Faults:

The vehicle service light is constantly on. One time I took it in and they told me that it was just indicating that it was time for a routine checkup. 1000 miles later it came on again for an oil change. You would think that these items could have been combined.

I like how it drives, but it is just annoying to constantly have to take it in for service. The biggest item to be serviced was the turbo engine. The said one of the cylinders was misfiring. I also had a speaker go, and I do not listen to my music very loud. In my opinion, these cars have too many things that can go wrong with them. The sensors are way too sensitive.

General Comments:

Quick car, and fun to drive, but too many maintenance issues and service items to tend to.

Faults:

Tire pressure warning light illuminated for no reason at all... took dealership mechanics multiple attempts spanning 7 months to fix, including an unnecessary purchase of a tire.

General Comments:

Hate the run flat tires as they are not included in BMW's highly promoted "zero maintenance" marketing campaign, and they are not repairable and very expensive.

Excellent handling on slick roads in less than ideal weather.

Superb braking and responsiveness.

Faults:

The brake system has failed and they say that the master cylinder and its electronics have failed. There are NO replacement parts in the USA, Canada, and Europe, and there is no idea when such repairs can be effected!!

Since BMW has no solution and there are other cars in this area in a similar quandary, there is no solution in sight.

The problem lies at BMW Corporate to decide on a remedy???

Faults:

We have just over 14k miles now. I don't remember the mileage of each incident, but they are roughly in the order of occurrence.

IDrive system failed to boot/display unclear- replaced by dealer.

Low gas, ABS light and stability control lights came on at same time- dealer reprogrammed computer.

Climate display unreadable- replaced by dealer.

Failed to start 3 separate times- was towed to dealer, reprogrammed computer, replaced faulty wire harness and loose negative terminal.

Memory seats have a mind of their own- dealer reprogrammed computer.

ABS/brake module failed resulting in loss of braking power- (thank God I was driving and not my wife) - dealer replaced entire system.

Sunroof failed to close properly- dealer replaced seals, hinges, motor and switch.

Right rear wheel bearings worn out/failed- replaced by dealer.

Front suspension unbolted itself from structure- dealer replaced defective mounts.

Parking brake froze into lock position- towed by dealer.

Dealer added a documented 9 quarts of oil during first 12k miles.

Brake pads/rotors replaced at 13,560.

General Comments:

I must say I have a love/hate relationship with this vehicle. Everything that makes a car great, this car has. But everything that a car should never have, it unfortunately has also. I absolutely love the way it drives and that was the reason we leased this car.

Our thumbs up:

- Power: It has power to spare and is super fast on the highway. NO turbo lag from the 300 HP engine.

- Brakes: Super brakes and terrific pedal feel, and stopping distances.

- Steering: Steering feel handling combination is great. A little heavy at slow speeds, but great once you go.

- Looks: The exterior looks are good, but the interior is a bit unintuitive and confusing.

- Interior: The seats are very comfortable and great for long trips. Enough trunk space for a weekend get-a-way. HID lights are excellent.

Our thumbs down:

- Poor gas mileage. We average 14.6 MPG which is exactly the same as our old Lexus GX470 SUV that fits 7 people and has AWD and weighs 5000+ lbs.

- Unreliable: Our list of problems outweigh its excellent driving ability. Problems like we have never seen before or expected from a BMW. We did a little research on the net and found many other owners have complained about reliability mostly electrical problems, but also the assembly seems to be sub-par. --ie sunroof misaligned. Other owners have mentioned the additional oil so I guess its not just us. I gave the dealer service an 8 because they did everything they could, but were slow to issue a loaner car. The maintenance was free so the cost of ownership should be low-- its not. Insurance was 40% more than the our Lexus SUV, and the gas mileage was POOR. These combined, cost more in the long run than the free maintenance. This car has unacceptable reliability in our book.

- Ride comfort: We find the ride a bit rough and harsh and strange vibrations showed themselves at about 7k miles.

-iDrive. An absolute hassle to operate. We need to read the owners manual to change the bass or treble and enter an address and we have owned it almost a year.

In all, not worth the trouble of owning. Not satisfied. we would never consider a BMW ever again.