Any experiences of the F01 730d sport?
Discussion
It's not surprising you can't find much about them; I think I've only seen about a dozen on the road since they were launched. I drive an E65 730d as a daily but I had a loaner F01 for the day when my local BMW dealer did the launch.
My thoughts:
Nicer cabin than the E65, fit and finish superb although it does feel tighter (in space terms) due to the cabin architecture. I'm not sure of the dimensions and a ruler would probably prove me wrong on that in reality but that was my perception. Much, much better standard sound system and really cool floaty instruments in front of you and plenty of toys to play with.
Smoother, more powerful and frugal engine. The M57 in the E65 is pretty darn good but the N57 in the F01 feels like a step up again. Totally un-dieselly in every way. Quick, smooth, pulls like a train. The 740d must be awesome. I want one.
Handling is not as good. The E65 has one of the best suspension set ups ever, IMHO. It wafts beautifully but when you need it to step up it seems to pick up its skirt and scurry with the best of them. It shrinks around you and there's none of that nasty tram-lining that you seem to get in say a 1 Series, where it doesn't know which side of the camber it wants to be on. The E65 just goes where you plant it. The F01 has a jiggliness that doesn't feel right and the variable suspension settings always seem wrong. Don't get me wrong, it rides well and still feel like a proper BMW but it just isn't as well sorted as the E65.
Reliability wise, well who cares if it's leased? They're too new to tell much of a tale yet but as a comparison the E65 was hellish when new with gremlins but by the 2005 facelift the car was pretty well sorted. Mine is now 73,000 miles up and five years old but feels factory fresh. We have 9 month old 320ds at work in the company pool that feel like utter sheds compared to mine. They wear the miles well. They've been building the F01 in Dingolfing now for two years so I'm pretty sure they've got the hang of it
Colour and spec wise, again I can only tell you what the tastiest options were on the E65 but I'm sure it still applies:
Powered bootlid (can knock the button to close with your elbow when you've got hands full of shopping)
Comfort seats (I thought my car was comfortable until I sat in them)
Logic 7 hifi (called something else in the F01, it's loud...)
DAB radio
Adaptive cruise control (it really works!)
Anyhow that's about the long and short of it. Do post up some pics if you get one.
My thoughts:
Nicer cabin than the E65, fit and finish superb although it does feel tighter (in space terms) due to the cabin architecture. I'm not sure of the dimensions and a ruler would probably prove me wrong on that in reality but that was my perception. Much, much better standard sound system and really cool floaty instruments in front of you and plenty of toys to play with.
Smoother, more powerful and frugal engine. The M57 in the E65 is pretty darn good but the N57 in the F01 feels like a step up again. Totally un-dieselly in every way. Quick, smooth, pulls like a train. The 740d must be awesome. I want one.
Handling is not as good. The E65 has one of the best suspension set ups ever, IMHO. It wafts beautifully but when you need it to step up it seems to pick up its skirt and scurry with the best of them. It shrinks around you and there's none of that nasty tram-lining that you seem to get in say a 1 Series, where it doesn't know which side of the camber it wants to be on. The E65 just goes where you plant it. The F01 has a jiggliness that doesn't feel right and the variable suspension settings always seem wrong. Don't get me wrong, it rides well and still feel like a proper BMW but it just isn't as well sorted as the E65.
Reliability wise, well who cares if it's leased? They're too new to tell much of a tale yet but as a comparison the E65 was hellish when new with gremlins but by the 2005 facelift the car was pretty well sorted. Mine is now 73,000 miles up and five years old but feels factory fresh. We have 9 month old 320ds at work in the company pool that feel like utter sheds compared to mine. They wear the miles well. They've been building the F01 in Dingolfing now for two years so I'm pretty sure they've got the hang of it
Colour and spec wise, again I can only tell you what the tastiest options were on the E65 but I'm sure it still applies:
Powered bootlid (can knock the button to close with your elbow when you've got hands full of shopping)
Comfort seats (I thought my car was comfortable until I sat in them)
Logic 7 hifi (called something else in the F01, it's loud...)
DAB radio
Adaptive cruise control (it really works!)
Anyhow that's about the long and short of it. Do post up some pics if you get one.
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