First three days with a new 530d
08-31-2003, 11:42 PM
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I received my 530d on Friday. Titanium Grey with Kastanienbraun Dakota interior. The colour combo is good (better than I expected).
I have only a few extras (sports suspension, xenon etc.) - so instead of discussing electronics I will concentrate on my first opinion on the real qualities of the car itself:
Engine: I have never had a diesel before. The engine noise is very subtle. Torque: below 1800 rpm sluggish - above 1800 you have it all. Power: through all of these years I have been looking for horsepower. With 530d I bet that all the horses are there, but Mr. Torque shouts so much louder!
Drivetrain (manual): 1st and 2nd gear too short, 3rd absolutely insanely great for driving on Finnish B- and C-roads, 4th & 5th ok, 6th ok for motorway use.
Driving: All I can say is great. Turn-in good, balance through corners excellent, the car feels smaller than its size and (what is very rare nowadays) it goes straight on motorway without steering inputs.
Suspension: The sports suspension is good, firm but not hard. What is the difference to normal suspension - I do not know.
Downsides:
- The quality of the cupholders (front) not as high as that of other parts in the cabin.
- Mr. Bangle has forgotten that the driver of a car might want to see all or at least one of the corners of his vehicle - in E60 you have no idea where the corners of your car are.
Surprise of the day: The I-Drive screen that I expected to be monochrome was in colour - I heard that BMW has quickly reacted to press and sales channel reactions and all customer cars will be deliverd with collour display.
I have only a few extras (sports suspension, xenon etc.) - so instead of discussing electronics I will concentrate on my first opinion on the real qualities of the car itself:
Engine: I have never had a diesel before. The engine noise is very subtle. Torque: below 1800 rpm sluggish - above 1800 you have it all. Power: through all of these years I have been looking for horsepower. With 530d I bet that all the horses are there, but Mr. Torque shouts so much louder!
Drivetrain (manual): 1st and 2nd gear too short, 3rd absolutely insanely great for driving on Finnish B- and C-roads, 4th & 5th ok, 6th ok for motorway use.
Driving: All I can say is great. Turn-in good, balance through corners excellent, the car feels smaller than its size and (what is very rare nowadays) it goes straight on motorway without steering inputs.
Suspension: The sports suspension is good, firm but not hard. What is the difference to normal suspension - I do not know.
Downsides:
- The quality of the cupholders (front) not as high as that of other parts in the cabin.
- Mr. Bangle has forgotten that the driver of a car might want to see all or at least one of the corners of his vehicle - in E60 you have no idea where the corners of your car are.
Surprise of the day: The I-Drive screen that I expected to be monochrome was in colour - I heard that BMW has quickly reacted to press and sales channel reactions and all customer cars will be deliverd with collour display.
09-01-2003, 02:37 AM
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Originally Posted by apeshape' date='Sep 1 2003, 01:42 AM
Engine: I have never had a diesel before. The engine noise is very subtle. Torque: below 1800 rpm sluggish - above 1800 you have it all. Power: through all of these years I have been looking for horsepower. With 530d I bet that all the horses are there, but Mr. Torque shouts so much louder!
. I have never owned a diesel either only high BHP petrol ones eg BMW 330SE. Can you please provide more details on your comments about the torque in terms of performance from stand-still and when already moving especiallly when comparing to petrol models? Did you test drive any other options eg Active Steering, dynamic drive (suspension), steptronic auto-transmission?
09-01-2003, 09:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Guest' date='Sep 1 2003, 04:37 AM
Can you please provide more details on your comments about the torque in terms of performance from stand-still and when already moving especiallly when comparing to petrol models?
Did you test drive any other options eg Active Steering, dynamic drive (suspension), steptronic auto-transmission?
Did you test drive any other options eg Active Steering, dynamic drive (suspension), steptronic auto-transmission?
It takes a second or so before things start - you have plenty of time to see the rpm rise (typical for all turbo-charged engines). When the engine hits the 1800 mark the torque really picks up and after that you need to swiftly switch into second - and third, as the acceleration is superb.
Acceleration from standstill Option 2 (revs at 1800 when lifting clutch, then full throttle):
This is outstanding, the acceleration is superb all the way..the funny thing is that you do not "feel / hear the revs" as you do not need them. Power feels very "big", "endless"
Power when already moving: effortless, sufficient, great, fun: if you want to remove the guy behind you from your rearview mirror, all you need to do is push the throttle (and to be honest: switch one or two gears lower).
I did not try Active Steering, Dynamic Drive, or Steptronic as I ordered my car in February based on the information available then. (IMHO these electronic "aids" are for people who want to Move in their cars - not Drive them)
09-02-2003, 12:19 AM
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Apeshape:
Congratulations to your new car! I am planning to order a similar car (with automatic though to avoid the "dead" spot below 1800rpm that has annoyed me in my current 525tds...). Now to my question:
I have seen in other forums that all large BMW diesels have a build in dieseldriven heater whether this is ordered as an extra from the factory or not (standheizung in German/dieselvarmare in Swedish if you know that better). I know that this heater is installed in the X5 3.0d, 530d E39 and 730d/740d. Some people I have heard from have installed a cheap timer to use this heater for heating the engine and inside of the car during the winter instead of paying for BMW's expensive option. Some have even persuaded their BMW dealer to activate the option in the onboard computer and not paid too much for that. Since I plan to order an E60 530d, I am interested in knowing whether this car has the heater installed as well. Could you have a look for it in your car? I guess this could be interesting for you in Finland as well 
Congratulations to your new car! I am planning to order a similar car (with automatic though to avoid the "dead" spot below 1800rpm that has annoyed me in my current 525tds...). Now to my question:
I have seen in other forums that all large BMW diesels have a build in dieseldriven heater whether this is ordered as an extra from the factory or not (standheizung in German/dieselvarmare in Swedish if you know that better
). I know that this heater is installed in the X5 3.0d, 530d E39 and 730d/740d. Some people I have heard from have installed a cheap timer to use this heater for heating the engine and inside of the car during the winter instead of paying for BMW's expensive option. Some have even persuaded their BMW dealer to activate the option in the onboard computer and not paid too much for that. Since I plan to order an E60 530d, I am interested in knowing whether this car has the heater installed as well. Could you have a look for it in your car? I guess this could be interesting for you in Finland as well
09-08-2003, 01:25 AM
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Litster:
the i-drive is much easier to use than that in 7-series - I must say that I like using it.
there are some glitches in the user interface (not being to climb through all of the menu levels back to "Home" etc.), but they do not bother one after one gets used to the system (took me just a few minutes).
FastBuck:
the diesel clatter on the inside while driving is not clatter at all - it sounds like a straight-six - a bit rougher than the gasoline versions, but definitely not like a one of those "old diesels".
on the outside..yes, it is a diesel - probably a silent one, but still a diesel.
the i-drive is much easier to use than that in 7-series - I must say that I like using it.
there are some glitches in the user interface (not being to climb through all of the menu levels back to "Home" etc.), but they do not bother one after one gets used to the system (took me just a few minutes).
FastBuck:
the diesel clatter on the inside while driving is not clatter at all - it sounds like a straight-six - a bit rougher than the gasoline versions, but definitely not like a one of those "old diesels".
on the outside..yes, it is a diesel - probably a silent one, but still a diesel.
09-08-2003, 07:08 PM
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Thanks apeshape. I'm seriously considering switching to a 530d this time. I noticed in this weeks edition of Autocar where they review the 530d, that they slated the ride with standard suspension and 17" runflats. They blamed the runflats entirely for a harsh ride. Any comments on this so far?
Regards
Regards