Driving 2004 525i Sport - Impressions
10-24-2007, 07:57 AM
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My Ride: 530i n52
Model Year: 2006
I've been driving '04 525i Sport for a couple of weeks. It's got 17" oem rims with new Sumitomo HTR+ tires dealer mounted.
I have a few impressions...
I thought the steering wheel felt a little heavy, making the car feel heavy or maybe it's just that the car is heavy. Active steering is a great feature, very transparent. You'll notice how much of a difference it makes when you get into a car that doesn't have active steering. There seems to be a slight vibration going through the steering wheel, very small but noticeable. This could be due to wheel balance. I've heard BMW's are sensitive to it. Overall the steering response is great. Almost too sharp for a luxury car, but this might also have something to do with sport package and active roll stabilization. As a passenger, the car's reflexes are too sharp but as a driver who enjoys driving it's great. The slight vibrations and what felt like random knocking on the floor were also not welcomed. These were minor, but unexpected since I thought the car would be much better isolated from such vibrations.
I would probably omit the Sport package if I had a long commute. Surprisingly, it does absorb road imperfection pretty well for a car that sits this low. BMW definitely spend time perfecting the ride. Probably the best in its class. It's just slightly harsh when you speak of luxury.
Transmission is acting weird sometimes. This transmission allows manual shifting. When I'm in a hurry to accelerate from a stop, there is a delay before the trans. sends all the power to the wheels. Somewhere around 1.5k-2k rpm it feels like the torque converter locks, this produces a chirp from the rear wheels. This behavior is abrupt in it's execution. Sometimes trans. is reluctant to shift, I would have to bury the throttle to get it to respond. Other times when going uphill, it does find the right gear without a problem. There must be an incline sensor.
The power... The engine might be weak but it does have decent pull past 3k rpm. It seems like there is slight delay by the time you hit the throttle and feel the car accelerate. I've always driven a stick, so this might have something to do with automatic.
I've heard about Sprint Booster that increases engine response, but I just don't understand how you can speed up the flow of electrons through the wires (If that's what it's claiming to do)?! Unless this device needs to calculate something then it could contain a faster processor, otherwise altering the signal to do what I can do with my right foot is ripoff and deception. If this is the case I'm not yet lazy enough to not accomplish this task myself.
The I-drive is too slow. I've heard this is fixed in newer models. The heavy steering, delayed engine/trans and computer controls response, it's like a perfect harmony of slowness. The seats are a bit slippery for something that can take corners this well. All this contributes to me not wanting to push the car hard but rather drive it in a relaxed state. Overall this is the car I wouldn't mind owning since it does have lots of positives.
I have a few impressions...
I thought the steering wheel felt a little heavy, making the car feel heavy or maybe it's just that the car is heavy. Active steering is a great feature, very transparent. You'll notice how much of a difference it makes when you get into a car that doesn't have active steering. There seems to be a slight vibration going through the steering wheel, very small but noticeable. This could be due to wheel balance. I've heard BMW's are sensitive to it. Overall the steering response is great. Almost too sharp for a luxury car, but this might also have something to do with sport package and active roll stabilization. As a passenger, the car's reflexes are too sharp but as a driver who enjoys driving it's great. The slight vibrations and what felt like random knocking on the floor were also not welcomed. These were minor, but unexpected since I thought the car would be much better isolated from such vibrations.
I would probably omit the Sport package if I had a long commute. Surprisingly, it does absorb road imperfection pretty well for a car that sits this low. BMW definitely spend time perfecting the ride. Probably the best in its class. It's just slightly harsh when you speak of luxury.
Transmission is acting weird sometimes. This transmission allows manual shifting. When I'm in a hurry to accelerate from a stop, there is a delay before the trans. sends all the power to the wheels. Somewhere around 1.5k-2k rpm it feels like the torque converter locks, this produces a chirp from the rear wheels. This behavior is abrupt in it's execution. Sometimes trans. is reluctant to shift, I would have to bury the throttle to get it to respond. Other times when going uphill, it does find the right gear without a problem. There must be an incline sensor.
The power... The engine might be weak but it does have decent pull past 3k rpm. It seems like there is slight delay by the time you hit the throttle and feel the car accelerate. I've always driven a stick, so this might have something to do with automatic.
I've heard about Sprint Booster that increases engine response, but I just don't understand how you can speed up the flow of electrons through the wires (If that's what it's claiming to do)?! Unless this device needs to calculate something then it could contain a faster processor, otherwise altering the signal to do what I can do with my right foot is ripoff and deception. If this is the case I'm not yet lazy enough to not accomplish this task myself.
The I-drive is too slow. I've heard this is fixed in newer models. The heavy steering, delayed engine/trans and computer controls response, it's like a perfect harmony of slowness. The seats are a bit slippery for something that can take corners this well. All this contributes to me not wanting to push the car hard but rather drive it in a relaxed state. Overall this is the car I wouldn't mind owning since it does have lots of positives.
10-24-2007, 09:36 AM
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I will tell you first hand from someone who just installed a sprint booster on my car. Then I drove a 528 without it yesterday-the difference is HUGE. Especially if you drive in the auto modes DS/D-you can simply tap the pedal and the gear shifts are immediate downshifts and acceleration. It simply takes the input into the pedal and amplifies it to the computer so the car thinks the pedal is depressed lower and faster than it is. In order to do that with your left foot without teh SB you would be constantly having to floor the gas through its entire range of movement, not something that is natural to do.
Also it creates downshifts that are lightening quick and appropriate. For example fi you are coasting along at 40 and need to accelerate you tap on the gas in DS mode and instantly it downshifts and takes off v. before the SB you would have to mash the pedal quite a bit and a big lag in the time it took to downshift.
It is pretty much universal on this board and every other board I read about the SB in that despite it may not being completely clear how it works-it DOES work
Also it creates downshifts that are lightening quick and appropriate. For example fi you are coasting along at 40 and need to accelerate you tap on the gas in DS mode and instantly it downshifts and takes off v. before the SB you would have to mash the pedal quite a bit and a big lag in the time it took to downshift.
It is pretty much universal on this board and every other board I read about the SB in that despite it may not being completely clear how it works-it DOES work
10-24-2007, 10:56 AM
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My Ride: 2008 550I M Sport, Premium pkg, Logic 7, Sport Automatic Trans, Paddle Shifters, Nav, Comfort Access, Rear Shades, Satellite, PDC
Where can a sprint booster be purchased? Does it cause any warranty concerns?
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