Test drove M45 today 545 yesterday
03-01-2005, 10:25 PM
#21
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I really disagree with you guys...
I think BMW has more lemons per capita then Lexus or Infiniti have coming out of their factories, but if you get a perfect non-lemon BMW (consider your lucky for that), you will see that a well built bimmer will go much much farther than any Japanese car...
Case in point, my friends 645Ci and my other friends 645Cic. The Ci is flawless, almost unheard of for an 02/04' 6 series. iDrive has never frozen, nothing has ever failed.. ever. The 645Cic on the other hand, was probably a friday car and is in the shop quite often...
I however, thank god have always had great luck with Bimmers. All the 4 BMW's i have owned are flawless... But thats only because I pray to the bimmer god before I buy every new bmw!!!
I think BMW has more lemons per capita then Lexus or Infiniti have coming out of their factories, but if you get a perfect non-lemon BMW (consider your lucky for that), you will see that a well built bimmer will go much much farther than any Japanese car...
Case in point, my friends 645Ci and my other friends 645Cic. The Ci is flawless, almost unheard of for an 02/04' 6 series. iDrive has never frozen, nothing has ever failed.. ever. The 645Cic on the other hand, was probably a friday car and is in the shop quite often...
I however, thank god have always had great luck with Bimmers. All the 4 BMW's i have owned are flawless... But thats only because I pray to the bimmer god before I buy every new bmw!!!
03-25-2005, 06:54 AM
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Originally Posted by darkside' date='Feb 19 2005, 07:05 PM
Yesterday was my first driving experience in the 545, and as I posted I was very impressed. Partly due to Wolverine's post, I decided to test drive the M45 today. My first impression was that there is a lot of gagets, but my overall impression of both the interior and exterior was not one of really high quality. Nonetheless, it is an attractive car and has all the bells and whistles including a back up camera, a nice Navigation system, active cruise control, and so on. The test drive was only OK. I'm not sure if there is that much car to car difference between the car I drove and the one Wolverine drove, but this was no BMW. The steering feel was sloppy, and I just did not feel that much in control. Now I've been driving an e 46 M3 the last two years, so my standards are pretty high. But this did not diminish my impression of the 545; in fact I thought the 545 handled incredibly. I also did not get that feeling of power that I did in the 545. All in all the BMW was a much tighter, together vehicle, and the brakes had a much more linear feel.
Now I'm not an expert. And in no way am I saying I know more about cars and handling than Wolverine; in fact I probably know less. But I know how I felt maneuvering these sedans through traffic at speeds of 60-90 mph and there was flat out no comparison. I wouldln't dream of giving up my M3 for the Infinity, but I just might do so for the 545i or 550i.To make a long story short BMW is indeed in a class by itself! But we already know that don't we!
Now I'm not an expert. And in no way am I saying I know more about cars and handling than Wolverine; in fact I probably know less. But I know how I felt maneuvering these sedans through traffic at speeds of 60-90 mph and there was flat out no comparison. I wouldln't dream of giving up my M3 for the Infinity, but I just might do so for the 545i or 550i.To make a long story short BMW is indeed in a class by itself! But we already know that don't we!
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03-25-2005, 09:56 AM
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Originally Posted by darkside' date='Feb 20 2005, 05:47 PM
Wolverine, I drove the M45 sport version with the 19" wheels. I did notice that the rear tires were 45s whereas the BMW has 75s on the rear and 45s on the front. I really did not like the braking on the Infinity or the steering. And it didn't push me back in the seat when I pressed the accelerator to the floor as the BMW did. The clincher was a fairly sharp curved freeway offramp. I thought I might lose control. This would have been a breeze at a much higher speed in my M3, and I suspect in the 545 sport as well. By the way, my daughter who was a passenger felt the same way about the freeway offramp, a very unsteady feeling. In contrast I loved the active roll stabilization in the 545, and felt very secure on a sharply curved freeway offramp at speed.
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Of course, the 545 'excites' like no other car, and that is the big reason a lot of us buy BMW's. I have to agree with a previous post on the reliability - if you're lucky enough to get a 'perfect' BMW, you have the best car you can buy. If you get one of the bad ones though, it can be the worst of the worst.
The Japanese cars won't give you as much trouble, but they won't give you as much pleasure either!
04-21-2005, 12:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Guest' date='Mar 6 2005, 05:05 AM
[quote name='Guest' date='Mar 4 2005, 07:38 PM']545i? ? ? ? 0 to 100mph 13.2 seconds?
06 M45? ? 0 to 100mph 14.0 seconds
06 M45? ? 0 to 100mph 14.0 seconds
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[/quote]Car&Driver
04-25-2005, 10:52 AM
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My Ride: X3 | 3.0 | 6-speed manual
I drove an M45, and then the 545i. I really preferred the ride in the 545i and so I bought one.
The comment I made very quickly to the Infinity salesman during the test drive was that the M45 felt "very big" as I was driving it. I'm not sure why it felt that way other than the relatively heavy steering. It just felt like a big heavy car, which some people might actually prefer.
The comment I made very quickly to the Infinity salesman during the test drive was that the M45 felt "very big" as I was driving it. I'm not sure why it felt that way other than the relatively heavy steering. It just felt like a big heavy car, which some people might actually prefer.
04-28-2005, 11:26 AM
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My Ride: 2004 545i 6 spd Sports Package | NAV | PDC | Logic 7 | BT retrofit | SW V13.3
Originally Posted by Bart001' date='Apr 25 2005, 10:52 AM
I drove an M45, and then the 545i.? I really preferred the ride in the 545i and so I bought one.
The comment I made very quickly to the Infinity salesman during the test drive was that the M45 felt "very big" as I was driving it.? I'm not sure why it felt that way other than the relatively heavy steering.? It just felt like a big heavy car, which some people might actually prefer.
The comment I made very quickly to the Infinity salesman during the test drive was that the M45 felt "very big" as I was driving it.? I'm not sure why it felt that way other than the relatively heavy steering.? It just felt like a big heavy car, which some people might actually prefer.
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04-28-2005, 03:32 PM
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Originally Posted by Hormazd' date='Apr 28 2005, 12:26 PM
[quote name='Bart001' date='Apr 25 2005, 10:52 AM']I drove an M45, and then the 545i.? I really preferred the ride in the 545i and so I bought one.
The comment I made very quickly to the Infinity salesman during the test drive was that the M45 felt "very big" as I was driving it.? I'm not sure why it felt that way other than the relatively heavy steering.? It just felt like a big heavy car, which some people might actually prefer.
The comment I made very quickly to the Infinity salesman during the test drive was that the M45 felt "very big" as I was driving it.? I'm not sure why it felt that way other than the relatively heavy steering.? It just felt like a big heavy car, which some people might actually prefer.
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[/quote]Exactly. I test drove most of the cars in the same price range as the 545i. The M45 had all of the pieces, but you can tell they were put together by number-crunchers, not artists. The 545i DANCES ON THE ROAD. As I'm sure all 545i owners know, it's a feeling that's hard to describe but if you like to drive you know it immediately. The only other car that came close was the Audi S4 and for non-sedans, the Boxster.
05-18-2005, 08:44 AM
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I predict that if BMW doesnt get there act together with fixing problems in there cars they will loose alot of business to Infinity and Lexus. I bought a 545 on bmws reputation and it was the woorst decision i made based on all the problems i had and the sercice departments unwillingness to fix it or make it right. I now have an m45, and it clowns the 545 in so many ways.