Tuga

I'm getting the 530d in April. A friend of mine is getting the 530i.
The price is the same, around 73.000 Eur.
I think the 530d is a fuel saver compared to the 530i.
The 530d makes it around 8/9 liters/100 Km runnig very fast and the 530i spends around 12/13 liters at the same fast speed.
And the 530d is a very fast car.... faster than the 530i in a ordinary road driving.
Can you give your opinion? Does the 530i has a chance with the 530d?
Tuga.

jonboy

Not really no. The 530d has about the same power but gobfuls more torque, 530i is c220 lb ft vs c360lb ft for the diesel. I'd even wager on the 530d over the 530i round a track.

E60-530d-London

Hi Tuga

Your friend will struggle to keep up with your 530d around the fantastic driving roads you have in Lisbon (assuming that's were you are). Especially when you have it chipped! Were you planning to tell him/her about this ;-)

Seriously, let me know how the car feels after the addition of the chip as I may do exactly the same to my car.

stu

I went for the diesel simply due resale values....
But it's my first diesel and do have some concerns.
Garry - I know you get your car in a few weeks - so I'm looking for some feedback!
Mine due March 17 ...

E60-530d-London

Stu

I was in exactly the same situation as you two months ago. I got sick of filling the tank on my Audi Allroad 2.7T twice a week (>?100/week on fuel). So I marched into the local BMW dealer determined to buy an X5 3.0d. Funny how things work out: to reach the X5 in the showroom I had to walk past a Titanium grey 530d - the first one I had seen in the flesh - and my immediate gut-reaction was "wow, what a really modern-looking design". I would have bought the X5 but for my wife's killer question - how many times did you take of Allroad offroad? - and I guess you can imagine the answer. So then the question became - what engine for the E60? I read a few of the reviews (some of which I've posted here before) and took a loaner out. Result - I bought the diesel and never looked back.

It is a seriously fast car - but is a very laid-back drive as well - which sounds contradictory until you learn how to use the Auto box in either D or DS depending upon mood. At speed it is *really* quiet, butwhen you use the engine in earnest it makes a really nice sound (OK, Jonboy, not quite like a V8) but forget the clattery diesel noises of old (except first thing on a cold day). Plus 35-40mpg and a range of 500 miles plus.

You can tell that I love this car and having owned some interesting drives in the past (an early 5-series, Porsche 928, 968, Mercs, Audi) I can tell you that this car maanges to strike the balance between driver entertainment and comfort.

Given these views, I'm genuinely interested in what your concerns are?

jonboy

what are your concerns stu?

in terms of performance the 530d is superior to equivalent petrol motors and on the move is brisk enough. Don't know what gearbox you've gone for but the auto is recommended. Diesels generally have a low 1st gear, this combined with the 6 speed box means that in a manual 530d you've hardly moved before u need to change again. In the auto as E60-530d-London mentioned it's impressively brisk and makes it's own special kind of noise. Not clattery, kind of menacing, different from the in-line 6.

chill out and enjoy the wait to March - you won't be disappointed

520i next Wednesday!

my 520i, auto, with nav and a few but all in all not many options topped out at ?30K.

The smaller engine also has high resale numbers, uses less fuel than the 3l petrols(of course not less than the diesel - I will miss the phenomenal mileage of my current 320d), and has a double lower tax plus: lower emissions with the 2.2l and a lower by ?4K+ price, keeping the tax relatively in hand.

in all, in my situation, it works out perfect: as a company car, fits exactly my budget and leaves me with only the tax to pay.. the bigger engines would have cost me more than I wanted to spend.

and I've driven the 520i... maybe it doesn't blast you quite so quick but it both does and looks the business.
So i guess it will do.

stu

Hi Guys.
Thanks for the postings - really reassuring. I'm replacing a V6 SLK 320 manual and had intended ( due new son Ben born 4 weeks ago ) to buy an M3 ( import and broker cars being offered for 36.5K new ) . I'd considered a V6 Cayenne too - since it comes with leather and met paint inc the list price and is an impressive car for ?34 K !
I first thought the 5 series to be ugly.
As you say Gary - when you see it in the flesh in the right colour its a different proposition ! Also Isuk's pictures of his saphire black + Auburn car really surprised me . I thought this would be ideal - since the M3 was always going to stretch the budget and be expensive to insure and run.
However, as I read more and investigated things the 530d began to make sense.
I had a 5 series 10 years ago and did 100,000 miles in 25 months . It was faultless. Thank goodness I have changed careers now and only drive 11,000 per year !


