PGT Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 So, I went to lunch with my buddy today. He just picked up an '05 545i with 6sp and sport package. He asked me if I wanted to drive back to the office after we were done eating. Of course. We took the long way back, but didn't have a ton of open road to play much. My impressions......very sweet looking ride (if you subscribe to the Bangle'd new style....I do, but it has taken two years), top quality inside, awesome 12-way sport seats, but lastly........slow? I was thoroughly disappointed. It didn't feel like it had much low-end grunt.....my buddy's old E39 540a felt like it had more. I never got over 50mph, so I didn't get to experience the top-end. Is this car overrated, or is the drive-by-wire just being a bit too intelligent?? The car only had 200 miles on it, so I didn't mash the throttle much, but my LGT with AP stage 1 feels stronger in normal driving around town. Anyone else driven the car? Please share your comments. I will swap cars with my buddy once his is fully broken in. I will have more of an opportunity to ring it out then. I just hope he doesn't drive mine and feel like I do about his ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChruiSSer Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 I just checked the specs from car and driver, and it's saying 325hp, 0-60 in 5.5sec, and 1/4 in 14.1sec. So for the most part it seems like you guys would be dead even. On a side note my mom bought a 04' 525i with the sport package so she has the adaptive headlights and steering, as well as the computer controlled suspension. The prolem is it's the base model and the slant 6 is only putting out something stupid like 170hp. It's actually not THAT slow for 170hp, but it's no speedster. The fit and finish is quality BMW. I'm not sure what I think of it though. I USED to think that although the prices are outrageous, you get what you pay for and the quality is outstanding, but with the experience we're having with stupid things, I've started to think differently. Sometimes her left headlight/fog/rear lights don't work and then all the sudden come one. Also, her flat tire "indicator" is on, but all the tires are fine. Also, there's this shuddering vibration coming from the front right wheel. It'll all be covered under warranty, and it's also nice that free maintainance comes with the car for the life of the warranty, which somewhat justifies the price, but with the 45g's she spent vs. the 27 I spent on my GT, I'm not so impressed anymore. If I had the money I'd be driving the new M5 though! They great cars in general, but I guess they just need to work out a few quirks, and it is a first model year car because they were redesigned in 04 so that could also be the problem. I like them though. I give them credit for their product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted February 3, 2005 Author Share Posted February 3, 2005 I have two coworkers with '05's.....one a 525i and one a 530i (both autos). It just seems that the prices on the new 5 has shot way up vs. the E39 cars, and performance hasn't changed. With all the other cars out there with more power and the controversial new styling, I am suprised that they are selling at all. The car definitely handles better than the E39, but a bit stiff (Sport + DSST = ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05LegacyGT330Ci Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 I agree the prices seem to have really risen over the E39. I also would rather an '03 540i 6spd with Sports package and special body enhancements that it had in its last year then the new E60 545. Sorry BMW but your losing your reign on the auto world so you better get back to your roots of lighter weight, some luxury, more sport. Song of Post- Sublime- Waiting for my Ruca '05 Black Legacy GT Wagon 5-spd '02 Topaz/Black 330Ci 5-spd Drift Ryder's School of Rally Arts, coming to an Australia near you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wunderkind Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 No way! BMW is selling the 5-series better than ever! It's all about the blue & white roundel! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted February 3, 2005 Author Share Posted February 3, 2005 No way! BMW is selling the 5-series better than ever! It's all about the blue & white roundel! Your opinion, or fact? from autospies.com: "The new 5-series should be blowing away the old 5-series sales numbers at least 3 to 1 and they're not. They barely beat last years 5-series numbers." Looking for good data now..