[fre2bpowerless]

Note from Mod : The BMW 530d review has been uploaded at this link; please continue the discussion on the new review thread.

[avishar]

Will there also be hike in prices with the upgrade?Mercedes has announced that it will hike prices from May 1.

Frankly more than the new features what caught my eye was BMW selling 1000 cars in a month.That is unbelievable from just a few years back.Along with BMW,Audi and Merc are setting sales record every month too,remarkable how this market of premium cars has expanded.

[Akshay1234]

Before I opened this thread I was hoping they would give it better wheels. Unluckily it doesn't seem to be happening. Like you said it needs at least better wheels to make it different from the outside, also mainly enthusiasts buy it so im sure even if BMW made 18" wheels on it standard it would not put the buyers off. Some of the wheels that are an option make the car absolutely stunning. Like on this page -
http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=371958

One other thing which should be offered is ventilated seats, which would add a bit to the comfort.

But the HUD is a nice touch, a cool feature to have.

[fre2bpowerless]

Originally Posted by avishar

Will there also be hike in prices with the upgrade?

Frankly more than the new features what caught my eye was BMW selling 1000 cars in a month.That is unbelievable from just a few years back.Along with BMW,Audi and Merc are setting sales record every month too,remarkable how this market of premium cars has expanded.

I doubt there'd be a hike in price. CEs pushing the sales for BMW in a big way, offering 'premium' cars at an affordable price. This was expected IMO.

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Before I opened this thread I was hoping they would give it better wheels. Unluckily it doesn't seem to be happening. Like you said it needs at least better wheels to make it different from the outside, also mainly enthusiasts buy it so im sure even if BMW made 18" wheels on it standard it would not put the buyers off. Some of the wheels that are an option make the car absolutely stunning. Like on this page -
Full F10 5-series Accessories Catalog - 2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10

One other thing which should be offered is ventilated seats, which would add a bit to the comfort.

But the HUD is a nice touch, a cool feature to have.

I've seen this silver 530d with 20" 312 style wheels and it looks awesome. I'd like the V 281 to be standard in 18", anything more would ruin the ride. Especially with the RFTs.

Ventilated seats, reverse camera would be nice too. HUD is cool

[ecclipse78]

I was told by my sources at BMW, that the price for the 530d with these new features will be 2 lakhs additionally.

Expected around June 2011.

[androdev]

Is it possible to get Navigation working on 520D with its 7" screen? If I get navigation on this car, it would be just perfect - can do without other features.

[PlatzdaTurbo]

This thread has already been initiated by me elsewhere and it has now been merged into the 525d test-drive thread by the mods.
Good start by offering navigation and HUD on the 530d. With navigation making its way into the 7 a few months ago, it was only a matter of time before it made its way into the rest of the line-up. However, BMW could do themselves a favor by offering goodies like night-vision,ventilated seats, self park assist (side/parallel etc) ,all LED headlamps etc as options at-least. All these things and a lot more are going to be offered on the upcoming C7 Audi A6 and if BMW adds these goodies to their arsenal , it would only add spice to the competition.
Yes the prices would shoot up with all options added but it will hardly deter people from buying a truly good product. Besides, for all practical purposes they already offer the 4-cylinder 2 litre diesels at the budget end (if i may say) of their market. For those looking for exclusivity and insane power on their hands, these fully loaded 3 litre petrols/diesels would make a peach of a buy.
Last I heard the latest version of iDrive had borrowed certain aspects of the new MMI and had made the iDrive interface more user-friendly. God Bless Competition !

Originally Posted by androdev

Is it possible to get Navigation working on 520D with its 7" screen? If I get navigation on this car, it would be just perfect - can do without other features.

Cars with screens smaller than that have sported navigation. A Ford Galaxy i drove in Germany last year barely had something to be termed as a 'screen' yet it meticulously displayed all directions for GPS navigation.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by PlatzdaTurbo

Cars with screens smaller than that have sported navigation. A Ford Galaxy i drove in Germany last year barely had something to be termed as a 'screen' yet it meticulously displayed all directions for GPS navigation.

Errr.. I didn't mean it that way :-) I meant does the 7"-iDrive-Version on 520D carry the hardware and other necessary components to support navigation using a software upgrade/tweak, or does it require more elaborate/impractical changes to support navigation?

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Originally Posted by androdev

Errr.. I didn't mean it that way :-) I meant does the 7"-iDrive-Version on 520D carry the hardware and other necessary components to support navigation using a software upgrade/tweak, or does it require more elaborate/impractical changes to support navigation?

Oh like that !
Well i can tell you that in Audi's case, the 4-cylinder lower end versions have something termed as MMI Basic. While you can adjust Audio settings,check oil level, next service interval, auto headlamps and a few more things here & there, navigation, tv function, sd card usage, bluetooth transfer of music files from the cell phone to the car memory card etc is not possible on that version. Its also low res if compared to what the higher models have termed as MMI High. Its the full and complete version of MMI with everything i mentioned above and possibly more. So whenever Navigation finally is available with Audis in India, i would have it available to me in more or less no time where as the 2 litre versions will not.
I am assuming it might be the same with BMWs ?
Ofcourse this might be true in context of perhaps the X1,3 series and probably the X3 ? Since yours is a 5, it might support navigation i presume.
Does BMW have multiple versions of iDrive or is it 1 standard version ?

