Optional extras - seamless integration or just bolt ons?

Discussion in 'General chat' started by The CO, Nov 1, 2016.

  1. The CO
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    The CO Staff Member Admin

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    I was idly thinking about this today as I hoofed it down to the store to purchase some domestic comestibles. It was a bit chilly so I stuck the heated seats and steering wheel on. As I trundled (yeah, right) through the country lanes I stuck it in Sport for a bit of fun but soon gave up after catching up with a small car who insisted on doing 30 in a 60 for five frustrating miles. When I got to the store I thought I'd have a play with the Park Assist as I hadn't used it for about 10 months once the novelty wore off. Parked up, locked the door with a digit on the door handle and wandered off to get some scran.

    Thing is about these things is that you have to consciously think about using them rather than being instinctive. Adjusting the seat electrically and opening the blind on the sunroof I almost do without thinking about but the rest of the stuff I have I just don't use in the way that I thought I would. I don't even use the reversing camera and still check my mirrors to manoeuvre. I still find myself looking at my dials rather than the HUD to check my speed and hardly ever use the surround camera system. Is this indicative of me being a luddite or is just that these things are just bolt ons rather than adding up to car that is greater than its parts? Sometimes I feel that if all the frippery was stripped away I simply wouldn't notice and in many ways I look forward to getting into my wife's Mini for a 'purer' driving experience. Or am I talking cobblers?
     
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  2. Peter
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    Peter WARLORD

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    Interesting thoughts.

    I've tried to discipline myself to use the tech where possible. It is true we could do without a lot of the options, we'd still drive about safely and be capable of performing the functions.

    But must admit I do like the HUD, comfort access, cameras, (use the reversing camera a lot), full electric seat adjustment, etc. Not sure I'm always getting the best from options like high beam assist, speed limiter, voice commands and some of the iDrive capabilities.

    Peter
     
  3. The CO
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    The CO Staff Member Admin

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    Do you know what, I'd completely forgotten about the lights. The Adaptive system on my F31 is qualitatively better than my old E91. Beforehand I used to fret about the system as it just wasn't sensitive enough whereas the new system is genuinely brilliant, it works so well that I don't have to think about it. I just switch it on and it does it's magic.
     
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  4. Verbarthe
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    Verbarthe WARLORD

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    I don t have any of these things on my E46. Am sure they re all nice things to have but I doubt they are all really essential .
     
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  5. DiscusbT
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    DiscusbT

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    I agree about the adaptive lights on my f25, but gave up on theauto-dipping, too much of a mental strain waiting to see if it worked or not. I do use the reversing camera, and the mirrors, and the sound signals. To get to my garage, the drive past the side of the house is quite narrow, so in the dark, I fold the mirors in. However I immediately fold them out again, because when I back out of the garage again, I'm not happy without the mirrors. What I cannot understand is the automatic lights. Sometimes you are in bright sunshine and they are on, sometimes quite gloomy, and they don't come on. So somethings are good and work, others don't.
     
  6. Adie
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    Adie WARLORD Site Supporter

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    I've set the presets so the HUD is always displayed but invariably find myself glancing down at the dials :confused:, i wish they'd incorporated the turn signals that are partly obscured behind my steering wheel, surely not that difficult. The high beam assistant is an excellent technology how it creates a corridor of light so as not to dazzle others but i find myself switching it off sometimes when the unlit country roads are busy... almost as if i don't trust it.
    The best option must be surround view, and the best value i reckon, only £500, always use it when parking next to kerbs and touch wood no kerbed alloys so far. I've never used the front cameras, i.e when pulling out from T junctions, think i just forget they're there. I've coded my rear camera so i can switch it on at any time, gives another view when joining motorways, it switches off automatically after 255 metres (that's the maximum value you can set it to). Only ever use cruise control when going through those average speed cameras, so easy to let your speed creep up otherwise. Only used the voice control function once to see if it works... put a destination into the Satnav, worked first time to my amazement and was quicker than going through the i-drive, should probably try to use it more often.

