mmarshall
12-08-06, 05:03 PM
By special request, here is a review of the latest top-of-the-line non-M 5-series product.....the 2007 550i Sport.
http://www.bmwusa.com/
Unlike many of the new cars I review, I had the good fortune to drive one today that was a demo, in excellent shape, with enough miles on it that it was fully broken-in, at a dealership far enough away from Washington, D.C. that the roads were relatively uncongested, and so I was able to drive it a little more aggressively and a little closer to its limits than I usually do with new cars....but still, of course, with common sense....I am a responsible person.
The history of BMW 3 and 5-series products, and their significance in today's auto marketplace, really doesn't need a whole lot of explanation from me here.....many of you at CL are regular readers, like I am, of the magazines that test these vehicles, and are aware of how they usually are at the top or nearly at the top of sport-sedan comparison tests at magazines like Car and Driver, Road and Track, AUTOMOBILE, AUTOWEEK, and others. Although the people that staff these publications and do the car testing give other vehicles their due when deserved, in general they eat, sleep, and breathe BMW and Porsche. And, little wonder........these people, in general, are very sport-minded, tend to want cars that run, handle, and brake aggressively, and are naturally attracted to Bimmers. And, even with the ( in my opinion ) uglier and tinnier bodies, more poorly-finished interiors, iffy electronics, and the awkward I-Drive of the more recent BMW models, you HAVE to give the company its due. BMW has, arguably, the best steering, chassis, and suspension engineers in the world. Under the car's skin, these guys DO their homework....there's no question about that. Unfortunately, the skin itself, on the newer, Chris Bangle-designed cars, is quite another matter. The body sheet metal, door solidness, general interior finish, and of course, the You-Know-What on the console and dash all need more attention.
So....since many of you already know as much or more than I do about the history and status of these cars, let's not waste any more time with that. By special request, here is my review of the 550i Sport:
Model Reviewed: 2007 BMW 550i Sport Steptronic
Base Price: $58,500
Major Options:
Sport Package with Active Roll Stabilization: $2800
Cold Weather Package: $750
NAV System: $1900
Satellite Radio: $595
Logic-7 Surround-Sound System: $1200
Destination Charge: $695
List Price as Reviewed: $66,440
Drivetrain: Front-engine/RWD, longitudial-mount 4.8L V8; 360 HP @ 6300 RPM, torque 360 ft.-lbs @ 3400 RPM
6-Speed Steptronic automatic with Sport and Manual Shift modes and Adaptive Transmission Control.
Exterior Color: Silver Gray Metallic
Interior: Black Dakota Leather with Dark Poplar Grain wood trim.
PLUSSES: :thumbup:
Superlative Steering system and chassis engineering.......a BMW tradition, of course.
Excellent ride-handling combination even with stiff, run-flat tires.
Muscle-car torque and performance.
Good engine layout under the hood.
Smooth, responsive Steptronic Automatic transmission.
Nice-looking alloy wheels on all 5-series models with the Sport Package.
Well-designed shifter.
Heated and cooled cupholders....though I myself rarely drive when consuming beverages.
Good headroom in front despite the sunroof.
Nicely done wood trim.
Fairly roomy trunk. ( No spare tire with the run-flats )
Dull but classy paint colors.
Well-designed primary gauges.
Nice, easy-to-use and solid-feeling air vents.
Warm-your-buns-right-now seat heaters.
Nice stereo...but with clumsy and awkward I-Drive station selectors.
Manual, analog front-seat climate knobs and controls make I-Drive unnecessary for that function.
Free required maintenance for the warranty period.
MINUSES::thumbdn:
Blow-your-bank-account price......and BMW is not known for incentives on this car.
X-Drive AWD system not available in the 550i like with the 525xi and 530xi.
Tinny sheet metal and doors compared to previous-generation 5-series.
Ugly headlights, taillights, and trunk lid.
Poorly finished interior for a car of this price.....with a couple of nice exceptions.
Cheap-looking and cheap-feeling leather on the seats.
No engine-temperature gauge.
I-Drive......need I say more ?
Relatively tight rear-seat headoom and legroom for tall persons.
Paint job OK but not particularly well-done.
Sharp plastic edges on rear-seat climate knobs uncomfortable to grip.
Snobbish, aritocratic nature of many ( NOT all ) BMW reps and dealerships.
4 year/ 50,000 total-car and drivetrain warranty not compatible with other premium-car makes.
