My first 6 weeks with a new 520d
Discussion
I’ve had a BMW 520d touring auto from 29th May and here are my first thoughts after 6 weeks and 4,500 miles of driving.
My car is SE specification with no options other than an 8 speed automatic gearbox. It has standard 17 inch wheels and run flat tyres (no spare). Exterior colour of blue and a beige leather interior. I do circa 30,000 miles a year so comfort is my priority but I do drive ‘swiftly’ so do expect a car to handle on the B roads as well as the motorways. I do very little town driving as I live in rural Gloucestershire but I do a fair bit of motorway driving.
First things first, the headlights are dire. This is a company car and at the top end of my budget which left no room for options unless I paid the full value of the options myself. With hindsight, I would have specced Xenon’s. I had them on my last car and they were amazing. Going back to halogen, and the BMW halogens in particular, is a very retrograde step. I have checked other forums in case it is me expecting more than I should but it does seem to be a very regular complaint – the 5 series needs to have Xenons if you want to drive at night!!!!! OK, Rant over.
In every other respect the car is fantastic. It is super comfortable for a family of four and dog, quiet, refined, quick, handles well (especially for such a large car) and reasonably economical.
The car is very large, the bonnet exceptionally so. Interior space up front is excellent and you sit quite low in the car, you feel very cocooned. Quality of the trim is the best I have ever experienced and I have driven plenty of Audi/Mercs/BM’s before. The car has quite a long wheelbase which combined with an ‘average at best’ steering lock and thick pillars makes car parks sometime challenging. I am more than competent at driving (ex HGV1) but it is a large car with restricted vision in smaller spaces. Drive slowly and it’s fine. The upside of this is that on the road, it is supremely relaxing and just eats up the miles. It is ultra quiet and everybody I have given a lift to has remarked how quiet the car is when travelling. This can cause an issue on motorways as unless you are on cruise control you can very easily be travelling at a higher speed than thought/sensible.
The car does have a ‘Sport/Comfort/Eco Pro’ button by the side of the gearbox and it does make a real difference. I don’t bother with Eco Pro. It works up to 75MPH and is supposed to dial down the air con and electrical systems to save fuel. In real life if saves hardly any fuel but the car is as responsive as me when I am asleep.
Comfort is where I spend most of my time, car behaves like a lazy auto should changes up between 1700 and 2000 RPM in normal driving and is very smooth. Car will accelerate quickly when you kickdown.
Sport is the B road blast option. It holds gears longer, turns traction control down a bit and won’t engage 8th gear. Nice for when the mood grabs.
As I don’t have the adaptive suspension option, the sport/comfort button doesn’t alter the ride but it rides just about right for me on the standard 17’s. I would be the first to admit that I would prefer bigger rims for aesthetics but as a day to day car, 17’s are the sweet spot for ride/handling. I would not consider M Sport suspension at all. The SE is firm enough for a back road blast and comfortable enough on the motorway.
The engine is certainly big enough for propelling the car up the road even if it does weigh in at 1.8 tonnes. Overtaking is no problem whatsoever and I expect this to get better as it loosens up over the next 20,000 miles or so. At 80MPH the car is turning over at just over 2,000 RPM.
Even though the car is ‘bog standard’, the included kit is still impressive and some highlights are:
Bluetooth integration to phone is fantastic. Some people are surprised when I tell them that I am driving as they just can’t tell.
Ipod Integration with the I-Drive displays album artwork and you can control the ipod directly with the I-Drive – very good.
E-mails, SMS and my calendar can be displayed on the I-Drive screen from my BlackBerry (iPhone will work from ios6 release). When stationary you can view the complete e-mail, when moving you can just read the headers.
Can program the ventilation to come on 30 minutes before you get in the car to cool it down with ambient air. Handy for these hot days we are currently experiencing!!!!
MPG – I guess a lot of people are interested in this and I am happy with what it is delivering. I have done a lot of driving with a roofbox on and with 4 bikes on the roof which is all sub 40MPG but in normal driving I am getting just over 45MPG. This is measured brim to brim, the actual computer reckons I get an additional 2MPG. If I were to drive on the motorway at 70MPH, the car would be delivering well in excess of 50MPG. I don’t so it doesn’t.
