BMW Haters

[Dinan55]

Did you see the pop out cup holders??? That was enough for me to get out and close the door....

The cup holders in my car are the shittiest cup holders I've ever seen. Not that I care for cupholders (because I never use them), but the new 5's are a lot better. As a matter of fact the rear cupholders on my car don't even work, they're just there to take up space. I don't understand why this is such a huge issue all of a sudden with cupholders when the E39 5 series has the most disgusting cup holders anyone has ever seen. The only problem I have with the looks of the new 5 is that it doesn't look like a BMW. Other than that, I think the design is pretty interesting. The back could use a little bit of touch-ups though... I'll admit that.

 

[tool fan]

Y'all need to stop "downing" the new 530i.........I had a 1998 528i and my new 530i is SOOOO much more functional. Active steering, DSC, DTC. The interior is superb...I have no idea what you all were sitting in or riding in but it COULD NOT have been a new 530i. The outside appearance....yeah it takes some getting used to, but it is a beautiful car. I say if you dont like it.....don't buy it. But for some of us, talking bad about our cars is like talking bad about our mothers. I see an increasing number of the new 5series in germany, all over as a mater of fact. I live in the Wiesbaden area, which is the wealthiest area in Germany. I see at least 10-15 new 5ers a day. So these rich assholes must really like it....must be something good about it. I LOVE mine and I can garrantee that I would with my "new" 530i could run circles around y'alls older models(minus performance upgraded versions) all day any day.

P.S. Don't wear your heart on your sleeve, I did not call any one particular person out....I made a broad all encompassing statement.

 

[adrean8j]

R&T is not a good publication
Car n Driver is not good
Motor Trend is not good

do not buy these

instead -

Automobile
CAR
EVO
European Car

much better choices

I read or have read every single magazine you mentioned at one time or another.....and R&T, Motor Trend, and Car n Driver are a big part of what made me start to love BMW's so much. They damn near bow down before the awesomeness off the E39 and E46 and even the E34/36. How does a Bmw make it onto their top 10 best cars to buy list for the last ten years if they dont like bmw? I have not yet read the current article but I highly doubt that the writers said anything bad about the handling and sportiness of the new E60. So the handling and sportiness of bmw is not in question, rather the design of the interior, exterior, and cost are in question. These mags have been around for years and as a little 10year old gave me a reason to dream of owning a cool european car one day and now I have one.......the magazines arent biased.....we are.....

 

[codex57]

Honda? Interior design nice? Are you joking? Honda has been making the same crap quality interiors for over 10 years, your common cheap-feeling Chinese built plastic buttons usually found in American cars. Also, calling the 5 an overall inferior car to the E is like blasphemy. I'm positive that if you put an E320 vs. a 530i on a track the 530 would run laps around it. Plus BMWs can actually KEEP building incredibly reliable cars while Mercedes is going down the drain. Unless you're 60+, just an idiot, or enjoy driving a 300+ hp car that has limiters on everything, I think that choosing a Mercedes over a BMW equivalent is just dumb.

Have you been in a Honda in the last 20 years? The plastics used, say in the buttons, are far superior than what GM and Ford use. Chrysler isn't too bad overall, but we're talking plastic buttons. Design wise Honda's are very ergonomic. Everything is simple and easy to use. Everything is where you would naturally expect them to be. Have you taken a look at the new Hondas (say the Accord) and Acuras (TL, upcoming RL)? They have great interiors. A bit on the techy side design-wise, but it's functional and logical techy, unlike I-Drive and to a lesser extent, Comand.

And the 530i wouldn't run laps around an E320. The 530 is slower than the E39 version and the E320 with the Airmatic suspension actually has great handling.

Here's a pic of the rankings from R&T:

 

[tool fan]

I could give a shit less what the article says...whose opinion is that very subjective comparrison? Let another 10 people test the same cars and you will get a whole different set of standings. MB320 is limited to 128mph even the german version, my 530 is 155mph. So yes I would run circle around the MB, and you can't say, "well if it wasn't limited!!!" It is limited END OF STORY. Stability control and performance on something other than a straight away, the 530 has that block also. Bang for the buck.........BMW kicks MB's ass. I paid roughly 45,000 for mine fully loaded minus navigation. The MB with the options I have on my BMW is almost 70,000, don't take my word...look it up. Go to a Benz forum and read the problems owners have with their new MB's. Quality and performance has always been BMW's trademark, I cannot complain..........This is a BMW forum...right? so lets defend BMW instead of saying it worse than its competitor.

