sdg1871

Geez. If a premium sport sedan like the 550 feels LESS connected to the road and LESS fun tpo drive than a higher center of gravity SUV then BMW has truly lost its way. Say it ain't so.

acorradi87

I've never even driven an e70 X5, but I would honestly put my money on the fact that it feels more connected to the road, because I absolutely despise how the F10 feels.

Petes550i

I don't know what they're talking about but to me, my 550i is VERY much fun-to-drive and is an absolute blast! Every time I fire up that 4.4 and hit the road, it's nirvana! I've been getting tons of compliments from fellow BMW drivers (and even Mercedes drivers!) ever since taking delivey. It's turning heads and getting thumbs up everywhere I go!

edubb256

Yes I agree. I have a 535i and find it on par with my E39 in the fun-to-drive category. We also own a 2009 A6, and I find the 535i (and the E39) more fun to drive than the Audi, in part because the Audi has much more body roll in tight turns. I can navigate tight corners MUCH more precisely with the 535i.

While the objective analysis is useful in these kinds of reviews, the subjective ratings only reflect one person's (John Phillip's, the author) opinion. Instead one should test drive and decide for themselves. For example:
- they give the Audi the same rating on fuel economy as the BMW even though the BMW has better EPA rating
- they give the BMW 5 points for "features/amenities" and the Audi and Infiniti 10 points, even though the Infiniti (as tested) cost more
- a single subjective criteria is redundantly included three times in the rating (steering feel, handling, fun-to-drive)

EDubb

swajames

Ricracing

Could this have something to do with conservativeness and/or envy?

Audi is a good car but it has looked the same soon for 15 years now.
Very good interior quality that I expect BMW has now also reached.

The F10 beats the M-B E (in a my kind of car) by technology, ecology,
safety, driving and looks.

The Japanese cars are on my list at all.

The new F10 is all I need from a car; a much safe one than the E60
and much more modern and friendlier for the environment.
The plus 140 kg's my car will get, must have to do with safety and comfort quality.
Remember that the E60 never did get more that 4 stars in the EuroNCAP.

But get your F10 with non-RF's - that we all ex- and current E60-drivers know.

edubb256

@ swajames:

Good points. My point was just that that methodology underlying the rankings was either not clear or maybe not all that robust.

- "ratings are typically given based on results during the test, not EPA numbers. EPA numbers don't always reflect real world results. The highlighted statistic in the test is the C&D observed number, which was identical for both the Audi and the BMW, with both cars scoring maximum points for the category."

I understand that. Some other publications take EPA into account also, which to me is more robust, since I don't know what controls they had in place to ensure apples to apples.

- "Not sure this is a particularly good point as the Audi, as tested, actually costs less than the 535..."

My point is it is not clear what the criteria is that led to a 5-point difference. They mention that the BMW didn't have NAV standard. For the price delta, they could have added NAV and had money left over... would there have been still been five point delta? I wish they specified the equipment on each car so we better understand the difference here. Even if they had, since the cars can be configured with similar options, it seems that ultimately the issue is price, for which there is another ranking "Price as Tested".

"it's not redundant, as they're not the same thing..."

In the article they characterize fun-to-drive as a composite that derives in part from steering feel: "...handling earned the lowest score...a subjective rating. That in turn, infected teh fun-to-drive ranking...

swajames

edubb256 - firstly, welcome to the forum!

I appreciate your points too. Ultimately these tests are what they are - we can pick away at the methodology, we can pick away at the specific scores or ratings, but the test is from a credible source and we have to assume it was conducted fairly and reasonably. While you can't draw too many meaningful conclusions from one individual test, the bigger point is that it's part of a trend and we're starting to see BMW lose tests it would probably have won in the past. This is another where we would reasonably have expected the F10 to win - and the reasons given for its 3rd place finish are ones that one wouldn't normally associate with BMW. That said, it may just be that the F10 is reflecting what BMW thinks its buyers now want - to this end there's seemingly less emphasis on sport than we saw with its two predecessors in the E39 and E60 - but personally I think it's a shame to see BMW start to change (or lose) focus in this way.

Right now, we're seeing BMW start to build a slightly sportier Mercedes and I'm not sure that's the right direction for the brand. The C&D test, such as it, makes much the same points. With that said, I don't think it's lost on many here that the F10 is a great car, the questions are really to what extent BMW really is taking on a new direction and whether the F10's focus is indeed part of a trend. For what it's worth, I don't think BMW will do the same with the upcoming 3 Series replacement. It will gain a little size, probably more weight than it should, and offer a little more luxury but I am reasonably confident that it will retain its soul and its focus on sport. The new 3 has every chance of continuing the 19-year run for the model in C&D's annual 10-Best awards, something that shows the importance of staying focused over the long term.

MitchBMW

Like I stated earlier... I'm sure it's a great car. The tech I'm sure is great. The power I'm sure is great. It's just not my cup of tea. When the E60 first came out, I didn't hate it. I loved every angle with the exception of the rear when looking at it from a side view. It just didn't look like it fit with the rest of the car. So I wasn't one of those people who hated the E60 but then came around. I didn't like the fact that the 7, 5, and 3 series cars all basically looked exactly the same. I LOVED when the design of these cars changed. Now, they are back to doing the same thing, and like before, not my cup of tea. But just because I don't like it, doesn't mean I think it's a crappy car. It's not!

Richard in NC

Exactly. Yes the 535i lost 2 points for steering feel but it lost 5 points on features???? The article only mentions the lack of nav but that is solvable and it would still cost less than the Infiniti.
Handling is different than steering feel or fun to drive. A Geo Metro was fun to drive only because its handling sucked and I could toss it thru curves squalling tires well under the speed limit. At the same speed, my 550i is boooring. You can also have high handling limits but poor steering feel. But they did subtract from 3 categories for the one flaw.

I guess we shall see if the M Sport package addresses the steering feel just like the Z4 35is model does.