RE: New BMW 5 Series - full details

[Oddball RS]

Looks more evolution than anything really new, I can see this being very old hat at the end of its life cycle.

[Pumpsmynads]

Buster73 said:

On to my second 520 Diesel auto , over 150k miles of driving experience in them and I'd have another tomorrow.

Very comfortable place to be in doing a lot of miles , relatively economical for a big car , reasonable on the bik tax and quick enough for day to day use.

Plenty of posters on here knocking them , cannot understand it personally.

I'll be sorting a lend of one for the day when the demos are available.

I'm willing to bet that at least 50% of commentators haven't even sat in one.

[Trabi601]

Pumpsmynads said:

Buster73 said:

On to my second 520 Diesel auto , over 150k miles of driving experience in them and I'd have another tomorrow.

Very comfortable place to be in doing a lot of miles , relatively economical for a big car , reasonable on the bik tax and quick enough for day to day use.

Plenty of posters on here knocking them , cannot understand it personally.

I'll be sorting a lend of one for the day when the demos are available.

I'm willing to bet that at least 50% of commentators haven't even sat in one.

I was always a bit cynical about the 5. Really wanted a 4 GC, but drove a 4 and a 5 back to back, with the expectation I'd order a 4.

There's a massive gulf in quality and refinement between the two - the 5 is so much better and it looks like the new car will be so far ahead of the competition, everyone else may as well just give up.

I'm a real 5 series convert now - there's something in the range for everyone (who can afford the entry point! - or is willing to buy a used example) - for me, the 520d Lux is pretty much all the car I'd ever need. OK, so I have my Boxster and Trabi, but they're frivolous toys, if I could only keep 1 car, it would be the 5.

[Regiment]

Burwood said:

The interior looks exactly the same as the old model.

So does the exterior.

[Amizade]

It does look a bit boring, too much like the seven series - here's hoping the M5 &/or LCI M5 is a bit better - happy to run my F10 M5 & wait until then !

[westonstarauto]

I am quite happy you can get three child seats across the back though; options have always been limited on that front. Definitely the BMW 5 is at E38 7 series dimensions now?

[cerb4.5lee]

culpz said:

It both amazes and scares me to see how quick the '20d engine is becoming. Especially within the 5 series body with it's expanding size and weight.

The 20d doesn't feel that quick though...well it didn't in the 177 bhp 520d I had, adequate performance but nothing more than that.

I suppose with traffic volume/camera's it's all you need really, I just struggle with the perceived nice 5 series car with a poxy 4 pot Diesel engine under its bonnet.

[E65Ross]

westonstarauto said:

I am quite happy you can get three child seats across the back though; options have always been limited on that front. Definitely the BMW 5 is at E38 7 series dimensions now?

Cars are getting bigger, and safer, and hold more tech. It's lighter than the E38, not as long.... Plus the E38 was released over 20 years ago now. That's a long time. I never had issues with the size of my old E38 or E65.

[Nickbrapp]

Are they going to do that annoying thing BMW always do, give the lci LED indicators and then take them away on the new model, so the new model looks dated already?

[jamespink]

daveco said:

Cars are becoming massive.

This is approaching previous S-class size proportions yet weighs about the same as an E39 5 series.

Writing as someone who has an E39 M5 and a new S-Class, whats wrong with that? They are both extraordinary cars...

[DiscoColin]

kambites said:

dme123 said:

Surely the 5 is at E38 7 series dimensions now?

Even the F10 is wider and taller than the E38; still a fair bit shorter though.

"A fair bit" in this context is less than 2 inches for the new model vs the E38 though. Less than a tow bar. It is perhaps pertinent to mention that the latest 5 is now longer than the E32 7 series (which is the one that was in production until 1994).

[Skrambles]

Amizade said:

It does look a bit boring, too much like the seven series - here's hoping the M5 &/or LCI M5 is a bit better - happy to run my F10 M5 & wait until then !

