From a 745Li to a 545i
08-13-2005, 04:59 PM
#1
Members
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just took delivery of my 545i last week. Used to own an e66 745Li before, and an e46 325ci before that.
My 545i is an alpine white variant with all the options except for HUD. I really missed the manny tranny in my 325ci when I had the 7 and welcome the 6-speed manual in the 545i.
Got a great deal on it. Someone else cancelled the order at the last moment, and the dealer was having some problems getting the car off the lot due to the manny tranny. Of course, the moment I saw it, I knew that I wanted it. Especially in white. The 7 was black, which looked killer when clean, but way too much of a pain to maintain. My 3 was silver and that was very easy to maintain.
The 545i is tiny in terms of interior space compared to the 745Li, but is a dream to drive. Really. What a great balance of sportiness and comfort. I thought the ride would be more harsh with low profile 275/35 tires, but was pleasantly surprised. The 7 which had the 19" rims did not ride that much more smoother. Really. And it wasn't that much more quiet either. But it was a LOT more roomier.
The clutch on the e60 is a lot more forgiving (engagement range much larger) than on the e46. Still acclimating myself. The active stabilization, which was also on my 7 makes a much larger difference thanks to the better handling dynamics of the e60.
Overall, I'm very impressed with the car. It's the balance between sportiness and comfort that really WOWs me each time I drive it. It's quite fast and handles like a true sports coupe, yet has four doors and has a very smooth, quiet ride. Combined with the excellent deal I got, I'm a very happy camper.
MMAfia
My 545i is an alpine white variant with all the options except for HUD. I really missed the manny tranny in my 325ci when I had the 7 and welcome the 6-speed manual in the 545i.
Got a great deal on it. Someone else cancelled the order at the last moment, and the dealer was having some problems getting the car off the lot due to the manny tranny. Of course, the moment I saw it, I knew that I wanted it. Especially in white. The 7 was black, which looked killer when clean, but way too much of a pain to maintain. My 3 was silver and that was very easy to maintain.
The 545i is tiny in terms of interior space compared to the 745Li, but is a dream to drive. Really. What a great balance of sportiness and comfort. I thought the ride would be more harsh with low profile 275/35 tires, but was pleasantly surprised. The 7 which had the 19" rims did not ride that much more smoother. Really. And it wasn't that much more quiet either. But it was a LOT more roomier.
The clutch on the e60 is a lot more forgiving (engagement range much larger) than on the e46. Still acclimating myself. The active stabilization, which was also on my 7 makes a much larger difference thanks to the better handling dynamics of the e60.
Overall, I'm very impressed with the car. It's the balance between sportiness and comfort that really WOWs me each time I drive it. It's quite fast and handles like a true sports coupe, yet has four doors and has a very smooth, quiet ride. Combined with the excellent deal I got, I'm a very happy camper.
MMAfia
. aren't most of the mafia driving mercedes 
?
08-13-2005, 05:52 PM
#4
Members
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Toronto CA
Posts: 145
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 550745540
I agree with you completely. Having also moved from a 745i, the difference between cars is remarkable. My biggest beef with 7 was the tranny didn't allow you to take advantage of the wonderful engine. Now, with a manual, it moves.
08-13-2005, 06:02 PM
#5
Contributors
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Silicon Valley Area
Posts: 601
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 2008 M5 -- Exterior: Silverstone, Interior: Black. Fully Loaded. That just about sums it up! :-)
Welcome MMafia!
Thanks for the "real life" insight. Now to see some nice pix of your new car!
-Tony
Thanks for the "real life" insight. Now to see some nice pix of your new car!
-Tony
08-13-2005, 08:05 PM
#6
Super Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Pittsburgh, PA USA
Posts: 17,310
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes
on
2 Posts
My Ride: G30 M550i
Model Year: 2018
Alpine White, you gotta love it! Nice choice MM!! It's nice to see the comparison between the 7 and the 5 and I'm glad you are enjoying your new ride. Good luck with it and welcome to the forums.