 

[tool fan]

I read or have read every single magazine you mentioned at one time or another.....and R&T, Motor Trend, and Car n Driver are a big part of what made me start to love BMW's so much. They damn near bow down before the awesomeness off the E39 and E46 and even the E34/36. How does a Bmw make it onto their top 10 best cars to buy list for the last ten years if they dont like bmw? I have not yet read the current article but I highly doubt that the writers said anything bad about the handling and sportiness of the new E60. So the handling and sportiness of bmw is not in question, rather the design of the interior, exterior, and cost are in question. These mags have been around for years and as a little 10year old gave me a reason to dream of owning a cool european car one day and now I have one.......the magazines arent biased.....we are.....

AMEN and well said...KUDOS

 

[aNoodle]

Just a clarification on my earlier post. "Roundel practically fawned over the Mercedes' design"…I should have made clear, it was their looks…not driving performance. Codex, I think Dinan55 and others have a point on the higher end cars. The 545 outperforms the E500 in most basic performance benchmarks. The 5er is much more of a driver's car over the Mercedes despite the iDrive, active steering, and whacky design.

I think the point of this lower end comparison at R&T is that Cadillac is finally getting its act together. Good for them, they deserve some applause.

 

[adrean8j]

Just a clarification on my earlier post. "Roundel practically fawned over the Mercedes' design"…I should have made clear, it was their looks…not driving performance. Codex, I think Dinan55 and others have a point on the higher end cars. The 545 outperforms the E500 in most basic performance benchmarks. The 5er is much more of a driver's car over the Mercedes despite the iDrive, active steering, and whacky design.

I think the point of this lower end comparison at R&T is that Cadillac is finally getting its act together. Good for them, they deserve some applause.

Good Clarification......but just to set the record straight for others...if you look at the comparison ratings......BMW got the lowest ratings in exterior styling, ergonomics/controls and price(Mercedes used to get hammered for price in previous comparisons). So if you add the points BMW normally would get for the first two you would come up with around 550.5 points...price it the same as the E320 and BMW would have around 554.0 points give or take .5pts. So the MB would not be exactly running rough-shod all over a BMW ever........just my 2cents

 

[codex57]

Codex, I think Dinan55 and others have a point on the higher end cars. The 545 outperforms the E500 in most basic performance benchmarks. The 5er is much more of a driver's car over the Mercedes despite the iDrive, active steering, and whacky design.

Oh, I absolutely agree the BMW is much more of a driver's car. I was just disagreeing with the comments made that the new 5 series will run circles around an E. Yeah, I've bitched about the steering feel (or lack thereof) and the stupid computer controlled brakes on the E, but it honestly handles very very well. Mercedes has made vast improvements in the driving dynamics of their cars. THeir not just pure cruisers anymore.

And i'm not gonna blindly praise BMW. That would just make me a BMW whore. If I see a flaw, I'm gonna call it out. That includes being vastly overpriced. You can make all the "what ifs" you want, but the fact still remains that the ergonomics are odd and it's way overpriced. That's why it lost. You can make the same argument the other way around. If the E (using 2nd place as an example) were a bit faster, etc, than it would have won first. It's not, which is why it didn't win.

 

[frolf]

i think the active steering is awesome. i also think the 20000 price difference between the chrysler 300 and bmw is not awesome, but still, the bmw ism uch more refined, just not 20k more. and those of you who bitch and moan about idrive, come on!!! its sweet, you have on control opposed to a million. it'd take you a week to figure it out, and then you would not even have to take your eyes off the road to adjust many different things. and they have a menu button on the new idrive system that gets you right back to point a. basically, if you don't understand idrive i'm hard pressed to know how you were smart enough to get a job that pays out enough to even BUY a new 5/6/7.

the editors of these magazines seem to be jumpingo ff the bmw bandwagon real hard. but who knows, maybe this will give us a nice power bump in the next few years

 

[wood_e]

it'd take you a week to figure it out, and then you would not even have to take your eyes off the road to adjust many different things.

Now I haven't dealt with iDrive but you shouldn't have to take your eyes off the road to adjust anything... thats just unsafe. then again... I'd like to see what all the hype is about...

