F10 520d M Sport Auto - Magnificent, what a bloody car!
Discussion
OP - your DB9 must be a BARGE if you're so impressed by a 520d! 
What were AM thinking building such a piece of cr@p?! I have a 335i (0 to 60 in 5.5s) and sometimes miss the performance of my old 911.
What were AM thinking building such a piece of cr@p?! I have a 335i (0 to 60 in 5.5s) and sometimes miss the performance of my old 911.AMDB9]atsoc said:
I am very happy owner of a F11 (estate) 525d but the review seems a bit too enthusiast for me too. The 8 speed auto in every mode, eco pro, comfort, sport and sport+ is just brilliant but the 5series is an heavy car, the performance is effortles but never so brisk. [/quote
Honestly my experience and not paid for by BMW lol is your F11 your only car? Remember my comments are also in comparison to my X5 and DB9 and the 20d is no way sluggish...
Honestly my experience and not paid for by BMW lol is your F11 your only car? Remember my comments are also in comparison to my X5 and DB9 and the 20d is no way sluggish...
Im impressed with the overall package of the car not just the performance I totally agree with this thread and have responded several times to several other F10 520d M Sport debates on this site.
I had three of the older model 520d and they were excellent the F10 is however simply superb. I too can get 55mpg plus out of the car and 50mpg on the motorway - keeping it sensible. Everyone who has been in the car has been impressed (my A6 mate will be chopping his in ASAP) it is very comfy and if the need arises - it is certainly quick enough - the 8 speed auto is sublime.
There has been a thread (on PH) on why these cars are actually rising in value and buyers cannot find them second hand ...I am not surprised - it is the best car I have owned.
I did road test a 530d and yes it is a quick car BUT that performance would (for me) only be used a few times a week and the economy is at least 12-15 mpg worse....
Try one - very very good
I had three of the older model 520d and they were excellent the F10 is however simply superb. I too can get 55mpg plus out of the car and 50mpg on the motorway - keeping it sensible. Everyone who has been in the car has been impressed (my A6 mate will be chopping his in ASAP) it is very comfy and if the need arises - it is certainly quick enough - the 8 speed auto is sublime.
There has been a thread (on PH) on why these cars are actually rising in value and buyers cannot find them second hand ...I am not surprised - it is the best car I have owned.
I did road test a 530d and yes it is a quick car BUT that performance would (for me) only be used a few times a week and the economy is at least 12-15 mpg worse....
Try one - very very good
Shezbo said:
I totally agree with this thread and have responded several times to several other F10 520d M Sport debates on this site.
I had three of the older model 520d and they were excellent the F10 is however simply superb. I too can get 55mpg plus out of the car and 50mpg on the motorway - keeping it sensible. Everyone who has been in the car has been impressed (my A6 mate will be chopping his in ASAP) it is very comfy and if the need arises - it is certainly quick enough - the 8 speed auto is sublime.
There has been a thread (on PH) on why these cars are actually rising in value and buyers cannot find them second hand ...I am not surprised - it is the best car I have owned.
I did road test a 530d and yes it is a quick car BUT that performance would (for me) only be used a few times a week and the economy is at least 12-15 mpg worse....
Try one - very very good
The principle benefit of going for the 6 pot, in my mind, is the added refinement. The creamy, effortless power delivery is simply a bonus.I had three of the older model 520d and they were excellent the F10 is however simply superb. I too can get 55mpg plus out of the car and 50mpg on the motorway - keeping it sensible. Everyone who has been in the car has been impressed (my A6 mate will be chopping his in ASAP) it is very comfy and if the need arises - it is certainly quick enough - the 8 speed auto is sublime.
There has been a thread (on PH) on why these cars are actually rising in value and buyers cannot find them second hand ...I am not surprised - it is the best car I have owned.
I did road test a 530d and yes it is a quick car BUT that performance would (for me) only be used a few times a week and the economy is at least 12-15 mpg worse....
Try one - very very good
520d still a decent hack.
AMDB9 said:
f
k knows what it is (single or twin) but the last time I looked under the bonnet it said twin turbo or something. Anyways whatever it is it's brilliant
Just what an executive cruiser should be....
Really pleased you are happy with it but for me my old 177bhp 520d touring the engine was easily the worst thing about it & I think an executive cruiser should have a decent engine under the bonnet but also appreciate that we all like different things. k knows what it is (single or twin) but the last time I looked under the bonnet it said twin turbo or something. Anyways whatever it is it's brilliant Just what an executive cruiser should be....
They must have worked wonders on the F10 4 pot diesel in comparison to the E61 because all I can remember about mine was that it was noisy at low speed not very refined & gutless when asked to move nearly 1700kg, if you are a business user or chasing good economy I can see the appeal but for me its a great car ruined by a lacklustre engine.
Wills2 said:
It's well insulated Cerb, but not quick after 70mph OK up to 60mph and the 8 speed box makes the most of the engine.
It's a perfect car for cruising at 80mph on the motorway very comfortable, solid, stable and quiet.
I agree the manual gearbox let mine down as you were never in the power band which didn't help its performance, I was in a brand new 320d a few months ago & that was very noisy & unrefined at low speeds but I do appreciate the 5 will be better insulated...they must have forgot to fit any to my old 520d though! It's a perfect car for cruising at 80mph on the motorway very comfortable, solid, stable and quiet.
On a motorway cruising it is hard to tell its a diesel & if you want a car that's cheap to run the 520d is a winner but for me don't expect much from the engine its still the weakest link & maybe I am from the dark ages but surely a premium car needs a premium engine?
