05-09-2015, 12:07 PM | #1 |
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M4 ED Journal
Featured on BIMMERPOST.com Munich: Got picked up by 7 series limo at airport, courtesy of BMW. We got to the hotel and explored the city that afternoon. The next day, we got to the Welt a little earlier than planned but BMW were awesome and moved everything forward for us The delivery itself is unforgettable. Factory tour was awesome, definitely better than Ford's in Michigan. The museum was closed (Monday), but we were given tickets. We drove to Dachau (very much worth the short drive) and while there we got some rain and hail I felt like jumping on top of my car to protect it, but there was really nothing I could do... I was relieved to find my car scratch-free when we got back to the parking lot Later that night we went out to celebrate with local friends and we went kind of ape shit with the Paulaners, so everything we had planned for the third and last day there had to be scratched (including the Welt museum), as we didn't get up until 2 pm the next day, just in time to start driving to Prague... Prague: this drive was probably the best one. No traffic, no speed limits, road were flawless both in Germany and CR. Gas station goulash was probably the best we had in Eruope! We bought the windshield sticker at a gas station (also, gas is cheaper in CR). Everyone warned us about the crime there, so we just kept the car at the underground hotel garage for the 4 nights. Beautiful city, with plenty to see, and very cheap. We did a bike tour under the rain at freezing conditions, which was tough but at the same time made it a lot of fun as streets were relatively empty. Once we had a feel for the city we just walked everywhere. We climbed the 4 main towers and each one was amazing. Unfortunately, we missed on the 5 synagogues as we left it for the last day without realizing they're closed on Friday afternoons for Shabbath... Duh! On our last day we drove to Sedlec Ossuary, about 45 min east. There was a town fair for Easter so we also got to experience traditional Czech food and whatnot. Dresden: surprisingly beautiful, wish we stayed there longer than 2 days... Our room at the Hilton had a great view of the Frauenkirche and the central plaza. Local beer and food were great (as usual). Berlin: Hop on/off on the first day, walked everywhere thereafter. Plenty to see even in 4 days. The Hilton in front of the German Cathedral was perfect location. Great city for history buffs like me Cologne: Longest driving stretch with some traffic and construction, but even so, when we finally got there, I could've just kept going :P Only spent an afternoon there, mostly for the cathedral. We walked around the old town and had coffee by the cathedral at sunset. Breathtaking! La-Roche-en-Ardennes and Bastogne: So apparently, the Ardennes forest is pretty extensive, so you're supposed to fill the tank before crossing it, but of course noone bothered to tell me! When I told my (Dutch) uncle we were running low on gas and we should start looking for a gas station, he said: "Gas station?!?! This is the Ardennes!!!" I kept driving but once the car marked -- miles, we pulled over by an emergency phone and requested assistance. We still had 14 miles to go to the next gas station and I didn't want to risk it. Help came within 30 min and charged us 60 euros for 5 L of fuel. I didn't think of calling BMW Assistance until after the fact... Anyways, when we finally made it there, La Roche was beautiful, and the drive thru the mountains was awesome. We then drove thru very rural roads to Bastogne, visited the memorial and the war museum and we had dinner and beers there. The drive back to Holland thru Liege and Maastricht was not the best, but let's face it, I could probably be stuck in traffic without moving for 3 hours in my M4 and would still enjoy it :P Amsterdam: Belgium and Holland have a lot to learn from German and Czech roads. Speed limits are 100-120 kph for the most part, and highways seem to go thru as many town centers as humanly possible. How did people drive here before GPS??? Once near Amsterdam, we went straight to the car wash and the drop off location (this took about 15 min). If you're dropping off here, DO NOT even think about driving into the city. You will probably kill a cyclist or 2, and might even scratch your car. Amsterdam is beautiful! We rented a boat and navigated thru the canals in the afternoon drinking beer and eating fried fish and pickled herring. Then we went out for a great steak and beers. Local fried meatballs with mustard were terrific. Reijkmuseum is great. The Heineken experience is overrated and crowded, and you can find MUCH better beer pretty much anywhere else IMO. As for the car: In the words of Edith Piaf, non, je ne regrette rien. I was very happy with the options I chose. Exec package now seems like a no brainer, and I think I would've regretted not getting the leather. As for the Lightning package, I think xenons look great and would rather wait and retrofit OLEDs if anything. HK sounds excellent, especially at higher volumes. I got a small bluetooth speaker from HK! I also got a keychain with free engraving from the Welt. VERY happy with AW + black interior. The gray contrast stitching is darker than anticipated. CF roof looks amazing and everyone commented on it. HUD is very cool and was very useful. The speedometer comes in miles only, so having the kph on the HUD was very very helpful and probably saved me a ton of money in fines during the ED. I think the car sounds great, especially when cold! I even like the sound on Efficient setting. Handling was great. I would like to try a car without M suspension to feel the difference, but I have no complaints at all about it. Both highways and cobblestone driving was excellent. I think the 18" wheels might play a role in the comfort of the ride, because noone complained even in the stiffer settings. The brakes are pretty responsive, especially at higher speeds. Low end torque is great Visibility is better than expected for a coupe. Rear view mirrors feel huge coming from an e90. Steering wheel is thick and texture is great. I agree with other reviewers on the electric steering, not a fan, but it doesn't ruin the experience. I missed having the radio controls on the left side of the steering wheel. 