I'm hoping the opposite - that way, if the new m5 looks as boring as the standard car, I won't be tempted to waste the cash changing my f10 m5.

[E65Ross]

DiscoColin said:

"A fair bit" in this context is less than 2 inches for the new model vs the E38 though. Less than a tow bar. It is perhaps pertinent to mention that the latest 5 is now longer than the E32 7 series (which is the one that was in production until 1994).

So it's a big longer than a car that is 30 years older? And yes, I mean 30,not 20.

[blademansw]

pits said:

It was like reading a tragedy
530i is a 4 cylinder turbo and the base model near enough

I shed a tear. The only reason to buy a 530i was that sublime straight six. I still miss the 6 pot from my old 528i E39 which incidentally was in SE trim but had M-tec III suspension so you had the best of both worlds, better handling, but the ride was improved due to the non low-profile tyres.

[E65Ross]

blademansw said:

pits said:

It was like reading a tragedy
530i is a 4 cylinder turbo and the base model near enough

I shed a tear. The only reason to buy a 530i was that sublime straight six. I still miss the 6 pot from my old 528i E39 which incidentally was in SE trim but had M-tec III suspension so you had the best of both worlds, better handling, but the ride was improved due to the non low-profile tyres.

Whilst not naturally aspirated, BMW do still do a straight 6, you know? they also offer a V8 still. I don't see what the fuss is about? Or is it literally just your sentimental about a few numbers? If so, as I mentioned earlier, you wouldn't have liked the E23 745i, which was....only a 3.2 litre straight 6, and not a 4.4 V8 that the later 745i was.

Just out of curiosity, what do you find upsetting about the 530i being a 4 cylinder engine? If you want a 6 cylinder engine they still offer that, so I'm not sure why you'd get upset about it?

Just wondering really

[Trabi601]

The FIL has just bought a 330i with the 4 pot turbo. I don't see much wrong with it. Lots of power, great economy.

[cerb4.5lee]

Trabi601 said:

The FIL has just bought a 330i with the 4 pot turbo. I don't see much wrong with it. Lots of power, great economy.

I see the appeal of them as well, they offer more performance than the old N/A 3 litre engine yet are miles better on fuel.

I suppose a few of us get sentimental about the 3 litre 6 pot N/A engines...the reality is they're thirsty and don't offer that good performance considering their capacity/cylinder count.

[Burwood]

Im sure it's a great drive but I don't understand why they didn't change a bit more. Same with the 'new' 7. I have to really look to spot it

[Buster73]

Trabi601 said:

I was always a bit cynical about the 5. Really wanted a 4 GC, but drove a 4 and a 5 back to back, with the expectation I'd order a 4.

There's a massive gulf in quality and refinement between the two - the 5 is so much better and it looks like the new car will be so far ahead of the competition, everyone else may as well just give up.

I'm a real 5 series convert now - there's something in the range for everyone (who can afford the entry point! - or is willing to buy a used example) - for me, the 520d Lux is pretty much all the car I'd ever need. OK, so I have my Boxster and Trabi, but they're frivolous toys, if I could only keep 1 car, it would be the 5.

I bought my first 520 d auto in 2010 not long after I'd bought a 997.2C as a weekend plaything, I was in the BMW dealership one day when I saw the 4 GC , I organised a demo and within a few miles it wasn't for me , and to be fair the salesman told me it wouldn't compare to the 5 series , I ended up ordering another 520d auto .

Since renewing the 5 I've bought an Aston Vantage as a weekend toy , whilst both the Porsche and the Aston are superb cars , neither of them hold a candle to the 5 series for outright comfort on a long drive.

[E65Ross]

Burwood said:

Im sure it's a great drive but I don't understand why they didn't change a bit more. Same with the 'new' 7. I have to really look to spot it

Maybe they're doing it like the olden days?

1st 5 series (E12)



2nd 5 series (E28)