Other notes:
Engine oil warms up very quickly, within 3 miles. I guess this will be different in the winter (note I wrote oil not water – it doesn’t have a water gauge, just an oil temp gauge and oil takes longer to warm than water)
In the sun you do get an annoying reflection in the windscreen. I wear polarised sunglasses so it isn’t an issue for me.
Also in the sun, you can get an annoying reflection from the shiny black trim in the central reservation. Why can’t trim be matt to avoid this?
Car spins its rear wheel very easily – might be the energy tyres but could be an issue in the snow…
Brakes stop very well but do need a firm shove, much firmer than most cars I have driven recently
Rain water collects on top of bumper below tailgate making it dirty.
Very accurate speedometer, reads 100MPH when doing a true 98MPH judged by TomTom sat nav
Car rolls and rolls and rolls when you lift the throttle. Takes a bit of getting used to, you need to lift much earlier than expected or else you are straight onto the brakes!!!!
In summary – best car I’ve ever had; quick, economical, handles well, comfortable just don’t drive at night!!!!
My car is SE specification with no options other than an 8 speed automatic gearbox. It has standard 17 inch wheels and run flat tyres (no spare). Exterior colour of blue and a beige leather interior. I do circa 30,000 miles a year so comfort is my priority but I do drive ‘swiftly’ so do expect a car to handle on the B roads as well as the motorways. I do very little town driving as I live in rural Gloucestershire but I do a fair bit of motorway driving.
First things first, the headlights are dire. This is a company car and at the top end of my budget which left no room for options unless I paid the full value of the options myself. With hindsight, I would have specced Xenon’s. I had them on my last car and they were amazing. Going back to halogen, and the BMW halogens in particular, is a very retrograde step. I have checked other forums in case it is me expecting more than I should but it does seem to be a very regular complaint – the 5 series needs to have Xenons if you want to drive at night!!!!! OK, Rant over.
In every other respect the car is fantastic. It is super comfortable for a family of four and dog, quiet, refined, quick, handles well (especially for such a large car) and reasonably economical.
The car is very large, the bonnet exceptionally so. Interior space up front is excellent and you sit quite low in the car, you feel very cocooned. Quality of the trim is the best I have ever experienced and I have driven plenty of Audi/Mercs/BM’s before. The car has quite a long wheelbase which combined with an ‘average at best’ steering lock and thick pillars makes car parks sometime challenging. I am more than competent at driving (ex HGV1) but it is a large car with restricted vision in smaller spaces. Drive slowly and it’s fine. The upside of this is that on the road, it is supremely relaxing and just eats up the miles. It is ultra quiet and everybody I have given a lift to has remarked how quiet the car is when travelling. This can cause an issue on motorways as unless you are on cruise control you can very easily be travelling at a higher speed than thought/sensible.
The car does have a ‘Sport/Comfort/Eco Pro’ button by the side of the gearbox and it does make a real difference. I don’t bother with Eco Pro. It works up to 75MPH and is supposed to dial down the air con and electrical systems to save fuel. In real life if saves hardly any fuel but the car is as responsive as me when I am asleep.
Comfort is where I spend most of my time, car behaves like a lazy auto should changes up between 1700 and 2000 RPM in normal driving and is very smooth. Car will accelerate quickly when you kickdown.
Sport is the B road blast option. It holds gears longer, turns traction control down a bit and won’t engage 8th gear. Nice for when the mood grabs.
As I don’t have the adaptive suspension option, the sport/comfort button doesn’t alter the ride but it rides just about right for me on the standard 17’s. I would be the first to admit that I would prefer bigger rims for aesthetics but as a day to day car, 17’s are the sweet spot for ride/handling. I would not consider M Sport suspension at all. The SE is firm enough for a back road blast and comfortable enough on the motorway.
The engine is certainly big enough for propelling the car up the road even if it does weigh in at 1.8 tonnes. Overtaking is no problem whatsoever and I expect this to get better as it loosens up over the next 20,000 miles or so. At 80MPH the car is turning over at just over 2,000 RPM.
