The layout of the dashboard is decidedly modern. However, the style, created by Chris Bangle and his team for the Z4, among others, can be irritating at times. For example, the glove compartment button is very (too?) discrete: it took me two days to find it for lack of an owner's manual!
But the automatic transmission's shifter is well positioned and encourages the use of its sequential mode. The iDrive interface control, right beside it, is also easily accessible. It's too bad, though, that this system requires so much of the driver's attention.
Great bucket seats
The front seats add to the driving pleasure of this vehicle. These adjustable bucket seats are incredibly comfortable and form-fitting and provide much-appreciated lateral support in tight curves.
The rear seats, which can accommodate two to three adults, are hard to access due to the limited space the open doors provide. Add to that the very high 21 centimetres of ground clearance (20 in the case of the Mercedes M-Class), which forces both front and back passengers to take quite a step when climbing into the vehicle. So much so, in fact, that during the winter, it's hard to keep your pant legs clean while getting in.
The front and side fields of vision are adequate. However, it's hard to see anything out the back when trying to reverse into a parking spot. The two large exterior rearview mirrors partially make up for this handicap, as does the optional rear camera offered in the Technology package (+ $4,500), which also includes a navigation system that displays the image captured by the camera. But when the rear camera lens is dirty (which is often the case in winter), the blurry images aren't very helpful. The only option left is to park this big boy on instinct, letting the screech of compressing bumpers be your guide.
But the automatic transmission's shifter is well positioned and encourages the use of its sequential mode. The iDrive interface control, right beside it, is also easily accessible. It's too bad, though, that this system requires so much of the driver's attention.
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| The automatic transmission's shifter is well positioned and encourages the use of its sequential mode. |
Great bucket seats
The front seats add to the driving pleasure of this vehicle. These adjustable bucket seats are incredibly comfortable and form-fitting and provide much-appreciated lateral support in tight curves.
The rear seats, which can accommodate two to three adults, are hard to access due to the limited space the open doors provide. Add to that the very high 21 centimetres of ground clearance (20 in the case of the Mercedes M-Class), which forces both front and back passengers to take quite a step when climbing into the vehicle. So much so, in fact, that during the winter, it's hard to keep your pant legs clean while getting in.
The front and side fields of vision are adequate. However, it's hard to see anything out the back when trying to reverse into a parking spot. The two large exterior rearview mirrors partially make up for this handicap, as does the optional rear camera offered in the Technology package (+ $4,500), which also includes a navigation system that displays the image captured by the camera. But when the rear camera lens is dirty (which is often the case in winter), the blurry images aren't very helpful. The only option left is to park this big boy on instinct, letting the screech of compressing bumpers be your guide.
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| The front seats are incredibly comfortable and form-fitting and provide much-appreciated lateral support. |