w8pmc

For many reasons, i've not spent much time in the car since taking delivery at the end of January. In fact i've only clocked up 1100 miles since i collected her, but this week i had to drive to Glasgow & back (400 mile round trip) & i'm still over the moon with this car.

Firstly she's so effortless to drive & the comfort seats mean i can quite happily do a 3hr continuous drive & get out the other end feeling no ill effects or discomfort. The performance is just stunning & my driving style has changed so dramatically from the RS6, in that if other cars come belting up the fast lane at 90+ i'll quite happily just stick at my cruising speed (around 83mph) & just tootle along in quiet & comfort.

Secondly the toys, i love the hands-free bluetooth & the fact that even in more remote areas, i can hold a conversation without having to shout & without losing reception, perspective sat-nav with accurate travel/traffic information, extended voice control, excellent advanced climate control & i can't take my eyes off the HUD (i guess that's the general idea).

Next is the ICE, i've only got the hi-fi loudspeaker system, but this is still better than the Audi Bose i've been used to & being able to switch around cd's, mp3 & radio by Voice control is just lush. Also being able to listen to the one mp3 disc (119 tracks) for almost the entire journey, meaning all my favourite tunes on the one extended disc is just great.

Back to the performance, only the once on my return leg was i tempted to play & that was with an MR2 Turbo (imported i think), he was reluctant to move over when i pulled up behind him in the fast lane, so he floored his car (loud zorst) to which i responded the same & as he could see i was obviously quicker, he moved over & i could see the look on his face (lip read him saying "it's a feckin diesel") when i charged past & left him for dust.

Overall for the trip i averaged 33.1mpg being 80% motorway & 20% town/traffic jams & that meant i left home with a full tank & still have just under 1/4 tank left. I've never managed that trip before on a single tank of fuel, let alone less than a full tank.

Got another 400 mile round trip next week & the week after & i can't wait. Performance aside, i look forward to driving the 535D more than i used to the RS6.

Only down was the weather which was crap both legs, so the car got filthy & i had to fight strong winds, spray & driving rain, however the car took all this in her stride & i gave her a good wash this morning as a reward.

These cars are just feckin awesome

needforspeed

What a great post

Nice to read about someone just enjoying their ride.....

At the moment I'm feeling pretty much the same about my little 530d.

The sun is shining and the bank holiday is here ... I just want to go for a drive ....

Home time in ten minutes..

amigo525

tell me about it. Can a woman makes you feel the same? (no offense ladies) but the e60 ahhhh!

Ricracing

Nice that you posted, 'cause I was just thinking the same.

My E60 rocks and rules, it's just a fine and good car.


To amigo525:

Yes, I woman can feel as perfect, but they are never that balanced.

doug_999

I agree, this car rocks. And not to play "can you top this", but I just went over 1,200 miles on Monday. I picked up the car on December 26, 2005.

TV550

I agree with Doug and the rest of you guys I am glad I didnt go with the GS430. I love this car. After I put the M5 wheels and aerokit I will be finished for a while.

w8pmc

They truly are a wonderful automobile.

Not sure i'd want to top 1200 miles in a day. That's some trip

w8pmc

Looking forward to another 400 mile round trip on Friday.

Singh

Nice Post
They are fine cars - Perfection.
Always Amazed with the high speed handling.

I wish BMW could build me a women.
no BBW though please

tachyon

These E60 machines really are so fantastic.

I just made a similar run yesterday: Chicago-Davenport, Iowa (200 miles each way), and I had the same feelings you did: total comfort and the joy of high-speed cruising. I covered the 180 miles of uninterrupted expressway- with virtually no traffic on a Good Friday - in exactly 2 hours.

At one point on the way there I found myself cruising along at about 75 mph with no traffic in sight, and since my Escort radar detector had not registered a blip all morning, I decided to crank it up a notch or two. I calmly pressed the accelerator all the way down, but not to the point of kicking down gears. Those wonderful 4.8 liters growled in compliance and the E60 jumped ahead like a race horse hitting its stride. In the blink of an eye the HUD display showed 95 mph, then 110 ... 120 ... 130.

I've never driven this fast in any car, but the 550 goes there seemingly without effort. Clearly, this is what this car is meant to do. I was stunned by how quiet, stable, and confident it is at this speed - and yet it was still pulling steadily ahead to higher speeds, seemingly with no end in site.

My brain finally registered how fast the scenery was scrolling by, and I since was quickly catching up to some cars ahead I backed off after running past 135 mph and settled back down to "normal" cruising speed. It took a while longer for my heart rate to settle back down.

I was so early for my meeting that I got off the expressway early and drove around on some of the hilly, winding two-lane highways overlooking the mighty Mississippi River. What is so great about this car is that it is so good at everything - blasting down the interstate or carving up the twisties.

On the return trip I average 70 mph and that yielded 25.5 mpg.

What a car.