EBMCS03

No No No No Not the beeping sound... I ment listen to the "CLUNK" that it makes when it looks the doors. it sounds loud and, for a lack of a better word, cheaper. Less insulation in the side of the car so you hear the lock mechanism more. I'm just trying to say that the E60 is better.

youyou

Lololol.... didn't notice that, but will definitely pay attention to it next time I go to the dealers.

spinedoc

A couple of things.

1. I-Drive, NAV are very cool options on the 5
2. Logic-7 sounds much better in the 5
3. No comparison on styling

EBMCS03

Oh and dont forget to knock on the side panals to hear the quality there too.

youyou

Isn't the Nav and idrive system the same thing on the 5 series and on the new 2006 3 series?

eugeneloke

definitely the e60 - as it's got a "big car" feel.

more comfy & confident that a 330

Shebs

Youyou,

I am 25 years old so we are the same age. I can feel the dilemma you are going through. I came to the 5 series E60 from an Alfa Romeo 156, which was even sportier than the E46. At the beginning I was frustrated due to the large size of the car and the inability to chuck it right and left as easily as I did with my Alfa. I also found the cornering speeds not to be as high as the Alfa. But having been driving the E60 for three months now, I can tell you it is a fun car to drive and it has more potential than I initially thought. It is chuckable, the chassis is very well balanced, and the stock suspension setup is very smartly configured. So the car is very comfortable and at the same time sporty, if with some body roll that you will have to get used to.

Now I was going to buy a 320i and I paid for a deposit, but when I saw it parked in Alexandria, and was in silver color (which shows its lines very well), I said to myself: "I will never ever be able to live with a car that has these tail lights. Impossible. It is very very ugly." So I picked up the phone, called BMW sales engineer and told him to change my order to a 520i. The guy was astonished, since the E60 was 35% more expensive than the E90. But I decided to go for the E60 due to its presence and better design both on the exterior and interior aspects.

Now my final advice for you:

If you are in your car a lot of time, you travel frequently and for long distances, and need a car that will give you prestige with all people giving you looks then go for the E60 525i .

But if you are a very sporty driver who takes his car to a track once a week and who usually turns of the DSC and do power slides when he is on his way home, then go for the E90 330i. That is only if you are able to park your car in a way that you won't see the taillights when you approach it .

I've just test driven the E90 on an autocross course last Saturday with some sandy tarmac. The E90 proved to be more capable than the E60 in terms of handling and agility, but it is not as solid, big (which turned out to be an important thing, I never thought of that as an important issue but when I was in the E90 I felt it was very cramped) or prestigious as the E60. The interior is made from cheaper materials and looks far behind the interior of an E60. And those tail lights .

So after all, it is up to you. I hope I was helpful and did not confuse you more than you are already .

gf366

Totally agree... Almost everyone here owns a E60, if we don't like the e60, we wouldn't even be in this forum... So, everyone here would have a certain degree of bias...

Set aside the interior room, build quality and speed... The most important factor to determine if you should be a E60 driver or E90 driver, is your age. Fellows with younger age tends to go w/ the 3er, and fellows w/ 40+ yrs old tends to go w/ the 5er...

youyou

Thank you for your insight on this matter.
I completely understand what you are saying about the look of the e90, it doesn't look as prestigious as the e60.
Yes I am only 26 but I don't think that the 5 series is that much of an older man's car. I wouldn't see myself in a 7 series but 5 series i think is a good size.
Shebs, No I don't take my car to the track every week and power slide...lololol... I basically just want enough speed to cut people off from the right lane when I need and basically just enough torque to pop it in to 2nd gear from 3rd gear and feel some juice from the car ( if you know what i mean)...
My problem is that my volvo s60t5 goes back to the dealer on friday (lease return) and I will have no car till December when they deliver the 5 series.... I guess I will have to rent a car for 2 months?!?!?!?
But from all your help here in this forum I think it's worth the wait.

BetterMakeWay

Hehehe neither did i think i could end up in an e60, and do as many powerslides as i can I mean almost every opportunity turns into a sure fact. I thought when i bought the car, i will never ever abuse it (drift, drag...). In my mind i thought then: ooooh it's so shiny and it would be a sin to start driftin with it, and it has an automatic and and and.... Till i found out that it is a mindblowing car (my 1st bimmer btw) , it is sooooo beautifuly balanced and so responsive and then the handling, the steering transmits so much feedback that i often can't help myself driving hard, even though at the begining i was convinced i would never do that.
In a way i miss the petrol engine and the high reavvy sound, but i have torque power by my side even though sometimes i feel " oh my God if this is how a 5er acts, how about the M3 Competition Package?!?!" wich here it's in the same price range. And i feel a little . But then i think that with that car i could probably kill myself.
So if i were you i would still pick the e60 even if it's a bit slower, but it has alot more to offer. Especially those eyebrows and that beastly look.
Good luck in your decision and remember either way u choose, it would still be a BMW.