Free maintenance during the warranty only covers the computer-signaled maintenance, which can be inadequate,
especially for oil changes.
Expensive parts and service when the warranty DOES run out.......often at arrogantly-run dealerships.
Relatively high insurance rates.
The first impression of this car, as you walk up to it, is that it is immediately recognizable as another member of the Bangle-designed family, but is a little less of an eyesore, and a little better-looking overall, than the larger 7-series. I would place the new 5-series between ( to my opinion ) the ugly 7 series and the generally acceptable-looking 3-series in overall looks, although I still am not a fan ofthe new 5-series' headlights or rear end. It is not a butt-ugly vehicle in the sense of the Pontiac Aztek or Scion xA / xB, but its general styling is just not my cup of tea.
The exterior mirror and trim hardware is generally OK, though you can definitely tell the difference between the old and new 5-series in sheet metal solidness and thickness. The doors on the old car felt and shut like a Moseler safe...the new ones are more lightweight and shut with a tinnier sound.
Other features on the exterior are quite nicely none. The alloy wheels on all of the Sport-Package 5-seriescars are handsome and classy....as befits a drivers' car. The paint job, though not quite up to Toyota / Lexus standards, is generally smooth, even, relatively free from orange peel, and lacking only a little in the luster department. The darker colors, as with most cars, generally have more luster than the lighter ones.
The engine, longitutionally-mounted as with virtually all RWD cars, sits neatly and compactly under the hood, even though it is the largest available powerplant for this car outside of the M5's big V10. It has a plastic cover over the top part of it like most cars these days, but a lot of room is left around the edges of the cover to get to things.....you won't have to raise it up on ramps or a hydraulic lift to get so some things. Apparantly BMW designed this car with not only the driver in mind but the guys who work the service bays......one possible reason for the limited free maintenance.
Inside, the car has a few nice features but generally is a disappointment from the superb interior of the last-generation 5-series. The power tilt / telescope steering wheel is well-done, with a BIG, meaty, well-padded rim to grip....just what you would expect from the industry's best steering systems. The three wide but tapered spokes allow a good view of the equally well-designed primary gauges, which are easy to read at a quick glance. An odd feature, for a classic drivers' car, is the lack of an engine temperature gauge. I could not find one; the salesman couldn't either, and one is not listed in the car's literature either. I guess it's just left to a warning light that goes on when the coolant reaches critical temperature. The turn-signal and cruise-control stalks, on the left side of the column, were nicely designed, solid-feeling, and easy to use.
Other nice features inside were the smooth, well-designed, solid-feeling air vents, relatively well-done but too highly-polished wood trim ( I like a flatter and less-polished wood finish ), adequate head and leg room in the front seat for tall people despite the headroom-encroaching sunroof, heated / cooled front cupholders ( though I rarely use them ), and the well-done stereo, except that the sound quality was, of course, not quite up to the wonderful Mark Levinson unit that I listened to last week in the Lexus LS460, and, yes, though there is a manual knob for off / on / volume and steering-wheel controls for volume, you still have to fiddle with I-Drive to change the stations or make other adjustments. Another nice feature inside was the was the I-Drive-free manual knob / button system for both the front and rear climate control.
The seats, as befits a driver's car, were multi-adjustable, well-shaped and comfortable, but had cheap-looking and cheap-feeling leather on them. Fortunately, as you would expect from BMW, they hold even wide torsos and butts like mine in place while cornering, something that a lot of smooth, waxy leather seats don't do.
The rear seats, as with most cars, are of course, not as roomy as the front ones, and, with the front seats moved back a little, have just adequate leg and foot room for someone my size......and getting my big size 15 shoes out the narrow foot opening was a job. Rear headroom is OK for average-size adults but clearly inadequate for me and my ubiquitous baseball cap. A leather-covered pull-down panel between the rear seats offers covered storage compartments and cupholders.
Much of the rest of the interior, in my opinion, was rather disappointing, with substandard fit-and-finish for a car in this price class....my test car ran a whopping $66,000, and BMW produces some V12 U.S.-market cars that run more than twice that if you really want to blow some cash. As stated previously, I was not impressed with either the seat leather or the door trim. I was also not impressed with the general fit and finish of much of the interior hardware ( except the nice features previously noted ), especially the poorly-finished rear climate-control knobs between the rear seats that were sharp-edged and uncomfortable to grip. However, despite the second-rate hardware in much of the interior, the car seemed tightly built.....I could detect no squeaks or rattles, even on a car with a some miles and a cold day ( 28 degrees ). Cold weather usually makes squeaks and rattles worse because parts contract and you have more clearance between them ). The optional cold-weather package ( my test car had it ) does its job, though, with seat comfort.....the seats heat up fast, and I mean FAST....much quicker than the ones in my admittedly much cheaper Subaru.