6MT is awesome and the auto-rev is slowly growing on me. Auto-off is not as annoying in a 6MT, and doesn't happen nearly as often as in a DCT. Seats are beautiful and very comfortable even on long drives and I love that the side supports are adjustable (I'm on the thinner side). Everyone commented on the illuminated M logos. Back seats are very comfortable for average sized adults, and not too hard to get in/out, even for my 60 yo relatives. Like everyone has already said, watch the sun visor when you move the seat to get in or out or you'll break the mirror. Navigation worked perfectly every single time. I missed having outside temp and time in a visible place at all times. Thankfully no creaks, rattles, hummings in my specimen. Except at above 90-100 mph, the door windows leak a little bit of air and you can definitely hear the wind noise. Does anyone else have this problem? I have put up with it for the last 7 years on my 330i and was looking forward to a quiet ride In summary, I wanted a daily driver with teeth and I couldn't be happier with my choice. Now I've hit some road bumps as my CA botched the re-delivery and now wants to charge me for the shipping as I refuse to go to him to pick the car up (I bought from out-of-state dealer). I'm hopping I don't have to escalate things to BMWNA, but I'm bracing myself for a fight. It definitely soured what had been a perfect experience so far, and I'm very disappointed about missing out on the PCD, but it is what it is... Wish me luck! Also, if anyone is interested in seeing all the pictures, I have them on dropbox, just shoot me a PM All corrections and/or questions are welcome! Ğ |
05-09-2015, 12:21 PM | #2 |
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I love these journals!!! thanks for posting OP and congrats
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05-09-2015, 12:37 PM | #3 |
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These tail lights look so outdated:
J/k, great writeup, sounds like an awesome time! Prague is probably on my list for next time. |
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05-09-2015, 01:55 PM | #4 |
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Great pictorial.....love the car and trip.
Thanks for the excellent write up. Congratulations!
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05-09-2015, 03:54 PM | #5 |
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Great ... I love these 18s
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05-09-2015, 05:49 PM | #6 |
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Congrats man! I would've freaked out if I got hailed on during my ED!!!
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05-14-2015, 11:48 AM | #7 |
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Really good looking car! I like the smaller wheels!
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05-14-2015, 11:54 AM | #8 |
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05-14-2015, 11:56 AM | #9 |
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OP, thanks for sharing your experience. I always enjoys reading ED stories .
Congrats on the new car
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05-14-2015, 12:03 PM | #10 |
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Eeeepic
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05-14-2015, 12:18 PM | #11 |
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Thanks for the pics and story.
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05-14-2015, 12:24 PM | #12 |
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Very much enjoyed your journal. Congrats. Enjoy
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05-14-2015, 12:35 PM | #14 | |
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Quote:
100% agree. I understand you have the scroll wheel but it's limited and you need to be far more engaged (while driving) to use it rather than just being able to skip or FF a track from the wheel like before. Now you need to reach over to the far right center console which is a PIA and not very ergonomic. To me this is the akin to the e9x wiper indicator where you could not see if it was on or off because the steering wheel blocked it's view. I wonder if the QA people at BMW know what they're doing? The sun visor issue is yet another example, smh. Last edited by Tag; 05-14-2015 at 12:59 PM.. |
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05-14-2015, 12:56 PM | #16 |
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Thanks for sharing.
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2015 F82 YMB M4 (Feb 28th ED, re-deliveried on Apr 18th) |My 2015 YMB M4 ED Journal 2008 E92 SSII M3 Coupe (Sold) | My long gone 2008 E92 SSII M3 2002 E39 SG 530i (Gone) |
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05-14-2015, 01:51 PM | #22 |
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Quote: "I missed having outside temp and time in a visible place at all times."
If you turn off the digital speedometer in IDrive Settings, you can have them on all the time! I didn't know this until a few days ago, so though I would share...
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