An Aussie's opinion of the new 5 series

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Le Burpor

Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2003
Messages
31
Car
2004 E320; 2002 A160
I went to the, suposedly, 'exclusive' launch of the new 5 series in Adelaide. It was a very classy event. Black tie, Symphony Ochestra, $1000 lottery ticket with a 1 in 200 chance to win a new 5 etc etc etc... Kudos to the BMW dealers, they really know how to put on a show.

Eventually the car was unveiled. Only managed to take a few photos last night and I will comment on them:

front cabin
FYI, I'm a 6' 3" person. Getting in the front drivers seat was not a problem, as to be expected. Even in my 'ideal' driving position there was still at least another 2-3 inches that the seat could go back.

The leather was very nice. Soft and has like a matt finish. I think the seat leather is better than my E320's.

The driving position feels a bit cramp on the sides. It felt like I was being 'surrounded'. I guess this is the style to give the driver a 'race car' feel? I personally do not like it and prefer the easy free going feeling in the E320.

The speedo etc looks very nice. Very sporty.

The overall dash was a big dissapointment. I've seen photos of the dash before but had hopes that it will be nicer in real life. No luck there. The dash was 'boring'. It is no where near as elegant than the E320. The cup holders were shocking, but to make it come out from the dash is a nice gimmick. The broad wood strip in the middle of the dash is very plain looking. The door handles and the door itself is very plain. Overall, if I was to give 8/10 for the E320, the new 5 will get a 5/10 in this area. Such a shame..

front_leg.jpg


rear cabin
The rear cabin was more spacious than the previous 5. Well done BMW! Here's a pic of me at the back with a 5' 8" person in the drivers seat:

rear_leg.jpg


I think the rear leg room is comparable to the E320.

The rear seat was very comfortable and not as 'huggy' as the front. Top points for this.

There is also more head room for the rear passenger in comparison to the E320. Excellent!

I was able to slip my feet beneath the front passenger seat. This is limited in the E320. It was dissapointing that MB failed on this point. Top marks go to BMW in this area.

The centre console in the new 5 was....UGLY! It was a shock to see it. They ruined the nice rear seat setup with the centre console. It was bulky, too wide and UGLY!

The controls of the rear lighting looks very very cheap. I should have taken a photo, maybe next time.

Overall the comfort and feel of the rear was very good. The aesthetics were horrid. Once the centre console was down, the rear seats got fairly cramped.

I-Drive

I have never used the I-Drive in the 7 series before. However, I was fortunate enough to have had a 7 series owner in the front passenger seat with me. He was going through the device and I will note down what he said"

- They've made the controls 4 way which is a big improvement. Previously it was tricky to get the corner movement right.

- The menu structure seemed similar

- How the hell do I get back to the main menu??

- Why doesn't the MENU button work??

- I think it's an improvement, but not good enough.

others

The exterior of the car looks mean. Looks tough. Not a look for me though as I still preferred the 'sexy' look of the E320. I personally think MB's exterior and interior design is superior than the new 5. If you want style...go for the E.

The boot space was big. I think similar to the E. BMW claims it can take 4 x 9" golf bags. Hurrah!

boot.jpg


I've signed up to test drive the 5. I'm really looking forward to that.

At the end of the evening my friends and I went to pick our cars up to drive back to the dealership to pick up our wives. It was a nice sight once we parked at the driveway entrance of the dealership, there was a black S350, a black E240 and my tealite blue E320. I'm sure we got a few scorned looks from some of the BMW owners there, but there were a number of people pointing at our cars...obviously admiring the sexy lines of the S and E-class :y

Bottom line, would I consider buying the new 5? At the moment, having not driven it yet...I will have to say, No.

front_right.jpg
 
Test drove the new 530 before buying the CLK320 and to be honest it's a very good car. The only problem I found was it wasn't anything special and many of the features like map sat nav are not yet available???

Gav.
 
Originally posted by mayoga
and many of the features like map sat nav are not yet available???

That was the same when I ordered my car, command wasn't available for the first 12 months.
 
