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BMW 5-Series Sedans
12737 messages, Last post on Feb 16, 2013 at 11:05 PM
You are in the BMW 5-Series Forum.What is this discussion about? BMW 5 Series, Sedan
#2114 of 12737 Teo - thanks for the link, but.. by habitat1
Jan 28, 2002 (4:01 pm)
..the new 5 look just doesn't do it for me. Looks like a cross between an 1990 5-series and 1990 7-series. Very bulky looking.I often wondered how BMW could improve the exterior styling of the current 5. If this is it, they didn't. Albeit I am a loyal BMW fan, I find the new E-class to be much better looking. Mercedes is going in the right direction, BMW is regressing, IMO. Heck, I'd much rather have a current 540i with RB steering than the new one with rack and pinion (beat you to it, riez!).
The Z5 looks pretty good though.
#2115 of 12737 snagiel et. al. by david1812
Jan 28, 2002 (4:27 pm)
RE: Fuel EconomyIt's been my understanding that you actually get better fuel economy by accelerating quickly and maintaining higher cruise speed. (according to Car & Driver) I've also been told by a dealer that shifting to a higher gear early and applying more gas to get the car up to speed uses more fuel than getting up to speed using lower gears.
RE: RB vs RP
My understanding on this is that RB is better suited for heavier cars or trucks. The "kick back" from a inherantly more sensitive (and more linear) system like RP can be harsh on a truck/SUV or similarly heavy vehicle. I also assumed that RP can't handle too much weight. Having said that, new car-based SUVs are now being equipped with RP (probably fortified). Of course, these new vehicles are built with no offroading or heavy payload in mind.
RE: IRS
I owned the '90 Max with IRS. And driven a newer rental Max with the "patented" beam rear axle. Without question, the beam was a practical compromise. Nissan did a fine job of making the non-IRS work as good as it does but it can't replace a "finely tuned" IRS as found in BMWs. The non-IRS rears its ugly head on high-speed corners with uneven surfaces. But having said that, non-IRS alone won't stop me from buying the Max.
#2116 of 12737 re: habitat1 and BMW Electrical Problems by g_car
Jan 28, 2002 (7:11 pm)
Habitat1 I agree with your comments on latest MB vs BMW with regards to electrical problems I've been hearing the same thing with regards to the new MB models. I'm not doubting Bobsky is having a hell of an issue with electrical problems but its a huge leap to saying somehow the BMW 5 series in general has major problems with electricals. The same buyer beware sign hangs off these Internet boards. We could do an informal survey here to see how many folks have had problems with the electrics and what the problem turned out to be. As the cars become more "electric" and complex I would expect the proportion of problems caused by electrical components as compared to other mechanical parts of the car will go up. Just my 2 cents.#2117 of 12737 Fuel Economy by hnn
Jan 28, 2002 (7:44 pm)
david1812,BMW has always rated MPG higher on stick shift than automatic. Can you use the same shifting method as described in your post to acchieve similar MPG rating as stick shift using steptronic transmission.
If not why? Thanks.
Bobsky, I am surprised to hear the electrical problems with the 5 series. I drove the 2001 540i for almost a year (before I traded it three weeks ago due to a bad accident) and I had NO problem at all. My friend had an older 540i (1999) and still did not have any problem with electrical... My two weeks old 2002 530i had no problem so far.
Hnn
#2118 of 12737 nkalaria by jim52
Jan 28, 2002 (7:57 pm)
How many miles per year for the lease? Are automatic and premium package the only options? Also, how much over invoice is the cap cost?#2119 of 12737 Invoice prices by jim52
Jan 28, 2002 (8:34 pm)
It looks like Edmunds finally updated the invoice prices to reflect the increase. Seems like a very slim margin between invoice and list on options - only about a 8 or 9% markup over invoice. Automatic is only 5%. Is BMW providing any additional incentives to dealers or are their profits really being squeezed? Is less than 2K over invoice still realistic?#2120 of 12737 nkalaria by pen101
Jan 28, 2002 (11:10 pm)
Beware, leases are very tricky. Best place to ask lease questions is on the Edmunds board specifically dealing with leases. It is an excellent source of information. I learned so much just following the Q's and A's on the board. It is impossible to know if you are getting a good deal without more information. There are many variables in a lease to consider, including: money factor, residual, security deposits, cap cost, mileage allowance, total months, invoice price and MSRP. Also, the dealer knows ways to structure a lease so that they will make money on you without you even knowing it. The bottom line payment may be the same, but they may be making money on you. For example, I caught my dealer doing it, and by doing nothing more than changing the structure of the lease (lowering MF's, applying security deposits and lowering cap costs) I saved almost $3,000 in the lease process.#2121 of 12737 hnn by david1812
Jan 29, 2002 (11:14 am)
hnn, I think you might come close but not the same results. No matter what, auto trans is not a direct mechanical link. You lose some power/efficiency in the translation.#2122 of 12737 re: BMW Cellphone by stooxie
Jan 29, 2002 (1:32 pm)
I'm replying to an old message, but I thought I'd end the debate on this one.I actually emailed Motorola about using a standard StarTAC with the BMW phone kit. They said the BMW phone has special programming that allows it to support all the features of the car.
Thus, there is no way to get a standard StarTAC to work.
#2123 of 12737 re: BMW cell phone by compwhiz
Jan 29, 2002 (1:41 pm)
correction - there is a way. If your P8767 or old StarTAC is unlocked, and you get your hands on the actual BMW-specific software and equipment necessary to program it - then yeah, you can. But that's highly unlikely, unless you work for Motorola's cell phone division.
It's all in the software, that's the saddest thing.
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