And......yes.......the I-Drive. I KNOW that I-Drive, and the similiar Audi MMI, are controversial devices, and that some of you, like doug999 and genearch, like them and have no problems with them, while others curse the day they were invented. I'm sorry, but in all honesty, I'm going to have to include myself with the latter. I've yet to see an I-Drive in ANY BMW product or an MMI in ANY Audi product that I liked, could get comfortable with, or had no trouble using. The one in the 5-series is not as complex as the one in the larger 7-series, but that does not make it simple or easy-to-use by any means. Even the sales rep, who drives these cars every day and sells them for a living, couldn't figure part of it out. Granted, spending a lot of time with the system, getting it programmed and customized to one's tastes, gradually getting used to it, and learning how to use the Voice Activation system might make it a little easier to use in the long run, but even that is not assured. Car magazines that have kept long-term-test BMW's for up to a year still sometimes have trouble using it even after a whole year. I certainly wasn't going to master it in just an hour or so ( I spent a good 30 minutes after the half-hour test-drive just trying to figure it out myself ).
Sorry, guys but even if I take some flak for it, I just cannot buy this device. Even getting used to it means reprogramming one all over if you should get a BMW loaner car during service. And driving......especially with a superb drivers' car like this......demands that the driver keep his or her eyes on the road, not fiddling around with a 8-sided knob and a video screen or trying to talk into some speaker....especially with the stereo playing. Fortunately, except for some of the stereo adjustment functions, maintenance computer, and the NAV system, there ARE backup knobs and controls that allow you to by-pass the I-Drive controller.
OK......get ready for a treat. ;)
Now for the part you've all been waiting for. Yes....I'll get to it right now. Once you get past the generally disappointing styling, sheet metal, and interior, and start her up, this car is a BLAST to drive. Even though it is not an M5, only one word describes it.....WOW. :eek2: Start her up by inserting the square plastic ignition " key " into the column-mounted hole, press the starter button, and the big 4.8L V8 fires to life with a refined but a less-than-Lexus level of quietness. Idle a minute or so to get oil pressure up on this cold day, ease the slick, smooth, well-designed shifter back into Automatic drive, and slowly take off, letting the drivetrain warm up. You will not have gone a single block before you know why they call BMW the Ultimate Driving Machine....the power-assisted Active steering ( standard with the Sport package ) is precise, smooth as a baby's butt, and has JUST the right amout of effort for a satisfying feel. Nor does that wonderful steering feel change as the power steering fluid warms up, like it does on some cars. The first speed bump in the dealer parking lot clues you to the marvelous suspension design and tuning.......with, yes, even better to follow on the open road. Brake for the first stop sign and you notice a firm, linear, responsive brake pedal.....perhaps the best outside of rear-engined Porsches.
Like I said earlier, unlike many of my test-drives, today I had a broken-in car, relatively uncongested ( for Northern Virginia ) roads, a marvelous driving machine that approaches near-perfection in sensual feedback, and little or no excuse to drive like Grandma. So, today, I did some DRIVING.
Get the engine temperature up a little ( guessing since there is no gauge ), slide the lever into Sport Manual, downshift a gear or two, punch the gas, and the 360 HP and 360 ft-lbs of torque slingshots the car forward like a NASA rocket sled as you are pressed firmly back into your seat and hear the quite audible, un-Lexus exhaust note behind you. The wide torque curve....and acceleration....holds up through all 6 gears......until I got a quick glimpse of Old Smokey up ahead, parked in his nice white Crown Vic fuzzmobile halfway behind a fence, trying out his new X / K-band special. Obviously, a good QUICK test of the brakes at speed.......same firm, linear, superb response I first felt in the parking lot. Fortunately, I wasn't going really going THAT fast ( despite a love for cars I am a responsible driver ) and I went past the cop at a low enough speed that he didn't flag me ( I guess they know that a lot of people test-drive M's and other high-performance BMW's on that stretch ). The transmission not only has a smooth, slick shifter but, unlike the harsh-shifting SMG, shifts just as smoothly, even under an engine load. The ratios were just about perfect...not too wide or too narrow, but, in the Manual mode, you have to be careful with the lever. Most cars have upshifts by bumping the lever forward and downshifts by bumping the lever back ( or, in the case of Daimler/Chrysler Autosticks, bumping it side-to-side ). The 5-series Steptronic is the opposite....like similiar Mazda units, you bump the lever forward to DOWNshift and back to UPshift. So, if, like me, you are used to other Sportmanuals, you have to remember that this is the opposite.....otherwise you could, if not actually red-line the engine, give the drivetrain a big jolt by downshifting when you meant to upshift. The computer naturally will prevent the ultimate stupidity by locking out a downshift at too high an RPM, but you can still give the car quite a jolt at moderate RPM if you are not careful.
