just got back from italy on friday after 3 weeks. awesome experience. the wagon is terrific. i love it. very happy with all aspects of the car. i cant help but wonder what i am missing without active steering and anti-roll stabilization, but i wanted the wagon more than the sedan, so those are the breaks. it handles like a dream though with the normal steering. i hated the autostrades. the road from milan to bolongna sucks. lots of trucks in the right hand lane and crazy italian drivers in the left. narrow too. i loved the windy roads in chianti and in southern tuscany. italy dropoff was a little wierd as the driver did not show up! i left the keys with the hotel and began prayer. just kidding. i knew they would show up which they did and i just got a not from gerd behrends saying my car was headed for port today. any thoughts on when it will arrive, west coast? my bet is mid-august. all in all a very fun trip. when i figure out how to add photos i will. the biggest surprise of the trip was how much my opinion chaged about the 5 series sedan. seeing it over there made me appreciate its very european styling. very sharp. lots of wagons over there. i loved them all. saw a few audi a6 avants-the new ones. they are very sharp. the nav is a must and many thanks to beewang for his disk. i would do this again in a heartbeat. i cannot see doing just for the sake of it, but next time i have a trip planned over there will most defintely be thinking ed.