OK, so a 1,000Km impressions update:
1. Seats: Excellent. Better than my wife's R/T Daytona, but not quite as good as those in the M5. However, the fact that they are also cooled makes up for that difference. They are extremely well bolstered and hold you firm when taking hard turns but are extremely comfortable for long drives (like the M5 seats).
Note that the rear seats also have the heated feature (not sure about the cooled part, I haven't checked).
2. Infotainment: The touchscreen is not quite as easy as using physical buttons. For example, the controls for the seat heat/cooling are part of a sub-menu on this display which makes it more complex than necessary. The screen is large and easy to read while driving however there is a large volume difference between sources like CD and iPod and the radio, which is a little odd. The GPS is fantastic and updates are just a USB key away and downloadable from the UConnect site.
On the SRT sub-menu which gives you ACT, coolant temp, oil temp, oil pressure, battery voltage....etc (along with a myriad of really cool performance features), you cannot choose a mix of Celsius and PSI. So if I'm choosing metric, I get Celsius an BAR, if I choose US, I get Fahrenheit and PSI. BAR is not a comfortable unit for me and I'd rather be able to blend PSI with Celsius, hopefully there's an update that addresses this.
3. Tuning: The three performance modes (normal, Sport and Track) modify the suspension and transmission tuning as well as throttle response. The "track" setting is quite aggressive, I find little need to deviate from "normal" while driving it, as the ride is excellent with the dampers at their stock settings, handling is limited by the tires as is traction. Shifts are firm enough to break the stock Goodyear tires free while in lower gears, this would be worse on the even firmer shift settings.
4. Engine: The engine has power everywhere. Not much more to say about that. The sound is incredible when the adaptive exhaust switches to the "open" position. Otherwise, it is actually quieter than the M5 except that at idle, it has a HEAVY baritone rumble that almost sounds like something is playing on a subwoofer. It is not overly loud, but definitely noticeable. As soon as you touch the gas, it is gone. My understanding is that the adaptive exhaust is open at idle and higher throttle settings but closed at part throttle, which explains this.
5. Transmission: I assume it is still learning my driving style. If you are gentle with the pedal it is very eager to jump out of first into second when I wish it would stay a little longer in first. So if you are pulling away from an intersection and decide to give it a bit more, instead of staying in first and rolling with that, it dips into second instead and drags a bit as you are just over 1,000RPM. Had it stayed in first, the acceleration I had desired would be right there. I can give it more and force a downshift or use the paddles but that makes no sense.
6. Audio quality: Sound is excellent, bass reproduction is good however the M5 stereo seemed to have more a bit more headroom in terms of allowable volume levels as well as greater configurability with the factory DSP. The speed sensitive volume is also not quite as naturally graduated/granular as the M5's was.
7. Features: The rain sensing wipers do not suffer the odd bug that the M5's had where if you did not shut off the wipers when you shut off the car that the adaptive feature would not work until you did that upon restart. These seem to adapt better to the rain speed as well IMHO.
The headlights are fantastic, though I've had at least one person high beam me (they are factory HID's) on a hill where I assume the suspension travel makes them a bit bright to oncoming traffic. This was something the auto adjusting headlights on the M5 prevented. Illumination and coverage for both high and lows is definitely equal to the M5's, perhaps actually better, which is impressive, as that car had phenomenal lights.
The interior illumination accents (lit door handle pockets, foot pockets, sills....etc) are a wonderful and appreciated feature and I've had a number of comments on them.
The auto dimming mirrors are great and work as well as the BMW's.
The proximity sensor (blind spot indicator) works great. The auto high beams are impeded by heavy rain and it sets a system warning which illuminates the proximity sensors indicating a system issue. Turning off the high beams clears the error and they work fine in light to moderate rain.
The centre console is awash with useful and customizable storage; it can be configured in a variety of ways to suit what you are putting in there. This is also where the USB port is for charging and tethering your phone and there is yet another 12V outlet in there (in addition to the other two). These items are padded/lined so there is no noise.
The heated/cooled cup holders are deep and hold anything I've put in them extremely well. This is a big advantage over the M5.
8. Brakes: Incredible. These are the best brakes I have EVER experienced. The big Brembo's are easily modulated and stop the big 4,400lb car with absolutely breathtaking authority. With better rubber I can only imagine how well they will work. This is probably the most marked difference over the BMW, which had brakes that, while good, were not anywhere NEAR the calibre of these.
9. Fit and finish: Fantastic, better than the R/T, but I think that's to be expected. Panel alignment and fitment is on-par with the BMW as is interior fit and finish.
The suede door panel inserts and luxurious arm rests/door close handles are fantastic and give a really high end feel to these tactile surface that you touch every day. It really adds to the character of the car.
The cruise control is on the wheel (like the M5) and feels very familiar (not like the R/T's). All of the stalks and auxiliary controls feel of high quality and have precise movement to them, no sloppiness/play. This really applies to any button you touch in the car, they all feel excellent.
10. Gauges/visibility: The gauges are great and extremely responsive. Same 0-300Km/h range as the M5's speedo, the tach is very fast and aligns well with the digital RPM read-out as does the temp gauge.
Visibility is much better than the 2006 R/T, the car feels less like you are driving a tank, though it does feel heavier. The greenhouse is not quite as open as the M5's but I definitely have no complaints about it. The fact that you can see the hood from the drivers seat I feel adds to the feeling of additional "heft" as this was not something you could do with the M5, which made it feel smaller than it was.
11. Ride: This is where you feel the similarity to the '06, some bumps that the M5 devoured you feel. However, it feels very confident on washboard and other thumps and bumps and this doesn't incite any funny noises or feelings from the chassis which feels confidently glued to the road. On a long drive, it feels just as nice as the bimmer in terms of suspension performance and general ride quality.
12. Mileage: $60.00 brings it to the "full" mark from 1/8th of a tank (very similar to the bimmer) and range on not 100% highway is better as long as your foot is out of it. I've put gas in it once (it came with a full tank) and still have over 1/4 of a tank at 1,000Km.
I will update further once I've put some more miles on it.