The suspension and chassis was even better than the drivetrain. BMW chassis, steering, and suspension engineers are arguably the world's best. Here, the Ultimate Driving Machine logo means JUST that. The suspension does a superlative job of combining ride comfort, stability, neutral cornering, steering response, and road feel.....even with notoriously harsh-riding, low-profile, run-flat tires. My test car had the sophisticated Active Roll Stabilization feature and the Active Steering system ( part of the Sport Package ) which produced an even better ride / handling / steering combination and feel than the normal, standard 5-Series suspension. I had so much confidence in the chassis engineering of this car that I wasn't afraid, even as the responsible drver I am and with the Stability Control turned off, , to throw it around any reasonable corner at any reasonable speed.....as long, of course, as it wasn't a blind corner, and you could see what was oncoming. The amount of ride comfort, considering the semi race-car handling, was astounding....you barely felt bumps that most cars that handle like this would have you pounding over. I really enjoyed this test-drive, despite the near-ticket, and was disappointed in having to take the car back and turn in the key...............
.............and then I was a lot MORE disappointed spending the NEXT 30 minutes trying to figure out the I-Drive. :mad:
I won't write up a formal verdict on this car like I usually do. Between your own knowledge of the 5-Series and what I have told you here, most of you guys can come up with your own conclusions of whether this is the car for you or not.
Just make sure, when you go to buy or lease one ( you can probably get cheaper monthly payments leasing ) that you have some money in the bank.........you will need it.
http://www.bmwusa.com/
Unlike many of the new cars I review, I had the good fortune to drive one today that was a demo, in excellent shape, with enough miles on it that it was fully broken-in, at a dealership far enough away from Washington, D.C. that the roads were relatively uncongested, and so I was able to drive it a little more aggressively and a little closer to its limits than I usually do with new cars....but still, of course, with common sense....I am a responsible person.
The history of BMW 3 and 5-series products, and their significance in today's auto marketplace, really doesn't need a whole lot of explanation from me here.....many of you at CL are regular readers, like I am, of the magazines that test these vehicles, and are aware of how they usually are at the top or nearly at the top of sport-sedan comparison tests at magazines like Car and Driver, Road and Track, AUTOMOBILE, AUTOWEEK, and others. Although the people that staff these publications and do the car testing give other vehicles their due when deserved, in general they eat, sleep, and breathe BMW and Porsche. And, little wonder........these people, in general, are very sport-minded, tend to want cars that run, handle, and brake aggressively, and are naturally attracted to Bimmers. And, even with the ( in my opinion ) uglier and tinnier bodies, more poorly-finished interiors, iffy electronics, and the awkward I-Drive of the more recent BMW models, you HAVE to give the company its due. BMW has, arguably, the best steering, chassis, and suspension engineers in the world. Under the car's skin, these guys DO their homework....there's no question about that. Unfortunately, the skin itself, on the newer, Chris Bangle-designed cars, is quite another matter. The body sheet metal, door solidness, general interior finish, and of course, the You-Know-What on the console and dash all need more attention.
So....since many of you already know as much or more than I do about the history and status of these cars, let's not waste any more time with that. By special request, here is my review of the 550i Sport:
Model Reviewed: 2007 BMW 550i Sport Steptronic
Base Price: $58,500
Major Options:
Sport Package with Active Roll Stabilization: $2800
Cold Weather Package: $750
NAV System: $1900
Satellite Radio: $595
Logic-7 Surround-Sound System: $1200
Destination Charge: $695
List Price as Reviewed: $66,440
Drivetrain: Front-engine/RWD, longitudial-mount 4.8L V8; 360 HP @ 6300 RPM, torque 360 ft.-lbs @ 3400 RPM
6-Speed Steptronic automatic with Sport and Manual Shift modes and Adaptive Transmission Control.