Even though the car is ‘bog standard’, the included kit is still impressive and some highlights are:
Bluetooth integration to phone is fantastic. Some people are surprised when I tell them that I am driving as they just can’t tell.
Ipod Integration with the I-Drive displays album artwork and you can control the ipod directly with the I-Drive – very good.
E-mails, SMS and my calendar can be displayed on the I-Drive screen from my BlackBerry (iPhone will work from ios6 release). When stationary you can view the complete e-mail, when moving you can just read the headers.
Can program the ventilation to come on 30 minutes before you get in the car to cool it down with ambient air. Handy for these hot days we are currently experiencing!!!!
MPG – I guess a lot of people are interested in this and I am happy with what it is delivering. I have done a lot of driving with a roofbox on and with 4 bikes on the roof which is all sub 40MPG but in normal driving I am getting just over 45MPG. This is measured brim to brim, the actual computer reckons I get an additional 2MPG. If I were to drive on the motorway at 70MPH, the car would be delivering well in excess of 50MPG. I don’t so it doesn’t.
Other notes:
Engine oil warms up very quickly, within 3 miles. I guess this will be different in the winter (note I wrote oil not water – it doesn’t have a water gauge, just an oil temp gauge and oil takes longer to warm than water)
In the sun you do get an annoying reflection in the windscreen. I wear polarised sunglasses so it isn’t an issue for me.
Also in the sun, you can get an annoying reflection from the shiny black trim in the central reservation. Why can’t trim be matt to avoid this?
Car spins its rear wheel very easily – might be the energy tyres but could be an issue in the snow…
Brakes stop very well but do need a firm shove, much firmer than most cars I have driven recently
Rain water collects on top of bumper below tailgate making it dirty.
Very accurate speedometer, reads 100MPH when doing a true 98MPH judged by TomTom sat nav
Car rolls and rolls and rolls when you lift the throttle. Takes a bit of getting used to, you need to lift much earlier than expected or else you are straight onto the brakes!!!!
In summary – best car I’ve ever had; quick, economical, handles well, comfortable just don’t drive at night!!!!
Nice write up!
I have the previous model 520d m sport but a manual box with the 177bhp output & i certainly wouldnt describe it as quick but suitably underpowered, i dont like the engine one bit so its looks like they have moved the game on alot with the new model which is good.
I must admit i dont rate the lights aswell & i have zenons on mine but compared to my old X5 they are poor, thanks for taking the time to write a detailed evaluation & i really like the look of the newer shape & it has a classier interior than the e61 & next time if a buy if 5 series i think it would suit a auto better.
I have the previous model 520d m sport but a manual box with the 177bhp output & i certainly wouldnt describe it as quick but suitably underpowered, i dont like the engine one bit so its looks like they have moved the game on alot with the new model which is good.
I must admit i dont rate the lights aswell & i have zenons on mine but compared to my old X5 they are poor, thanks for taking the time to write a detailed evaluation & i really like the look of the newer shape & it has a classier interior than the e61 & next time if a buy if 5 series i think it would suit a auto better.
rallycross said:
how do you find the 8 speed gearbox to use?
Really good, don't think I could entertain a manual over this auto. Normal driving it changes up as early as possible driving on the engine torque but if you push the pedal harder it will hold the revs more.
7th and 8th are very high gears for economy but on the motorway it stays in 8th unless accelerating uphill.
The changes between gears are not noticed at all.
Sport mode holds the gears longer and disables 8th gear.
I don't have paddles but can change gear manually using the gear selector.
Good review. The wife's old Z4 had halogens and after my E65 it was like driving with a pair of tights over your head on a dark night. I couldn't go back to a car with halogens and when we swapped the Z4 for a 3 Series I made sure we went for a coupe as all the E92s have Xenons as standard.
Suprised by the economy - it seems nowhere near the figures quoted. 45mpg hardly seems worth the 2 litre diesel, but obviously as a company car I'm sure you didnt pick it for that reason so it doesnt matter to you. Many private buyers do, however, pick it for the economy and it just doesn't seem that impressive.
The rest of the car, however, sounds deeply impressive. Whats the refinement like with the 4 cylinder engine and the autobox? I'm no fan at all of the engine in the 1, 3 and X1 but I've never tried it in an F10 with the autobox, does it mute the tone of the engine etc?