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drift Monkey Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 Sorry BMW but your losing your reign on the auto world so you better get back to your roots of lighter weight, some luxury, more sport. ...and less Bangle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wunderkind Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 Your opinion, or fact? from autospies.com: "The new 5-series should be blowing away the old 5-series sales numbers at least 3 to 1 and they're not. They barely beat last years 5-series numbers." Looking for good data now..... I came across the info not long ago. I've forgotten which magazine. gimme time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05LegacyGT330Ci Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 ...and less Bangle... And by less you mean no more Bangle. Even though I do really like how the new 5-series looks. I don't like the new grill designs that just don't look right and of course on most of his designs the horrible rear area. Song of Post- Bob Marley- Rebel Music '05 Black Legacy GT Wagon 5-spd '02 Topaz/Black 330Ci 5-spd Drift Ryder's School of Rally Arts, coming to an Australia near you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drift Monkey Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 And by less you mean no more Bangle. Even though I do really like how the new 5-series looks. I don't like the new grill designs that just don't look right and of course on most of his designs the horrible rear area. Song of Post- Bob Marley- Rebel Music That would be ideal but less realsitic... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der5er Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 from autospies.com: "The new 5-series should be blowing away the old 5-series sales numbers at least 3 to 1 and they're not. They barely beat last years 5-series numbers." Looking for good data now..... Bull. Annual summarized sales, in thousands, since 1997: 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 3 Series 52.5 57.5 77.1 89.7 103.2 115.4 111.9 106.5 Z3 and Z4 19.8 20.6 20.1 16.4 14.9 10.5 20.3 13.7 5 Series 31.3 35.1 38.2 39.7 40.0 40.8 47.0 45.6 7 Series 18.3 18.3 18.2 16.6 13.4 22.0 20.5 16.2 X5 Series 0.0 42.7 40.6 40.7 35.2 (view with a monospaced font) First full year of E60 sold better (12%) than the last full year of E39. 2003 was combined, with about 11k units of E39, IIRC. As for driving impressions.. I'm not sure what an AP stage 1 is/does to the Legacy, but you were probably a bit cautious with your friend's/co-worker's new car. I flogged a 545i 6spd for some 30 miles of open roads (last year's Susan G Komen event) and its urgency is still vivid in my mind. It pulled hard from ~2k rpm to 6k+ and it felt as if the car was 500 kilos lighter than the E39. Adaptive steering was a bit disconcerting, though. I didn't quite like the interior - too many shapes, textures and colors - I thought it lacked cohesion. $.01 (keeping the other for another post) Dragos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grimbeaver Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 I want a 535d... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05LegacyGT330Ci Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 I want a 535d... You my man, make my happy. 3 liter twin sequential turbocharged diesel. 272hp 413lb ft....mmmmm Go Speed Racer Go!!!! Song of Post- Bob Marley- War '05 Black Legacy GT Wagon 5-spd '02 Topaz/Black 330Ci 5-spd Drift Ryder's School of Rally Arts, coming to an Australia near you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted February 3, 2005 Author Share Posted February 3, 2005 What's funny is, my buddy got the 545i on a lease so that he can buy the 535d when it's released. Anybody know a release date yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted February 3, 2005 Author Share Posted February 3, 2005 Bull. The quote didn't say the E60 failed to beat the E39, it said it did say it should have tripled it. Read again. As for driving impressions.. I'm not sure what an AP stage 1 is/does to the Legacy, but you were probably a bit cautious with your friend's/co-worker's new car. I flogged a 545i 6spd for some 30 miles of open roads (last year's Susan G Komen event) and its urgency is still vivid in my mind. It pulled hard from ~2k rpm to 6k+ and it felt as if the car was 500 kilos lighter than the E39. Adaptive steering was a bit disconcerting, though. I didn't quite like the interior - too many shapes, textures and colors - I thought it lacked cohesion. $.01 (keeping the other for another post) Dragos I pushed it pretty hard, but nowhere near flogging it. My impressions were comparing my LGT/APstg1 around town vs the 545i 6sp around town. The LGT feels like it has more available torque. It may be that the 545i is so smooth, you don't notice the speed as much. I will get it for a full day sometime soon and really get on it. Believe me, my buddy doesn't mind and he will do the same to my car. I