Exterior Color: Silver Gray Metallic
Interior: Black Dakota Leather with Dark Poplar Grain wood trim.
PLUSSES: :thumbup:
Superlative Steering system and chassis engineering.......a BMW tradition, of course.
Excellent ride-handling combination even with stiff, run-flat tires.
Muscle-car torque and performance.
Good engine layout under the hood.
Smooth, responsive Steptronic Automatic transmission.
Nice-looking alloy wheels on all 5-series models with the Sport Package.
Well-designed shifter.
Heated and cooled cupholders....though I myself rarely drive when consuming beverages.
Good headroom in front despite the sunroof.
Nicely done wood trim.
Fairly roomy trunk. ( No spare tire with the run-flats )
Dull but classy paint colors.
Well-designed primary gauges.
Nice, easy-to-use and solid-feeling air vents.
Warm-your-buns-right-now seat heaters.
Nice stereo...but with clumsy and awkward I-Drive station selectors.
Manual, analog front-seat climate knobs and controls make I-Drive unnecessary for that function.
Free required maintenance for the warranty period.
MINUSES::thumbdn:
Blow-your-bank-account price......and BMW is not known for incentives on this car.
X-Drive AWD system not available in the 550i like with the 525xi and 530xi.
Tinny sheet metal and doors compared to previous-generation 5-series.
Ugly headlights, taillights, and trunk lid.
Poorly finished interior for a car of this price.....with a couple of nice exceptions.
Cheap-looking and cheap-feeling leather on the seats.
No engine-temperature gauge.
I-Drive......need I say more ?
Relatively tight rear-seat headoom and legroom for tall persons.
Paint job OK but not particularly well-done.
Sharp plastic edges on rear-seat climate knobs uncomfortable to grip.
Snobbish, aritocratic nature of many ( NOT all ) BMW reps and dealerships.
4 year/ 50,000 total-car and drivetrain warranty not compatible with other premium-car makes.
Free maintenance during the warranty only covers the computer-signaled maintenance, which can be inadequate,
especially for oil changes.
Expensive parts and service when the warranty DOES run out.......often at arrogantly-run dealerships.
Relatively high insurance rates.
The first impression of this car, as you walk up to it, is that it is immediately recognizable as another member of the Bangle-designed family, but is a little less of an eyesore, and a little better-looking overall, than the larger 7-series. I would place the new 5-series between ( to my opinion ) the ugly 7 series and the generally acceptable-looking 3-series in overall looks, although I still am not a fan ofthe new 5-series' headlights or rear end. It is not a butt-ugly vehicle in the sense of the Pontiac Aztek or Scion xA / xB, but its general styling is just not my cup of tea.
The exterior mirror and trim hardware is generally OK, though you can definitely tell the difference between the old and new 5-series in sheet metal solidness and thickness. The doors on the old car felt and shut like a Moseler safe...the new ones are more lightweight and shut with a tinnier sound.
Other features on the exterior are quite nicely none. The alloy wheels on all of the Sport-Package 5-seriescars are handsome and classy....as befits a drivers' car. The paint job, though not quite up to Toyota / Lexus standards, is generally smooth, even, relatively free from orange peel, and lacking only a little in the luster department. The darker colors, as with most cars, generally have more luster than the lighter ones.
The engine, longitutionally-mounted as with virtually all RWD cars, sits neatly and compactly under the hood, even though it is the largest available powerplant for this car outside of the M5's big V10. It has a plastic cover over the top part of it like most cars these days, but a lot of room is left around the edges of the cover to get to things.....you won't have to raise it up on ramps or a hydraulic lift to get so some things. Apparantly BMW designed this car with not only the driver in mind but the guys who work the service bays......one possible reason for the limited free maintenance.
Inside, the car has a few nice features but generally is a disappointment from the superb interior of the last-generation 5-series. The power tilt / telescope steering wheel is well-done, with a BIG, meaty, well-padded rim to grip....just what you would expect from the industry's best steering systems. The three wide but tapered spokes allow a good view of the equally well-designed primary gauges, which are easy to read at a quick glance. An odd feature, for a classic drivers' car, is the lack of an engine temperature gauge. I could not find one; the salesman couldn't either, and one is not listed in the car's literature either. I guess it's just left to a warning light that goes on when the coolant reaches critical temperature. The turn-signal and cruise-control stalks, on the left side of the column, were nicely designed, solid-feeling, and easy to use.