    Internet?... surely no one uses that, with the i-drive controller it would take forever!
     
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2016
  7. a.s.uk
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    a.s.uk WARLORD

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    My other car is a vw van.
    The only luxury items are power steering. electric mirrors and windows....
    I dont miss or need any of the toys on the BMW....The only thing i could do with at some times, is sat nav for postcode locations.
    There something fundamentally wrong there isnt there?
    But its weird. its so basic i like it.
    Dont get me wrong, I am not saying I dont like all the comforts that the BMW affords, but I never feel like I really miss them, when I use the van...
    I agree with The Co.

    i am looking forward to self driving cars though....I want one with a bed, so that I can fall asleep, and arrive home unflustered, without having to deal with all the idiots and people who cant drive properly on the road!!
     
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  8. kleynie
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    kleynie WARLORD Site Supporter

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    Agree about the HUD, it's brilliant but does need the turn signals as mine are also obscured by the steering wheel.

    As for Internet, it's slow and useless. I used it once, never again.

    The best option for me is HUD but the memory seats are also essential, comfort seats, as I'm finding out, are not. Never, ever use the reverse camera, so that is totally wasted on me.
     
  9. Spuffington
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    Spuffington Staff Member Admin Site Supporter

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    At this risk of sounding like a broken record, I very much agree with this. Having had "all the toys" at one point or another - I rarely miss any of them. I had HUD on two cars - loved it, became a "must" but then quickly dropped off the "must have" list when it was down to selecting the right vehicle. Haven't had it on four vehicles now and don't miss it. But then again, rarely drive my own cars on the Autobahn anymore, where it really was of great use.

    Comfort Access I haven't had for a while. I will admit that it would be useful with having a child where invariably hands are full.

    Top View cameras were useful on the X5 and wouldn't say no to them, but again, don't miss them.

    Comfort Seats were great (after a few months once I'd got them eventually set up right) but don't miss them. Do miss Sports Seats but that's hardly an expensive or high-tech Option.

    Never used Voice Control in any car. Maybe missing out on this one, but never felt the need.

    Having spent a good few years believing that newer options would soon become so engrained that they'd become as mandatory as electric windows for me, I've been surprised at how little I really need in a car and how easy it is to be programmed into "needing" more with every iteration of models and technology drip-down.

    My "musts" boil down to the following: xenons, heated seats, DAB, folding mirrors, satnav & Bluetooth

    I'm clearly never going to say no to more toys, but my view has changed markedly since running the 1er, X3, Polo and now Yeti. If I ever go back to a "luxury" BMW, the chances are even a relatively poorly specced F10 would be ok for me since most of the above is now standard.
     
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  10. slim_boy_fat
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    slim_boy_fat WARLORD RIP

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    We've had this conversation before in various guises. They're building things into cars now, simply because they can and not to satisfy either some desperate safety requirement or to fulfil pressing consumer demand.

    We managed in the past, and while I agree transport in general has never been safer [if you remove the one weak 'link', the human input], hands up those who remember wind-up (or even sliding) windows, no or poor heating/ventilation systems, and........yes, even vacuum wipers. o_O

    Luddite? Not really. Someone possessed of a sense of the ridiculous? Definitely. :p
     
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  11. Adie
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    Adie WARLORD Site Supporter

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    Think the latest models now come with 4G for the automatic Satnav map updates. Undoubtedly internet access would be quicker but using the i-drive controller would still be too much of a hinderance.
     
  12. kleynie
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    kleynie WARLORD Site Supporter

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    Yep, mine is 2016 my and has 4G (so I'm told) but its still useless.
     
  13. bishbosh
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    bishbosh WARLORD

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    Another point to remember is that when we learned to drive we didn't have these toys at our disposal and they certainly weren't required to pass the driving test. I don't have a reversing camera in my car but even if I did I would still be putting one arm behind the passenger seat and turning around while reversing. It's a habit that new technology won't change.

