550isport

I'd say it's because BMW has gauged the competition well. Taking into account advances in engineering, the E class and A6 are no sportier now than 8 years ago. BMW has simply repositioned the new 5 closer to a 7 than a 3. It's a wise move for a number of reasons. 1) its cheaper to make a heavier car. Whereas the E60 used a bonded aluminum front end, the F10 uses a heavier and less expensive alternative construction carried over from the 7. 2) with the global recession, some would-be 7 buyers might be inclined to go downscale and get a less expensive 5 (which happens to be the same size inside as an E38 7 series, but weighs a tad more).

BMW did the smart thing for their board of directors. The only people who got shafted were people like me who loved their E60s for being very nimble and sporty for such a large car. I suspect a great number of people, myself included, would have rather seen a new 5 that was no larger, lighter and used technology and engineering to produce as much performance from less overall power - and thus greater economy. A 3700 lb. 3.7 turbo V8 would have done the job nicely. But that would be a very expensive car to design and produce and would not be as appealing as the F10 to a great number of F10-style buyers - I'm guessing.

My solution for not liking the directionBMW took with the F10: Don't buy one....I didn't/won't . I'd probably get a 740i before an F10. If you're going to go big...go all the way


DRP

Petes550i

The 740i is a weaker car than the F10 550i so I don't get your logic of going "Big."

In any case, the F10 is less sporty because that's what the Majority wants. People nowdays want bigger, roomier cars with more luxury, more options, more safety, and more features. BMW is simply giving people what they want. Also, the fastest growing car market right now is in China and India. Do you think they have autobahns there? Some of the worst traffic jams in the world is in China and India. People there don't care about sporty cars because they have no use for it. Luxury and amenities is what interests car buyers over there. The F10 was built to meet GLOBAL demand.

bha7176

see my post, "Got an F10 for a loaner last night" for a good description of this luxury versus sporty thing from my wife.

She summed it up rather nicely.

Petes550i

Yeah, your loaner was a 535i w/o the sports package and you're comparing it to your 550i M Sport....."fair" comparison there.

pukka

Sorry man, but you got it wrong. North America is probably the ONLY place where bigger is preferred. I've spent quite a few years living in Asia and Europe and SMALLER is the choice by far. Global demand wants smaller, cheaper, and more practical cars because of traffic, roads, and affordability. Even the cost of a 1er is out of reach for many - and there are very few countries that let you lease.

Petes550i

I'm talking about the luxury car buyer market, not the general population. The upper class in China and India are some of the richest people on the face of the globe and that segment is rapidly growing....more so than in America. Just like North America, they WANT more luxury, room, and features. However, because of the poor roads and traffic over there, they're aren't nuts over sport like we are over here.

bha7176

never intended it to be, just a fair and honest view of a real life person not concerned with the level of detail or performance we mostly are. Exactly the demographic YOU preach wanted this F10 to begin with jackass.

jm545i

What's humorous is hearing people talk now about how "sporty" the E60 is given how roundly it was criticized upon introduction for being too heavy and having lost its sporting character vs. the E39. (to say nothing of the Dame Edna headlights...) The E39 was criticized using almost exactly the same language, although it was also recognized that the E39 was an improvement over the E34 in many ways. The E34 was criticized again for being too heavy and having lost its sporty character vs. the E28, but recognized for being a better car....

As much as I would have wished that they had kept the weight of the F10 the same as the E60, it's all relative - if one wanted a sportier experience in a new car, the current 3-series is almost as big inside as an E34 - you can even get a V-8 in it if you want!! The only thing missing is the HUD, ventilated seats, black panel display, night vision, bigger trunk, ... ;-)

Petes550i

...exactly!

But the haters have nothing constructive to say so they nitpick and bitch and moan about a car they don't own and never intend to....but they take great pleasure out it. Go figure.

bha7176

just sayin', not trying to argue, but what's humorous is that not all of us are on our 5th or 10th BMW either, so we have nothing else to compare to. This is only my second BMW, my first was a 330XI E46. So should I be comparing my E60 to that, and also to the F10?

And what about all the new drivers and BMW owners that come along all the time - is there opinion any less valuable than your's? I think not.

Whats really funny is that a lot of people on this site think that there's is the ONLY opinion, and that they know best. total BS