Other nice features inside were the smooth, well-designed, solid-feeling air vents, relatively well-done but too highly-polished wood trim ( I like a flatter and less-polished wood finish ), adequate head and leg room in the front seat for tall people despite the headroom-encroaching sunroof, heated / cooled front cupholders ( though I rarely use them ), and the well-done stereo, except that the sound quality was, of course, not quite up to the wonderful Mark Levinson unit that I listened to last week in the Lexus LS460, and, yes, though there is a manual knob for off / on / volume and steering-wheel controls for volume, you still have to fiddle with I-Drive to change the stations or make other adjustments. Another nice feature inside was the was the I-Drive-free manual knob / button system for both the front and rear climate control.
The seats, as befits a driver's car, were multi-adjustable, well-shaped and comfortable, but had cheap-looking and cheap-feeling leather on them. Fortunately, as you would expect from BMW, they hold even wide torsos and butts like mine in place while cornering, something that a lot of smooth, waxy leather seats don't do.
The rear seats, as with most cars, are of course, not as roomy as the front ones, and, with the front seats moved back a little, have just adequate leg and foot room for someone my size......and getting my big size 15 shoes out the narrow foot opening was a job. Rear headroom is OK for average-size adults but clearly inadequate for me and my ubiquitous baseball cap. A leather-covered pull-down panel between the rear seats offers covered storage compartments and cupholders.
Much of the rest of the interior, in my opinion, was rather disappointing, with substandard fit-and-finish for a car in this price class....my test car ran a whopping $66,000, and BMW produces some V12 U.S.-market cars that run more than twice that if you really want to blow some cash. As stated previously, I was not impressed with either the seat leather or the door trim. I was also not impressed with the general fit and finish of much of the interior hardware ( except the nice features previously noted ), especially the poorly-finished rear climate-control knobs between the rear seats that were sharp-edged and uncomfortable to grip. However, despite the second-rate hardware in much of the interior, the car seemed tightly built.....I could detect no squeaks or rattles, even on a car with a some miles and a cold day ( 28 degrees ). Cold weather usually makes squeaks and rattles worse because parts contract and you have more clearance between them ). The optional cold-weather package ( my test car had it ) does its job, though, with seat comfort.....the seats heat up fast, and I mean FAST....much quicker than the ones in my admittedly much cheaper Subaru.
And......yes.......the I-Drive. I KNOW that I-Drive, and the similiar Audi MMI, are controversial devices, and that some of you, like doug999 and genearch, like them and have no problems with them, while others curse the day they were invented. I'm sorry, but in all honesty, I'm going to have to include myself with the latter. I've yet to see an I-Drive in ANY BMW product or an MMI in ANY Audi product that I liked, could get comfortable with, or had no trouble using. The one in the 5-series is not as complex as the one in the larger 7-series, but that does not make it simple or easy-to-use by any means. Even the sales rep, who drives these cars every day and sells them for a living, couldn't figure part of it out. Granted, spending a lot of time with the system, getting it programmed and customized to one's tastes, gradually getting used to it, and learning how to use the Voice Activation system might make it a little easier to use in the long run, but even that is not assured. Car magazines that have kept long-term-test BMW's for up to a year still sometimes have trouble using it even after a whole year. I certainly wasn't going to master it in just an hour or so ( I spent a good 30 minutes after the half-hour test-drive just trying to figure it out myself ).
Sorry, guys but even if I take some flak for it, I just cannot buy this device. Even getting used to it means reprogramming one all over if you should get a BMW loaner car during service. And driving......especially with a superb drivers' car like this......demands that the driver keep his or her eyes on the road, not fiddling around with a 8-sided knob and a video screen or trying to talk into some speaker....especially with the stereo playing. Fortunately, except for some of the stereo adjustment functions, maintenance computer, and the NAV system, there ARE backup knobs and controls that allow you to by-pass the I-Drive controller.