[Sahil]

This loading was much due. The 530d doesn't seem value enough in it's current state, besides the engine and rear entertainment(if you are a backseat user then you would have bought the 520d instead) were just not enough to justify the price difference.

Navigation and HUD are both mere "wow" factor elements. In India, unless you are an expat, you won't use the navigation much. The HUD is great, I have used a 5er in America for a long time that had the HUD, after a certain time you get over it and don't find it giving as much value unless you use navigation.

530d is an enthusiast's car hence 18inch alloys should defiantly be added and perhaps even an M-Kit, especially if they are looking to hike the price by 2 lakhs !

Good news is, for a true enthusiast these features do not matter all that much, so now is the best time to get sweet deals on the 530d stock clearance

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by PlatzdaTurbo

Oh like that !
Well i can tell you that in Audi's case, the 4-cylinder lower end versions have something termed as MMI Basic. While you can adjust Audio settings,check oil level, next service interval, auto headlamps and a few more things here & there, navigation, tv function, sd card usage, bluetooth transfer of music files from the cell phone to the car memory card etc is not possible on that version. Its also low res if compared to what the higher models have termed as MMI High. Its the full and complete version of MMI with everything i mentioned above and possibly more. So whenever Navigation finally is available with Audis in India, i would have it available to me in more or less no time where as the 2 litre versions will not.
I am assuming it might be the same with BMWs ?
Ofcourse this might be true in context of perhaps the X1,3 series and probably the X3 ? Since yours is a 5, it might support navigation i presume.
Does BMW have multiple versions of iDrive or is it 1 standard version ?

BMW's plans of providing navigation were apparent right from the start. There were rumors of it being a part of their initial launch of the 5 too.

My 525d has a front loading DVD slot + front loading CD slot + 6 CD changer in the glovebox. There was really for so many optical disc players, but the DVD drive was to enable the use of navigation discs as the car came pre-wired with NAV.

I doubt the mapmyindia disc's being made for BMW will work on my e60 as it has the older iDrive.

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Originally Posted by Sahil

BMW's plans of providing navigation were apparent right from the start. There were rumors of it being a part of their initial launch of the 5 too.

My 525d has a front loading DVD slot + front loading CD slot + 6 CD changer in the glovebox. There was really for so many optical disc players, but the DVD drive was to enable the use of navigation discs as the car came pre-wired with NAV.

I doubt the mapmyindia disc's being made for BMW will work on my e60 as it has the older iDrive.

Might not. Worth a try though.
Whats all the mapmyindia fuss about anyway ? I mean why are BMW/VW turning to mapmyindia ? I honestly used to think iDrive and MMI would have their own versions of maps broadcasted onto their respective interfaces is why they are taking their own sweet time to come out with it even after the government's approval for broadcasting. MapMyIndia on iDrive was honestly a disappointment for me.
Besides i read something about the use of google maps for navigation on the all new MMI on Audis so any route to even the smallest of places could be traced thanks to the google maps coverage that no navigation system would possess. I assume we would need to have a developed 3G spectrum for that. Correct me if i am wrong on this 1.
Anyway at least its a start by BMW. Mercedes dont even have a decent system. COMAND in India is a joke IMHO and Audi, even with a full fledged MMI just dont seem interested in making head-ways. Must laud Audi's consistency in being slow to act

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by PlatzdaTurbo

MapMyIndia on iDrive was honestly a disappointment for me.

As per my understanding, mapmyindia will only provide the back-end mapping and the interface will defiantly be synced as per the iDrive.
Mapmyindia has been around for a while and probably has done accurate research hence it makes sense for BMW to tie up with them rather than go out and make maps themselves.
I am sure these maps will be adapted and look exactly like the navigation interfaces on BMWs abroad.

With 3g here, its time auto-makers start providing these features. BMW already has iDrive web browsing developed. They should do an open source version of the iDrive with 3g so people can download apps(like the iphone). Streaming music via internet radio,youtube,etc would be uber cool and useful !

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Originally Posted by Sahil

With 3g here, its time auto-makers start providing these features. BMW already has iDrive web browsing developed. They should do an open source version of the iDrive with 3g so people can download apps(like the iphone). Streaming music via internet radio,Youtube,etc would be uber cool and useful !

Just a matter of time again.
The above mentioned features are said to be made available on the new A8 (web browsing ,W-Lan with multiple hot spots ~8 i think, streaming/transfer of music from the web to the internal memory onto MMI etc.). You could well expect BMW to offer all this on the 7 within 6 months.
What i wonder is , if all these features are to be offered on the A8, then why no navigation in Audis yet ? For gods sake even VW is offering it now. Come to think of it, with web browsing available , any route could directly be traced through google maps.
What you said about the actual utility of SAT NAV in our country is right. It wont be all that useful unless someone is not a local. Yet, their sheer reaction time to respond to the market is painful. Navigation should have been available with atleast the A8 to start off with, by now.

[fre2bpowerless]

MapmyIndia (most probably) or some other company offers in-dash navi box which lets navigation work on BMs and Audis, i'm not sure how it works coz I didn't have i-drive or a screen in my car when I came across this. They might have something for 520d's too.

Originally Posted by ecclipse78

I was told by my sources at BMW, that the price for the 530d with these new features will be 2 lakhs additionally.

Expected around June 2011.

Better not upgrade the car than to raise price further.