I drove the 530d (18 inch 124 style wheels auto box) at Sytner Solihull.

Firstly, my experience contradicts many of those observations found in the magazine tests.
People have raved about the engine. The engine has been found to be as good as a petrol engine ? Journalists say ? ?why bother with a petrol 530??
Well I was impressed ? certainly the 5000rpm redline sets it aside from other diesels. BUT it?s still a diesel. I?d far rather have a petrol unit any day. It makes a gruff noise for sure ? but you wouldn?t describe it as a nice sound. There is a slight ?chuffy ?sound too. No passenger is going to mistake it for a petrol unit when you put your foot down.

The performance is ok ? but with the auto box it?s not going to keep up with more sporty machinery. In the BMW car of the year article they claim it kept up with
the z4 3.0 on Welsh roads. Well the z4 must have been driven by an old lady.
The 530d is fantastically quick for a 44mpg car ?. But as a sports saloon I?m unsure.
As Clarkson says ? there is far too much slurring and whooshing from the auto box before you get any real acceleration. It stomps along the motorway nicely but I wouldn?t want to overtake on a single carriageway road with the diesel auto.

Perhaps the Sytner car was still tight and had yet to loosen up?
I found the ride to be very Good whereas many tests slated it.? It?s perfectly acceptable on the 18? run flat tyres ( Bridgestone) . Perhaps its even better on the 17?? The 124 style wheels are well suited to the car and set it off nicely .
The steering ? which I was expecting to be flawless ? was uninspiring. It tram lined a bit and needed careful helming on wet country roads. Certainly it felt no more fun that an E class ? though journalists find it in a different league.
I couldn?t test the grip ? but I?m sure it?s superb. The car like all BM?s sits on the road well and feels very stable when pushed. The ESP light came on a few times ? nice to have that as standard.

The stalks around the wheel (3) have an unusual movement and the indicators are easily mis-operated. ( maybe me!)

All the usual BM stuff was fabulous ? driving position ( though no for-aft seat electrics just backrest and height!). Good manual control of the auto box ? though I prefer the merc sideways action when in manual mode ? to BM?s for aft shove.. A huge boot and comfy seats complete the picture.

The test car had Dakota leather ? which felt a bit "cardboardy" . It didn?t have a nice feel or smell. Maybe it?s best to pay for the next step up.
The park distance control is nicely integrated with the screen and I?m delighted to see it?s standard fit. (as is the essential metallic paint on the 530d)
The I drive is fab and surely the way forwards. Incidentally the one option I?d like to see integrated would be an ?Origin Blue type? GPS speedtrap database! That would be worthwhile. It?s difficult to see how any private buyer could afford the silly BM prices for Navigation and TV options. (?1650 and ?610 respectively)

I've ordered my car from Coopers in Sevenoaks. Due here March 17.
I'm thrilled - but at home well ....
The missus is unsure of her ability to park it in the local hospital car park and to be honest she doesn't like the style.
Maybe I should have got her more involved in selecting the car .
However the price increase was coming - so i was in a hurry- and just having given birth I could hardly drag her round the local dealers.

To be honest I now love the style of the 5 series . The more you see on the road the more it grows on you. I was amazed by the photos of ISUK?s car described above.
The basic price is very good and the only options you really need are leather, heated front seats and wheels of your choice ( Personally I love the 124 style)
As the first post in the thread questioned ....I would go for a petrol one but I?m sure it would be hard to sell in 2 years ? so it will have to be the diesel! (Incidentally through BMW buyers www.bmwbuyers.co.uk, no connection!) you can purchase from a UK dealer a car to your spec at 5% discount. This seems too good to be true! Please let me know if anyone has any experience of this?

For me it seems there is no other car that offers such a blend of looks, performance and driver appeal ( I?m still unconvinced by the slush box though!)
Jonboy and 530d London - thanks again to post your thoughts here. It all seems so much more valid than the thoughts of a journalist in a few inches of magazine column. Cheers!

Tuga

Performance air filter from K&N, for 530d E60, Ref. E-2657.
Have a look, E60-530d-London !
I tried it in the 525d E39, saves a little fuel, more air intake, a "cool" breath sound...
I will try it again and with the chip i think it will be.... just fine.
Tuga.

stu

Tuga. What country are you in?