Scork

Drove 2004 530 Mystic Blue/tan interior w/ premium & sport pckg today here are impressions:

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Dislikes</span>:
Center Console seemed cheap - interior of car has too much hard plastic

No power outlet in center console- I like to charge my phone in center console

standard radio is improvement over E39 but still lacking in my opinion for 53k (my car will have logic 7)

Screen in Non-Nav system is small, compared to opening on dash looks odd/cheap

Engine same as old E39(needs upgrade)

Pricing much more than expected

Dark Maple wood archrite(sp) looks bad with tan interior go with poplar

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Likes:</span>
Drives like a dream

Stearing is my favorite feature

Seems quiter inside at speed on highway compared to E39

AC can program to ventalate two different times during day - geat in Florida will program 11:30 and 4:45 to clear out the heat)

Styling I really like but I liked the pictures as well

Tires/wheels look impressive w/ sport pckg

Is this car perfect? no
Is it better than the competition? yes, for overall performance no, for interior luxury

changes I would make, lower the cost a few grand, upgrade the engine to 260+hp, make Idrive screen full size, add some leather to the interior surfaces and Car would be awesome)

Anyway my 530 will be here next week I have been waiting for a new car for over a year now and feel this is the best option available also mine will be manual so may feel abit faster)

Would love to hear others impressions after driving

segovia

congratulations on your new car , mine (525i) will arrive at the dealer in a couple of weeks, hopefully. I agree with most of what you say except for the size of the screen, I don't have a problem with that.

bye, enjoy it

E60525i

Test Drove this afternoon a 530i in silver greywith black leather interior / Premium package/ Steptronic 6 speed auto / Xenon / Logic 7 sound system / park distance control.

To start the car looks very good in person.
Interior feels slightly larger especially in headroom and a bit more rear legroom.
Glove box mounted CD changer is way to far back for easy access(basically have to lower your head all the way down to even see where it is).
Interior doesn't seem as luxurious as the E39 seems to plain for my tastes( I was thinking i might just be to picky but my parents who have an E39 540iA said the same thing).they also prefered there currents 5 interior design
Rear seat center arm rest feels to cheap in quality for a BMW( there is a center compartment to store a few things but the top part where your arm rests feels to hard for a long trip comfort).

Now for the test drive
the 530iA feels slightly faster then my 2002 E39 525iA but not so much to say wow now there's a lot of power worth the extra 4 grand.
6 speed auto is smooth but not smoother then the 5 speed auto in the E39 you can still feel some shifts espically from 1st to 2nd gear changes.
Steering feels precise but has more assist then the E39 not dramatically more assist but a bit more to notice espically if you own the E39 model.
Brakes grab very quick much more so the the E39
slightly more absorbant and slightly quieter then the E39 but sorry to say again not much much more absorbant then the E39.
ride quality feels lighter, like the E46 model 330i but still feels as solid as the E39 5 series.
so some good news it does feel more nimble which is a good thing.
iDrive is slightly easier to use then the E65/66 BMW 7 series but not totally intuitive takes some time to figure out how to adjust the tone settings
Climate controls have theres pluses and minus, there's now an off button and quicker to adjust temp and fan controls but temp controls don't have a digital read out at all in the iDrive screen which i thought it would for the US market since we have more degree numbers instead of the european celcius numbers, to me this is a step backwards.
Finally the Price, BMW should not have raised the prices of the E60 by 6% instead they should have raised it at least 1000 dollars.

Over all the New 5 series is a great car with lots of features now deply integreated into the iDrive whoch are harder to access for most people espically those of older age who can own these cars. is it still a great driving and handling car YES!
but it doesn't feel any more luxurios then the E39 5 series 97-03 models.
Those how have the current 5 are lucky but when its time to trade it in it's not really going to be as exciting to get the new E60 as they think it's going to be, I thought it was going to be much more exciting to finally see it and drive it, Yes it was very nice, but in my opinion it doesn't make me want to go out and trade in my current E39.

Pros: Nice precise steering, nimble handling, very good ride quality and high way quietness, Extra head room and a little extra rear legroom.

Cons: Price increase of 6% not totally worth it, Interior doesn't feel as high quality as the E39 5 series models or as luxurious, Glove box mounted 6 disc CD changer way to deep and low to access easily, iDrive still not as easy to use quickly.

my Verdict: BMW 5 series Still continues with great driving dynamics and ride quality, but not longer seems to have the edge in interior design in it's class

Beemer

Scork, there is a power outlet.
At least If you have smokers package. The outlet/lighter is located in the ashtray. Just open it.

I don?t know about US-spec cars but in most european countries I belive smokers package is standard equipment. By the way, who would smoke in such a nice car as the new five??

Scork

Thanks Beemer but I am speaking about the storage area in the center console is where I would like to see an outlet. Ashtray outlet will be used for my radar)