    My must haves are xenons, folding mirrors and heated seats, and as most of you know I had to retrofit these into my car anyway. Having not had Satnav/dab/HUD and whatever I don't miss them, but then I haven't tried either.
     
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  14. slim_boy_fat
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    slim_boy_fat WARLORD RIP

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    Easier said than done if you have these, and more so if you're not as swack [ http://www.yourdictionary.com/swack ;) ] as you were when younger :(

    [​IMG]

    Spot on, there's no putting the genie back in the bottle, no matter how nicely you ask, or try to force, him :LOL:
     
  15. V00D0019
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    V00D0019

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    When i get back into the E46, the only things i miss are the memory seats, auto box and, oddly, the triple flash on the indicator when you tap it..
     
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  16. slim_boy_fat
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    slim_boy_fat WARLORD RIP

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    I only discovered recently that you can turn that function off in the iDrive. :oops:
     
  17. Singvogel
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    Singvogel Staff Member Moderator WARLORD Site Supporter

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    It's all a very personal thing this - as to whether we really need many of the features we have on our cars.

    I put a load of time and effort (not to mention at least 4 different test drives) into choosing the spec of my car (4 packages plus 10 additional options) and I'm happy to say that I don't regret choosing any of them -and I also don't regret NOT choosing the ones I don't have.

    Most of the features I use practically daily.

    The Adaptive LEDs are wonderful - I use the High Beam Assistant auto feature all the time - I can't fault it - especially useful across the channel.

    Likewise the Adaptive Suspension - I nearly screwed up on that one not fully realising that the 'Driver Experience' controls didn't give that feature in full as standard.

    The Lane Change Warning I use only when on dual-carriageways and motorways, but the other driving assistant features I make regular use of.

    The Park Assist I don't use that much - but when I am faced with stupidly tight parking slots its invaluable.

    The Reversing Camera is in use every day and it's zoom feature for the tow-ball is excellent.

    Full Black Panel Display is good as I get speed limits and overtaking restrictions displayed as well as the speed limits - plus of course the Sat-Nav turns, street names and other info

    Heated Seats and Heated Steering Wheel come into their own at this time of year - and now I can't even imagine ever having a car without them.

    Lots of things would be sorely missed and regretted if I hadn't specced them - folding mirrors, additional storage with extra 12v sockets, privacy glass and the split rear seats of course.

    There were lots of other options which I did not choose - I gave them a fair try on the several test drives I took, coming to the conclusion that i would have little use for the Professional Sat-Nav, the Harmann Kardon Sound System, Electric Adjusting Seats, Active Cruise Control, Internet, TV, etc.

    I found the HUD a distraction and to give no more info than the Black Panel gives.

    Some options I consider a negative for my particular needs - things like an opening roof, X-Drive, are not for me.

    The M-Sports Brakes also would mean that I couldn't have 17" wheels for Winter use.

    I note that a couple of people have mentioned the turn signals being obscured - I too found that and experimented a bit with adjusting the reach and rake of the steering wheel, allied to the seat height adjustment, solved the problem.

    Electric seats might have made finding that position a tad easier, but after that the buttons would become redundant as i very rarely if ever move the seat position.

    I can understand their usefulness if there are drivers with widely differing anthropocentrics, but Mrs S and I are approx the same height and arm reach so no more than one click of the slide does it.

    I for one would be very reluctant to take a step backwards in time to a less 'techy' age.
     
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  18. geffg
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    geffg

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    Wind up window! My 15 plate caddy van for work still has them! When the kids first got in they where looking how to open them
     
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  19. Peter
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    Peter WARLORD

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    It's a bit like showing the grandsons how we used to play music using a 'needle' sat in a groove on a large rotating plastic like disc. They even think cassette tapes are ancient. :)

    Peter
     
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  20. kleynie
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    kleynie WARLORD Site Supporter

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    Yes and my 2003 E39 had a tape player! It also had DVD sat nav and Bluetooth - two different era's in the same car.
     

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