Wills2 said:
Not sure you can describe the diesel 6 pot as "creamy" it's a good engine lots of poke but creamy?!
Any multiple of i6 has perfect primary and secondary balance. Some of us might describe this as creamy. I drove a TCL80 with a huge diesel i6 for years, and no rattles were caused by the motor except when I shut it off. I drove an E32 750i for years too and its creaminess was superb (also superb was the looks I'd get from 911 drivers after it took them a km to catch and pass us).Wiki notes this on the balance:
"An inline six engine is in perfect primary and secondary mechanical balance, without the use of a balance shaft. The engine is in primary couple balance because the front and rear trio of cylinders are mirror images, and the pistons move in pairs (but of course, 360° out of phase and on different strokes of the 4-stroke cycle). That is, piston #1 mirrors #6, #2 mirrors #5, and #3 mirrors #4, largely eliminating the polar rocking motion that would otherwise result. Secondary imbalance is avoided because the crankshaft has six crank throws arranged in three planes offset at 120°. The result is that the secondary forces that are caused by differences from purely sinusoidal motion sum to zero."
cerb4.5lee said:
I agree the manual gearbox let mine down as you were never in the power band which didn't help its performance, I was in a brand new 320d a few months ago & that was very noisy & unrefined at low speeds but I do appreciate the 5 will be better insulated...they must have forgot to fit any to my old 520d though!
The auto-box is bound to make a massive difference; not just making sure you're in the right gear all the time but also the fluid link isolates the engine from the rest of the drive-train.RenoHuskerDu said:
Wills2 said:
Not sure you can describe the diesel 6 pot as "creamy" it's a good engine lots of poke but creamy?!
Any multiple of i6 has perfect primary and secondary balance. Some of us might describe this as creamy. I drove a TCL80 with a huge diesel i6 for years, and no rattles were caused by the motor except when I shut it off. I drove an E32 750i for years too and its creaminess was superb (also superb was the looks I'd get from 911 drivers after it took them a km to catch and pass us).Wiki notes this on the balance:
"An inline six engine is in perfect primary and secondary mechanical balance, without the use of a balance shaft. The engine is in primary couple balance because the front and rear trio of cylinders are mirror images, and the pistons move in pairs (but of course, 360° out of phase and on different strokes of the 4-stroke cycle). That is, piston #1 mirrors #6, #2 mirrors #5, and #3 mirrors #4, largely eliminating the polar rocking motion that would otherwise result. Secondary imbalance is avoided because the crankshaft has six crank throws arranged in three planes offset at 120°. The result is that the secondary forces that are caused by differences from purely sinusoidal motion sum to zero."
The 3.0 N52 in my Z4C is creamy and the e38 V8/V12's I've driven were also creamy, I wouldn't describe the S54 or S65 in the 3 M3's I've had as creamy as the character is different, balanced yes creamy no, so balanced does not always = creamy in my view.
Edited by Wills2 on Saturday 8th March 20:43
Wills2 said:
The 3.0 N52 in my Z4C is creamy and the e38 V8/V12's I've driven were also creamy...
I must admit the N52 in my 330i still impresses me with its smoothness & willingness to rev & I think its a lovely engine & as said before the V8 4.8 in my old X5 was a wonderful thing too.I really liked the 6 pot in our old 330d & I thought it was a cracking engine but I do agree creamy wouldn't be a word I would use to describe it...effective & gutsy I thought it was & a good engine but at idle it soon reminded you it was going to be far from creamy.
NPI said:
cerb4.5lee said:
I agree the manual gearbox let mine down as you were never in the power band which didn't help its performance, I was in a brand new 320d a few months ago & that was very noisy & unrefined at low speeds but I do appreciate the 5 will be better insulated...they must have forgot to fit any to my old 520d though!
The auto-box is bound to make a massive difference; not just making sure you're in the right gear all the time but also the fluid link isolates the engine from the rest of the drive-train.
I need to stop talking about my old 520d now...its just bringing back too many bad memories!!
E65Ross said:
Don't get me wrong, they're good cars but, imo, an executive cruiser should have an engine that's very smooth and refined. And that 20d engine isn't that.
Thats your opinion buddy and you are certainly entitled to it but in my opinion it's not bad at all I can't hear the diesel inside when the music is on and its smooth enough for me...AMDB9 said:
Thats your opinion buddy and you are certainly entitled to it but in my opinion it's not bad at all I can't hear the diesel inside when the music is on and its smooth enough for me...
Just so that you can appreciate the excellent MPG and smoothness, at 80 mph the rev counter reads 1950rpm.... I can't hear the diesel inside when the music is on and its smooth enough for me...Shezbo said:
Just so that you can appreciate the excellent MPG and smoothness, at 80 mph the rev counter reads 1950rpm....
Little higher than my 745i, that does about 1900rpm at 70, but revs to 6.5k.Tge "but you can't hear the engine with the music on" is a non-point for me... I found the diesel noise far from pleasant and unrefined compared to any (yes, any) straight 6 it V8 petrol I've been in.
Don't get me wrong for a general motorway car it's a very good and sensible option.... Executive for me would have to be luxurious, and that 2 litre diesel isn't. Having spent a fair amount of time in a DB9 the engine in that certainly is.... Though sadly the one I spent time with had numerous build quality issues which I suspect were more that it was a Friday afternoon car rather than generally a poor model.
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