 

[Roadhawk]

I don't discount that the new 5 series is a fine car - but its not the car for me - styling wise, interior wise etc (performance wise? don't know).....I myself tend to be interested in smaller cars (our Millenia is about as big as I'll ever get - and its almost too big for me)...and I don't go for plush - but for functionality and performance - thats just me...I also have felt that BMW had a similar philosophy. Now BMW has made the 7 and 8 series - larger luxury cars - (and has made them well) - OK - but I'm seeing the 5 series and perhaps now the 3 series get larger and plusher - to appeal to the audience (lexus types) who want that sort of thing - and its not the direction that apeals to me - I'm liking what I see in the 2 series BTW). Anyway - I can believe that the new 5 drives better then the old - it better! But as it stands it has no apeal for me...would Iturn one down if someone offered me one - certainly not...but I likely would perfor driving an older 3 seies or my S4 or such - something more raw, straightforward and directly performance orientated. All that being said - in a few years I imagine we'll all get used to the new designs and accpet them - but for now I can see what some of the old BMW lovers are a bit chagrined. And i don't want to offend anyone who owns, is contemplating buying or otherwise like the new 5 & 7 and such - they are fine autos in their own right and everyone has different desires in a car - I'm thrilled that you are pleased with it and can see why....

 

[PhatBimmer]

if you don't understand idrive i'm hard pressed to know how you were smart enough to get a job that pays out enough to even BUY a new 5/6/7.

Very well said. But then again everyone has there opinions about everything. I just think that if one doesn't like it then don't get it w/ that option for iDrive. I personally would get it. iDrive is as debatable as those who think SMG is the worst thing to happen when the similar technology has been present all this time in F1. In any case I love both

 

[Kin]

First of all, the BMW 530 ranked 3rd before taking the price into consideration. So that tells you that the car itself isn't so bad compare to other cars. But the price is really a little high, so that hurts the overall ranking.

I love BMW, especially my 330i zhp. However, I really don't like the newer styling. Two of my friends, one just bought a new 530i and the other bought a new Mercedes E320. Both with sport package. The BMW is a little bit more expensive, around $1k. After driving and sitting in both cars, I really like the E320 more.

The interior of the 530 is just not that attractive to me even though I am a BMW lover. Talking about the exterior, when both E320 and 530i park side by side, I really like the E320 more.

Not to mention the iDrive. I hate it, not easy to use and complicated things. For that kind of the price, I would expect more from the manufacturer.

 

[theBMWenthusiast]

i would take the 530 any day

 

[Roadhawk]

i would take the 530 any day

agreed...for at least you can get it in a stick....

 

[KevRC4130]

You guys think BMW is ugly, Toyota/Lexus has completely raped themselves with the new designs

 

[R3LzX]

There will be a lot of after market manufacturers that will offer front end replacement packages that miniturize the new 5's into a mini 7 series look. i personally think that they would have been fine if they had done this in the first place. all the same it is not aesthetically pleasing to the eye for most because people dont like drastic change when it comes to automobiles. if it does not sink in for us that it is an ok design then BMW is in a bit of trouble. please o please GOD please dont ruin the 3 series

2 cents

 

[Dinan55]

Have you been in a Honda in the last 20 years? The plastics used, say in the buttons, are far superior than what GM and Ford use. Chrysler isn't too bad overall, but we're talking plastic buttons. Design wise Honda's are very ergonomic. Everything is simple and easy to use. Everything is where you would naturally expect them to be. Have you taken a look at the new Hondas (say the Accord) and Acuras (TL, upcoming RL)? They have great interiors. A bit on the techy side design-wise, but it's functional and logical techy, unlike I-Drive and to a lesser extent, Comand.

And the 530i wouldn't run laps around an E320. The 530 is slower than the E39 version and the E320 with the Airmatic suspension actually has great handling.

Here's a pic of the rankings from R&T:

Overall though you can't compare a BMW interior to a Honda interior. Hondas may be reliable but although it may not seem like it, there's a difference between reliability and quality. I don't see how there's any way that the 530i would lose in a race vs. the E320. The E320 is made for prestige and getting from point A to point B, there's barely any serious focus on performance. Anybody can go fast in a straight line. R&T also decided to test the stupid automatic gearbox on the 530i for some moronic reason, and from what I've heard the BMW automatic gearboxes suck. I'm willing to put down $20 for the 530 in a race vs. the E320, and I'm talking track, no straight-line bullshit.

 

[Dinan55]

if you don't understand idrive i'm hard pressed to know how you were smart enough to get a job that pays out enough to even BUY a new 5/6/7.

Amen my friend, amen.