OK......get ready for a treat. ;)
Now for the part you've all been waiting for. Yes....I'll get to it right now. Once you get past the generally disappointing styling, sheet metal, and interior, and start her up, this car is a BLAST to drive. Even though it is not an M5, only one word describes it.....WOW. :eek2: Start her up by inserting the square plastic ignition " key " into the column-mounted hole, press the starter button, and the big 4.8L V8 fires to life with a refined but a less-than-Lexus level of quietness. Idle a minute or so to get oil pressure up on this cold day, ease the slick, smooth, well-designed shifter back into Automatic drive, and slowly take off, letting the drivetrain warm up. You will not have gone a single block before you know why they call BMW the Ultimate Driving Machine....the power-assisted Active steering ( standard with the Sport package ) is precise, smooth as a baby's butt, and has JUST the right amout of effort for a satisfying feel. Nor does that wonderful steering feel change as the power steering fluid warms up, like it does on some cars. The first speed bump in the dealer parking lot clues you to the marvelous suspension design and tuning.......with, yes, even better to follow on the open road. Brake for the first stop sign and you notice a firm, linear, responsive brake pedal.....perhaps the best outside of rear-engined Porsches.
Like I said earlier, unlike many of my test-drives, today I had a broken-in car, relatively uncongested ( for Northern Virginia ) roads, a marvelous driving machine that approaches near-perfection in sensual feedback, and little or no excuse to drive like Grandma. So, today, I did some DRIVING.
Get the engine temperature up a little ( guessing since there is no gauge ), slide the lever into Sport Manual, downshift a gear or two, punch the gas, and the 360 HP and 360 ft-lbs of torque slingshots the car forward like a NASA rocket sled as you are pressed firmly back into your seat and hear the quite audible, un-Lexus exhaust note behind you. The wide torque curve....and acceleration....holds up through all 6 gears......until I got a quick glimpse of Old Smokey up ahead, parked in his nice white Crown Vic fuzzmobile halfway behind a fence, trying out his new X / K-band special. Obviously, a good QUICK test of the brakes at speed.......same firm, linear, superb response I first felt in the parking lot. Fortunately, I wasn't going really going THAT fast ( despite a love for cars I am a responsible driver ) and I went past the cop at a low enough speed that he didn't flag me ( I guess they know that a lot of people test-drive M's and other high-performance BMW's on that stretch ). The transmission not only has a smooth, slick shifter but, unlike the harsh-shifting SMG, shifts just as smoothly, even under an engine load. The ratios were just about perfect...not too wide or too narrow, but, in the Manual mode, you have to be careful with the lever. Most cars have upshifts by bumping the lever forward and downshifts by bumping the lever back ( or, in the case of Daimler/Chrysler Autosticks, bumping it side-to-side ). The 5-series Steptronic is the opposite....like similiar Mazda units, you bump the lever forward to DOWNshift and back to UPshift. So, if, like me, you are used to other Sportmanuals, you have to remember that this is the opposite.....otherwise you could, if not actually red-line the engine, give the drivetrain a big jolt by downshifting when you meant to upshift. The computer naturally will prevent the ultimate stupidity by locking out a downshift at too high an RPM, but you can still give the car quite a jolt at moderate RPM if you are not careful.
The suspension and chassis was even better than the drivetrain. BMW chassis, steering, and suspension engineers are arguably the world's best. Here, the Ultimate Driving Machine logo means JUST that. The suspension does a superlative job of combining ride comfort, stability, neutral cornering, steering response, and road feel.....even with notoriously harsh-riding, low-profile, run-flat tires. My test car had the sophisticated Active Roll Stabilization feature and the Active Steering system ( part of the Sport Package ) which produced an even better ride / handling / steering combination and feel than the normal, standard 5-Series suspension. I had so much confidence in the chassis engineering of this car that I wasn't afraid, even as the responsible drver I am and with the Stability Control turned off, , to throw it around any reasonable corner at any reasonable speed.....as long, of course, as it wasn't a blind corner, and you could see what was oncoming. The amount of ride comfort, considering the semi race-car handling, was astounding....you barely felt bumps that most cars that handle like this would have you pounding over. I really enjoyed this test-drive, despite the near-ticket, and was disappointed in having to take the car back and turn in the key...............
.............and then I was a lot MORE disappointed spending the NEXT 30 minutes trying to figure out the I-Drive. :mad:
I won't write up a formal verdict on this car like I usually do. Between your own knowledge of the 5-Series and what I have told you here, most of you guys can come up with your own conclusions of whether this is the car for you or not.
Just make sure, when you go to buy or lease one ( you can probably get cheaper monthly payments leasing ) that you have some money in the bank.........you will need it.