08-13-2005, 08:36 PM
#8
Members
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hahaha, nope, the mafia don't roll only in benzinos. MMAfia is an old sig that I kept from the old days when I helped setup e46fanatics.com...
Some observations...
1. Turn signals. The 7 had a similar type of switch lever which was electronic and not manual... but the e60 has a feature where if u tap it, it blinks 3 times and automatically shuts off... this took a little getting used to.
2. I-drive. My 2002 7 had the very first incarnation of the i-drive... although i was fine with it, the radio user interface bothered me a lot. They really did a good job with the e60. The radio interface is very easy now. Also, the navigation system is more 'snappy' and although the turn-by-turn directions don't appear in the speedos like in the 7, it still appears to the right of the map.
3. No trunk close feature. Didn't think I was going to miss that feature... but after living with it for years, i do now.
4. No soft, auto-close doors. Again, spoiled by the 7. But the trunk does open VERY quickly.
5. Lighting under the side rear view mirrors. Pleasantly surprised to see the nice, bright, white LED lighting the ground at night!
6. No blind spots. Even though the side rear view mirrors are relatively small, the car's dimensions and ABC pillars provide a good view around the car. The 7 had blind spots that required double-takes to make sure before making a maneuver.
7. Awesome handling. My fiancee has a Z4 that handles very well too, but the e60 takes care of corners with less drama and more confidence IMO.
ok, gotta run now. the woman calls for me. i'll try to take some pix and put them up soon.
MMAfia
Some observations...
1. Turn signals. The 7 had a similar type of switch lever which was electronic and not manual... but the e60 has a feature where if u tap it, it blinks 3 times and automatically shuts off... this took a little getting used to.
2. I-drive. My 2002 7 had the very first incarnation of the i-drive... although i was fine with it, the radio user interface bothered me a lot. They really did a good job with the e60. The radio interface is very easy now. Also, the navigation system is more 'snappy' and although the turn-by-turn directions don't appear in the speedos like in the 7, it still appears to the right of the map.
3. No trunk close feature. Didn't think I was going to miss that feature... but after living with it for years, i do now.
4. No soft, auto-close doors. Again, spoiled by the 7. But the trunk does open VERY quickly.
5. Lighting under the side rear view mirrors. Pleasantly surprised to see the nice, bright, white LED lighting the ground at night!
6. No blind spots. Even though the side rear view mirrors are relatively small, the car's dimensions and ABC pillars provide a good view around the car. The 7 had blind spots that required double-takes to make sure before making a maneuver.
7. Awesome handling. My fiancee has a Z4 that handles very well too, but the e60 takes care of corners with less drama and more confidence IMO.
ok, gotta run now. the woman calls for me. i'll try to take some pix and put them up soon.
MMAfia
08-14-2005, 04:23 AM
#9
Senior Members
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Bucharest, Romania
Posts: 6,458
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Nice comparo! I have one thing i don't know: so if i play a cd or listen to a radio how can i turn off the music? I use the mute button on the steering wheel, but that doesn't shut off properly the cd; it keeps running and running on mute...seems strange to me if i want not to spin the cd all day long i have to switch to fm via idrive. Hmmm....
08-14-2005, 08:18 AM
#10
Contributors
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: FLA - East Coast, USA
Posts: 3,618
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: (USA) 645Ci, Silver Gray, Chateau, Cold Weather PKG, Premium Sound PKG, Sport PKG, Step, NAV [Std Equip in 645], HUD, Satellite (SIRIUS) Radio, Aux Input, Bluetooth enabled using iPhone 3GS w/ adapter cradle - Build date - 01/05, Baby delivered 2/24/05
Originally Posted by BetterMakeWay' date='Aug 14 2005, 08:23 AM
Nice comparo! I have one thing i don't know: so if i play a cd or listen to a radio how can i turn off the music? I use the mute button on the steering wheel, but that doesn't shut off properly the cd; it keeps running and running on mute...seems strange to me if i want not to spin the cd all day long i have to switch to fm via idrive. Hmmm....
[snapback]159147[/snapback]