent 2018 car. Which is what you should look for, a decent 2018 car. I have spent a lot of time driving every model in the range except the 530e and the M5, and my thoughts are:

The 6 cylinder diesel is still the best model in the range for everyday use. There are risks attached to it regarding future treatment of diesel by government, but that is about the only downside. The car itself is quick enough, refined, very efficient and generally just exactly what you'd want from a 5 Series. The 520d is noticeably less refined but not significantly more fuel efficient, the 530i removes the diesel uncertainty but also removes some of the smoothness, 2 of the cylinders and some of the effortless feel. The 540i is brilliant but really just drives like the diesel whilst making a better noise and consuming 50% more fuel. A great engine in a fun car, but this is a Motorway barge, so I think on balance despite loving the engine the 540i goes in the 'what is the point' box.

In terms of spec, as the poster above says the days of tragic spec 5 Series with the postage stamp nav screen are gone. You can't buy a bad spec - any you find will have enough kit to be fine so consider any optional extras a bonus. A particular annoyance of mine is that the standard lights look a bit sad and have halogen indicator bulbs - the Icon LED lights look far better - but cars with Icon LED fitted are few and far between.

It's reasonably easy to find a car with a HUD these days, so if I was buying (Which I always planned to after 5 years with my F10, but there we go) I think I'd try and get one with the HUD. It's excellent.

I've had a quick look on the AUC website to see what I'd look to buy if I was buying today with £30k. It's really slim pickings I'm afraid, but I'd probably go with something like this:

https://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/vehicle/202112140514486?quoteref=6828cfc6-f530-4c31-a97e-7dce0d852617

However, I'd like you to consider two other options.

The first is the 6 Series GT. The 6 Series GT is a more practical yet more odd looking 5 Series. It also has a much better standard specification. Despite costing more new than a 5 Series, it is now similar money as the equivalent 5 Series. You'd need to really dislike how it looks to buy a 5 Series instead of a 6 Series GT. Unfortunately, I do really dislike how it looks so would buy a 5 Series instead but if you can get past this it is unquestionably a better car in every way than a 5 Series, as it's basically a 5 Series Plus. Here is an example:

https://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/vehicle/202109307981023?quoteref=89e00443-8aa0-401d-ac02-23114813a642

The second is the 3 Series. The more of these I drive the more I like them. The interior is excellent, the build is excellent, they are refined, they handle well, I'm almost at the point where I think it may even better a better choice. They also all have iDrive 7 as standard..

https://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/vehicle/202201051029461?quoteref=a7645b18-3a62-47cf-8fd6-eb48327bd2e5

iDrive 7 is functionally quite an improvement over iDrive 6 (Worth it for the Spotify integration alone) but pre LCI cars with iDrive 7 are rare - the last year of production only - and post LCI cars are both ugly and incredibly expensive. The reality is that for £30k you probably won't find one with iDrive 7.

Or F10 model but with Active Ride thingy I guess.

I will never understand the fuss made about adaptive suspension. Every single press review of the F10 went on about how it was a total must have - but it really isn't. A 5 Series on M Sport suspension with decent tyres rides and handles really well - I am very fussy about this sort of thing and I've never found an Adaptive fitted car to change my world. Yea, sure, its good, but that doesn't make it a must have especially when it's so rare.
 
Man of Honour
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Thanks for that some really good pointers. F10 makes no sense so binned that idea I think unless I go dirt cheap.

I do rate the new 3 series but prefer the 5 I think still. 6 GT I’d not considered and it looks better than the old 5 GT but still unsure. Need to go look I think.
 
Caporegime
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Anyone know the current lead time on an iX50? My Polestar 2 lease isn't up until March 2023 but I have heard some horror stories about factory orders taking a year because of the semi-conductor shortage.
 
Caporegime
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Anyone know the current lead time on an iX50? My Polestar 2 lease isn't up until March 2023 but I have heard some horror stories about factory orders taking a year because of the semi-conductor shortage.

People who ordered them straight away from launch got December delivery in the UK. last i heard any current new orders on the ix50 is at least July for the UK unless you take a pre built slot if its available and not get the exact spec you want? I know I guy who took a March demonstrator delivery slot from a BMW dealer as he wasnt prepared to wait until July (that was back in December)

ix40 seem in plentiful supply and available in short build times.

I have heard rumours that pretty much every ix50 is almost sold for 2022 production. Vastly outselling the the ix40s.
 
Soldato
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I have heard rumours that pretty much every ix50 is almost sold for 2022 production. Vastly outselling the the ix40s.

I do find that somewhat hard to believe when the price difference between the two is around £30k!

Plus who feels a 500+ bhp electric vehicle the size of an X5 but with less luggage capacity is reasonable at that price (£91k)?
 
Soldato
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I do find that somewhat hard to believe when the price difference between the two is around £30k!

Plus who feels a 500+ bhp electric vehicle the size of an X5 but with less luggage capacity is reasonable at that price (£91k)?

It doesn’t have to be - it just needs to be new/different.

People typically don’t care for the specifications, or what it doesn’t have - just what it does have/does differently from everything else :)
 
Soldato
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It doesn’t have to be - it just needs to be new/different.

People typically don’t care for the specifications, or what it doesn’t have - just what it does have/does differently from everything else :)

Perhaps it’s just all the ICE X5/6 owners swapping out to go EV and perhaps I’m out of touch with what those owners paid for their cars, but £91k seems an awful lot of money for this.
 
Soldato
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Perhaps it’s just all the ICE X5/6 owners swapping out to go EV and perhaps I’m out of touch with what those owners paid for their cars, but £91k seems an awful lot of money for this.

Possibly, or it could be a few company cars - they’re a comparatively cheap way of getting a high performance SUV.


Don’t forget, as well, that these vehicles aren’t really being “sold”, so the 91k price isn’t of much relevance when you consider it’ll likely consist of leasing and company cars.



Market is changing a lot
 
Caporegime
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I do find that somewhat hard to believe when the price difference between the two is around £30k!

Plus who feels a 500+ bhp electric vehicle the size of an X5 but with less luggage capacity is reasonable at that price (£91k)?

Well the ix50 broke all records for the most number of cars sold in one day in Norway so the demand is there.

Plus my x5 45e hybrid came in at £82,000 list price. They have gone up a lot. My boss has just got a range rover sport 400e for his with and that was £82k as well.

The ix50 comes with more equipment as standard compared to the x5 so I can see lots of potential x5 new car buyers swapping over to the ix50.

The fuel/BIK savings will offset the extra purchase cost.

I even specced and priced up an ix50 myself but I am still not quite ready to go full EV.
 
Caporegime
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Possibly, or it could be a few company cars - they’re a comparatively cheap way of getting a high performance SUV.


Don’t forget, as well, that these vehicles aren’t really being “sold”, so the 91k price isn’t of much relevance when you consider it’ll likely consist of leasing and company cars.



Market is changing a lot

Yeah mine would be a 3 year lease and cost approx. £1000 a month.

A lot for a car, but business is doing well.
 
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