BMW 530E Remote Parking

[James-R10]

I've had a 530e on order for a little while now and awaiting delivery.

I've just been told that Remote Parking isn't available in the UK on the 530e Models, but is on all others. Does anyone know why not and if it will ever be coming?

All the advertising, reviews and other parts of the world get it on the 530e as well as the other models, so it's a little misleading...

Edited by James-R10 on Sunday 6th August 21:11

[Jonobigblind]

I queried this with the Genius team when I was looking at getting one and was told that it was available but I’d need to spec a few options. These were pretty expensive for something I’d probably use twice when showing it off then not bothering with it again.

[James-R10]

Jonobigblind said:

I queried this with the Genius team when I was looking at getting one and was told that it was available but I’d need to spec a few options. These were pretty expensive for something I’d probably use twice when showing it off then not bothering with it again.

I've got every option from a tech perspective ticked and was told something similar originally. Now the dealer I ordered from is unsure and the online geniuses said it's definitely not available on the 530e no matter options ticked. It's left me a little annoyed.

[Jonobigblind]

I don’t blame you for being annoyed, they should be able to convey the right options on a car they’re selling! I fear I’ve got a similar issue brewing with Mini but that’s one for me to tackle next week.

[chris56]

It is not available on the 530E - I went through a similar order issue with mine - when the new 5 series came out, the configuration tool on BMW UK implied you could get it - the tool was subsequently updated to remove this for the 530E. Not sure why. It means if you have the display key (which I have) then it is not much use.
The new 5 series is a bit of a tech fest - I ordered lots of the tech on mine. Having had it for 3 months now - I would omit several of these things as they are either not mature enough or are less effective than envisaged.

[Teebs]

chris56 said:

It is not available on the 530E - I went through a similar order issue with mine - when the new 5 series came out, the configuration tool on BMW UK implied you could get it - the tool was subsequently updated to remove this for the 530E. Not sure why. It means if you have the display key (which I have) then it is not much use.
The new 5 series is a bit of a tech fest - I ordered lots of the tech on mine. Having had it for 3 months now - I would omit several of these things as they are either not mature enough or are less effective than envisaged.

Out of interest, what options would you not bother to order next time?

[chris56]

Apple Car Play - full of bugs, poor call quality - lack of functionality when compared to using BMW Connected connection. Waste of money.
Fragrance Air - very weak fragrance even on max setting - capsules do not last long.
Display Key - really only useful for remote parking which you cannot have on the 530E. Most of the other functions are available on the BMW Connected App. Quite large to carry as a key. I do not use it.

[James-R10]

Just had a call from BMW UK who said it's because of the batteries and to stop the risk of them getting damage by remote parking..

If the car is that vulnerable that a less than a few mph bump can course serious concerns, surely the car shouldn't be in production as it's more likely to be bumped/hit/damaged with a driver in the car...

I'll still get the display key + gesture control which I don't really care for, but as there are bits I want in the tech pack it costs £25 more for these two so not worth the hassle of cancelling.

Might abandon CarPlay. Only options I currently haven't ticked are EDC and SoftClose doors, the former I know I won't miss if I haven't had it and SoftClose doors I currently have on my 640d but doubt I'll miss them.

Edited by James-R10 on Monday 7th August 11:04

[Ocho]

chris56 said:

Apple Car Play - full of bugs, poor call quality - lack of functionality when compared to using BMW Connected connection. Waste of money.
Fragrance Air - very weak fragrance even on max setting - capsules do not last long.
Display Key - really only useful for remote parking which you cannot have on the 530E. Most of the other functions are available on the BMW Connected App. Quite large to carry as a key. I do not use it.

Chris - looking at this another way, which options do you have that you would highly recommend and why?

[chris56]

Ocho said:

Chris - looking at this another way, which options do you have that you would highly recommend and why?

OK.
SE car rather than Sport model for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, the car is very very refined and rides very smoothly (think Mercedes S class levels of refinement/ride) and is not by its very nature a Sports saloon as much as some other BMWs. Yes the electric drive and petrol motor combine to make the car quick in a straight line and this is of benefit in traffic but you can feel the weight of the batteries when cornering. The Sport option ruins some of the refinement/ride by giving you a harder ride with noisier tyres (19/20") and gives you some other options that are of limited value IME. e.g. the headup display tends not to work very well with polarised sunglasses.

Bowers and Wilkins Hifi - an expensive option but ... couple the refinement of the car with the BW system and you have probably the best in car sound I have experienced in a car (by way of example I have Burmeister and B+O in a couple of my other cars) and the BW system is the better sounding.

18" 684 alloy wheel option - the wheels are quite attractive in my eyes and seem remarkably resistant to kerbing (which I hate) The 5 series is a big car and when cornering you can catch the rear passenger wheel on kerbs. Even though I have done this quite a few times the wheels have still not kerbed which is great. The ride is also very good with this wheel/tyre combination(ride/refinement again)

Talking about size, I find the Parking Assistant Plus very good, you get Surround view, top view , remote view plus automated parking in parallel and perpendicular situations. This option is very good.

Adaptive damping - seems to work well. The car defaults to starting in Comfort mode but you can easily change to other modes.

Comfort seats - I test drove a 530D with Sports seats and whilst the Sports seats are very good, the Comfort seats are better. You get a better range of adjustment which means everyone can get comfortable. You can can also get heating /ventilation and massage which I have. The ventilation works well as does the massage. Everyone who has sat in the Comfort seats has been impressed by how comfortable they are.