The rest of the car, however, sounds deeply impressive. Whats the refinement like with the 4 cylinder engine and the autobox? I'm no fan at all of the engine in the 1, 3 and X1 but I've never tried it in an F10 with the autobox, does it mute the tone of the engine etc?
Excellent review. It's nice to have someone write about practical concerns and issues that face everyday use. My E60 530d had the same problem with its bulbs so I replaced the standard BMW ones with Bosch "Ultra white" (or similar) from eBay for the princely sum of £27. The difference is very marked.
I like the new 5 series. I had a 535d M Sport Touring for a week a few months ago. Well finished, very fast and drove very well. Decent fuel economy too.
But, I found it couldn't make me smile as much as my 850 T5 estate which cost about the same as 1 month's payment on the 535d, so I still have the Volvo.
But, I found it couldn't make me smile as much as my 850 T5 estate which cost about the same as 1 month's payment on the 535d, so I still have the Volvo.
Fox- said:
Suprised by the economy - it seems nowhere near the figures quoted. 45mpg hardly seems worth the 2 litre diesel, but obviously as a company car I'm sure you didnt pick it for that reason so it doesnt matter to you. Many private buyers do, however, pick it for the economy and it just doesn't seem that impressive.
c?
I think the 'official' figures are about 58mpg combined for an automatic like mine. Like I said, I'm getting just over a true 45MPG, computer says just over 47. c?
I cruise at about 85 on the motorway, sometimes faster and don't accelerate in an economical way. I'm sure if I was paying for my own fuel, I would get a bit more. Driving at 70 would certainly push it over 50 mpg.
I am happy with the economy, it is at about 20% more economical than my previous car driven in a similar style, that was a Subaru 2.0 Boxer diesel estate. The Subaru was smaller, slower, lighter in weight and manual. It was permanent 4wd however.
I also expect 2 to 3 more mpg by the time the car hits 20k miles, most of my previous diesels have done so.
Fox- said:
Suprised by the economy - it seems nowhere near the figures quoted. 45mpg hardly seems worth the 2 litre diesel, but obviously as a company car I'm sure you didnt pick it for that reason so it doesnt matter to you. Many private buyers do, however, pick it for the economy and it just doesn't seem that impressive.
The rest of the car, however, sounds deeply impressive. Whats the refinement like with the 4 cylinder engine and the autobox? I'm no fan at all of the engine in the 1, 3 and X1 but I've never tried it in an F10 with the autobox, does it mute the tone of the engine etc?
What engine would you put in a 5 series to be more economical and still be ok to drive? Figures seem fine to me - I've got a 123d and that hasn't moved from 47mpg (computer reading) with mixed motorway (60%) town (20%) and the remainder A & B roads The rest of the car, however, sounds deeply impressive. Whats the refinement like with the 4 cylinder engine and the autobox? I'm no fan at all of the engine in the 1, 3 and X1 but I've never tried it in an F10 with the autobox, does it mute the tone of the engine etc?
OP I can understand re the xenon's - I wouldn't have a car without them now!
Excellent write up, I have a 520d and agree on the standard lights they are piss poor!
One niggle I have with the 8 speed box is the annoying habit it has for pausing for breath at roundabouts when you slow down to 2-3 MPH and then pullout, it seems like you're pushing on an elastic band and nothing happens leaving you hanging half way out whilst it makes its mind up.
I also find the gearbox has "moods" sometimes it's sharp and quick witted responding to the slightest touch other times slow and stuck in the wrong gear.
But as a motorway mile muncher (I've done 43k in 15 months) it's one of the most refined cars I've had, 2.0d 4 pot or not.
One niggle I have with the 8 speed box is the annoying habit it has for pausing for breath at roundabouts when you slow down to 2-3 MPH and then pullout, it seems like you're pushing on an elastic band and nothing happens leaving you hanging half way out whilst it makes its mind up.
I also find the gearbox has "moods" sometimes it's sharp and quick witted responding to the slightest touch other times slow and stuck in the wrong gear.
But as a motorway mile muncher (I've done 43k in 15 months) it's one of the most refined cars I've had, 2.0d 4 pot or not.
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