borrow his X5 and 540 all the time, while he takes our MINI or Jeep in exchange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05LegacyGT330Ci Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 What's funny is, my buddy got the 545i on a lease so that he can buy the 535d when it's released. Anybody know a release date yet? I doubt ever in America. We have been taught to fear and hate the diesels and except these silly hybrid vehicles. Song of Post- Ray Charles- Georgia On My Mind '05 Black Legacy GT Wagon 5-spd '02 Topaz/Black 330Ci 5-spd Drift Ryder's School of Rally Arts, coming to an Australia near you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der5er Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 The quote didn't say the E60 failed to beat the E39, it said it did say it should have tripled it. Read again. The full quote follows: The new 5-series should be blowing away the old 5-series sales numbers at least 3 to 1 and they're not. They barely beat last years 5-series numbers." It's the "barely" I had a problem with. Dragos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted February 4, 2005 Author Share Posted February 4, 2005 I doubt ever in America. We have been taught to fear and hate the diesels and except these silly hybrid vehicles. Song of Post- Ray Charles- Georgia On My Mind We have heard '06. Low-sulfur diesel is the issue and it should be readily available by the end of this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05LegacyGT330Ci Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 Well I won't celebrate until I see one on the streets and see undre the hood to make sure its real, then I will take the same car, open the door, kick out its occupants and proceed to run off into the night with it. Song of Post- Pink Floyd- The Great Gig in the Sky '05 Black Legacy GT Wagon 5-spd '02 Topaz/Black 330Ci 5-spd Drift Ryder's School of Rally Arts, coming to an Australia near you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 who the heck is trying to compare the FIRST BRAND NEW MODEL YEAR FOR THE e60 to the lame duck last year of the e39? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IwannaSportSedan Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 Taught to fear and despise deisels after GM, in the 80's stuck new heads on a gas engine, and called it a deisel, and then did not do anything about it when they didn't run worth a crap, sounded weird, smelled bad, and would barely run. Deisel cars in this country don't have a popular past. Since europe has done the deisel homework for the rest of the world, maybe they'll start trickling back in, but it is gonna take a lot to break people of their old deisel buicks that were complete bastards to own, and such. I hope it works, we'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 e39 > e60 ;] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der5er Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 who the heck is trying to compare the FIRST BRAND NEW MODEL YEAR FOR THE e60 to the lame duck last year of the e39? If I may pass on a worthy advice I received on this very board, we were comparing the first _full_ year of E60 with the last _full_ year of E39 (which wasn't a bad year at all). Please refer to several posts above, where there be numbers. And regarding all this banter on Diesels, fear, loathing and Euro supremacy.. the key phrase is "fuel tax". As long as gas will cost <$2 per _gallon_ in the US, Diesels are only for the long suffering ubercommuters or the motor geeks with a penchant for Diesel smells. Before one sends me fan mail, I should know - my family back home drove/drives only Diesel. It's a taste I've acquired. Let the fuel prices be aligned with those elsewhere, and we might get efficient vehicles for a change, not to mention better roads. But then again, more than half the drivers in the US would rather have their SUV/hi perf car keys pried from their dead, cold hand than pay _more_ (gasp!) for gas and have the alternatives. Still, conspicuous consumption feels nice and somebody in the world has to adopt this lifestyle. Dragos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drift Monkey Posted February 8, 2005 Share Posted February 8, 2005 You my man, make my happy. 3 liter twin sequential turbocharged diesel. 272hp 413lb ft....mmmmm Go Speed Racer Go!!!! Song of Post- Bob Marley- War You make my happy to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grimbeaver Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 You my man, make my happy. 3 liter twin sequential turbocharged diesel. 272hp 413lb ft....mmmmm Go Speed Racer Go!!!! zoooom zoooom!! BMW has pretty sweet diesels now... 535d, 330d... sigh... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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