>> That was the same when I ordered my car, command wasn't available for the first 12 months.

But it's not like BMW haven't had GPS & Maps before is it???

Gav.
 
Originally posted by mayoga
>> That was the same when I ordered my car, command wasn't available for the first 12 months.

But it's not like BMW haven't had GPS & Maps before is it???

Gav.

But it wasn't like MB hadn't been putting command into their cars for years either!
 
I've just tested the new 5 series, the E270 and the Type S accord.

There's too many pros and cons with each car that one is left with a difficult choice.

The BMW is a great drive. Excellent handling, feels a lot smaller than it is. Corners well and with the 525d coming out in 3/04 should be comparable to the E270CDI. The services is cheaper than merc and you can buy 5 years for 750 quid. The dealers treat you like a human being and you will problably only lose about 500 quid more in depreciation than a Merc.

The interior looks cheap especially the plastics. without options it isn't really a luxury executive. Dealers add around 5k for options which give u satisfaction of buying a 30k car.

The Merc:

handles well but ur always afraid to push it. U have a kind of respect for it. It will probably handle well but not as in the league of the beemer. It looks stylish even in classic trim with 5 twin spoke alloys...beats the elegance alloys or even the avantgarde alloys. The std equipment levels are high with partial elec seats and other gadgets.

The snag is the price diff or around 2k over the equivalent BMW.
And auto is essential for a car like this. U could go for manual on BMW but avoid on Merc. Sets u back 1.5k.
The dealers are a bit snobbish who think they know everything.

The car does feel like a true 30K car. But reliablity is being questioned even by the Top boss at Merc. seems he admits he needs to learn from the Japs.


The Honda Type S.
Powerful, handles great, deprectiates fast and looks sytlish yet conservative. will only impress urself not anyone else. You seem to appreciate all the quality, reliability and the service is excellent.


Given the choice what does one buy?
 
Hi Adam,

Definately go for the Merc!!!! First for the image, then second for it quality!!! Most boy racer love Honda, and many boy racer who could affort like BMW, so what will you choose???

One remark is about Honda, don't crash or have any accident! when I living in Hong Kong, (even now I living in UK), from the local news, I saw many different kind of death with the japs car, they normally is a good handling and fast car, but if you crash.... then....:crazy:

I don't know whether the build quality of Japs car in East Asia is different from Europe or not, but I will never have one.

Gayr!
 
Thanks for ur comments Gary,

Not a boy racer myself but I prefer a car with good handling and for its sheer driving pleasure. Im sure many Merc owners if they had a choice would go for more sporty engines.

With respect to accidents, I assume Honda is up there with the Mercs/BMWs with regards to safety. They have achieved 5 stars in NCAP testing. They also look out for predestrian side too..not many manufacturer do that.

They question is not only about image for me, although that is important too. I know that btween a Honda and the other two the choice about image is clear. But when you compare BMW New 5 series and the New E class things get clouded a little.

What car started off saying how good the E class was last year...it gave it 5 stars and it won the exec award. The new 5 was then only spy shots away and when it finally appeared most people disliked its styling. A few reviews were negative like the Autocar and rated E320CDi/E270 best pick. Now all that has changed and even What car gives it 5 stars and E class 4 stars. It seems when people drive the thing, they change there mind.

I've driven the New 5..it was the 520 but even with an underpowered powertrain its handling and driving experience was excellent. I drove the E270CDI last year and with its auto was impressed beyond belief. The turbine like engine, its smooth lift off and its cornering ability was second to none. Its a beauitifull car, nicer to look that than the New 5. Its interior even at classic trim oozes quality which is not the same about the BMW.


The bottom line is the BMW is cheaper to service and will cost less to run. It is also easier to sell as a manual, and being a manual driver already I dont have to fork out another 1.5K.
The dealers as have mentioned are a lot better and CS is good. The merc is opposite in service costs, CS and will keep its value better with auto.

I have managed a discount with the Merc and will also get about a grand knocked off with the Beemer.

The Honda is no brainer but then if life was that simple I'd buy a Skoda.
 

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