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Sedans BMW 5-Series BMW 5-Series Sedans
12613 messages, Last post on Jul 03, 2009 at 7:17 PM
You are in the BMW 5-Series Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: orion53 (Mar 14, 2008 9:33 pm) My advice is to avoid active steering if you like to drive a BMW the way a BMW can be driven. I had active steering on a six series and hated it. BMW is known for its near perfect steering feel and precision. Active steering only diminishes classic BMW steering by inserting computers and mechanical hardware between you and the road. Not an improvement. Not worth the money. Bad idea on the part of BMW. Regarding the sport package. I can tell you from personal experience that a five series without a sport suspension and wheels definitely involves a trade off. (Note that not all five series sport packages include sport suspension and wheels.) Without a sport suspension, it cruises nicely on the highway in a straight line and increases your comfort while driving over broken pavement. But... if you are a BMW enthusiast and you like "spirited" driving, the standard suspension and wheel package is a disappointment and will not live up to the engine's performance potential. Too much lean in corners and a little too much bounce over undulating pavement. The ride is not bouncy by any means, but you do give up a significant degree of handling control in corners and on twisty roads. So it depends on how you like to drive and how much value you place on comfort vs fun to drive. (If someone just wants to drive in cushioned comfort in a straight line, then save some money and buy an Acura or Lexus because the advantages of a BMW will be lost on them.) I currently have a 535xi as an environmental "down grade" from my previous V8 BMWs. After three months of mixed driving, I average 21 mpg. Pure highway driving will yield about 26 mpg. I will also say that the twin turbo drive train combined with the new automatic transmission is extremely smooth and very easy to get used to. The turbo six's flat torque curve and the smoothness of the drive train make it "deceptively quick". You get effortless, drama-free acceleration without the need for frequent down shifts and holding the engine at high RPM as you have to do in a V8 to maintain peak power. So you're not as "aware" of the engine and transmission working. At first if feels less sporty and like you're getting less performance than a V8. Then you realize that it's just performing without a lot of fuss. The 0 - 60 time difference between the 550i and the 535xi is only around 2/10 of a second, depending on who did the test (Car and Driver, for example, 5.2 seconds vs 5.4 seconds 0 - 60). I think the 550i "feels" more fun to drive. But the 535i would win on price and on fuel economy with no significant trade off in performance in normal day to day driving where most people are likely to use it. |
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Replying to: anon3 (Mar 19, 2008 11:07 am) Scott
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Replying to: gscottnelson1 (Mar 19, 2008 11:13 am) |
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Replying to: anon3 (Mar 19, 2008 11:07 am) Where'd you get that idea? The 550i makes more torque at around 2,000RPM than the 535i makes at all, IIRC. It's "peak" torque is high in the RPM band, but it still has more meat under the curve overall than the 535i. The beauty of the V8 is that you don't have to maintain "peak power" to make it perform better than the 535i. I have a 550i Sport, and trust me, there's no need for "frequent downshifting" in any situation so far; not unless I just want to chirp the tires or get it sideways in a hurry. I was VERY tempted by the 535i Sport (test drove it), but it just doesn't compare, IMO, to the 550i Sport, and it certainly doesn't perform "without a lot of fuss." The 535i makes fuss aplenty when you're getting on it. You're spot-on about the 5-series without the Sport package, though. Anybody considering that configuration would be just as well (and in some cases better) served with just about any other sedan on the market that purports to be a "sports sedan."  I drove a non-Sport 5 and immediately ruled it out at the first curve in the road. Doesn't suit my driving style at all.
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Replying to: orion53 (Mar 14, 2008 9:33 pm) i do not have active steering mileage is a bit worse: 19 mpg versus 21.5 in the old one. could be break-in or auto tranny, not sure why the 10% difference. |
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Replying to: anon3 (Mar 19, 2008 11:07 am) Regarding the sport package. I can tell you from personal experience that a five series without a sport suspension and wheels definitely involves a trade off. (Note that not all five series sport packages include sport suspension and wheels.) Without a sport suspension, it cruises nicely on the highway in a straight line and increases your comfort while driving over broken pavement. But... if you are a BMW enthusiast and you like "spirited" driving, the standard suspension and wheel package is a disappointment and will not live up to the engine's performance potential. Too much lean in corners and a little too much bounce over undulating pavement. The ride is not bouncy by any means, but you do give up a significant degree of handling control in corners and on twisty roads. So it depends on how you like to drive and how much value you place on comfort vs fun to drive. (If someone just wants to drive in cushioned comfort in a straight line, then save some money and buy an Acura or Lexus because the advantages of a BMW will be lost on them.) I currently have a 535xi Was wondering how you classify your 535Xi w.r.t. the above? I also have a 535Xi. I chose it because notwithstanding the lack of a sport suspension option, I assumed it handled better than the competition in the AWD LPS category, and the engine seemed to put it in a class by itself. Bruce
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Replying to: anon3 (Mar 19, 2008 11:07 am) My previous car was a 2006 Lexus GS300 (which I 'lemoned'), and my current car is a 2008 535i SP. The Lexus was actually a lot harsher than the 535. The best word to describe the feel of the 535i sport is "supple", even over rough New Hampshire roads. I think Lexus views "harsh" and "sporty" as the same thing, whereas BMW knows how to do it right.
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Replying to: bdkinnh (Mar 22, 2008 1:03 pm) Exactly. And Lexus learned it from GM... 
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Replying to: roadburner (Mar 22, 2008 3:11 pm) Remember when the GM answer to EVERY suspension question was the "FE3"? - Add bigger roll bars, stiffen things a bit, and fatter tires - All you need to know about suspension dynamics LOLOL
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Replying to: ny540i6 (Mar 22, 2008 4:34 pm) Don't forget the "F41". Just add the "Performance Exhaust" that sounds like a Chris Craft and you've got yourself a gen-you-whine "Sports Sedan"... 
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