It’s been only two months since the new F10 5-Series was unveiled and I must say it has quite a huge responsibility to carry. After all, there is a new E-Class in Malaysia now that it must face to continue the fight to try to overtake the E’s dominance in its segment in Malaysia.
The previous E60 5-Series did really well for BMW and is so far the most successful 5-Series to date, although it is its predecessor the E39 that is fondly referred to by some as ‘Car Of The Year Forever’. The E60’s design is a love it or hate it affair. It got even worse when you got inside – the dash design was quite bland. And then there was also that 1st generation iDrive! Just bad! But you gotta give it to the chassis engineers – it did very well in the drive and comfort departments. It’s not just about doing well in both departments but the fact that they could make the car do both well at the same time.
And now we have the all-new 5 which drops the ‘E’ designation in its code name and is now called the F10 (which sounds a lot like the designations used to identify fighter jets). It’s built on a common platform as the F01/F02 7-Series and even the 5-Series GT. We have covered all the latest updates regarding the new 5, right from the launch report to an article that talked specifically about how it was designed.
Now we finally have the all-important test drive report to share with you as we flew all the way to Portugal to have a go in it both on roads and the Estoril circuit!
Read more after the jump.
The Design
When I found out that the new 5 was about to be launched, my fingers were crossed for BMW to come up with something that looked better than the model it was going to replace, because the company did just that when it rolled out the new flagship 7-Series. After seeing the images of the new 5 following its launch at the ‘mothership’ (which is Munich, Germany for those who are unfamiliar), I did not exactly jump out of my seat. It was nice, but something felt missing. Just like the E60, the design just didn’t hit the spot unlike how the E39 did, so I was a little disappointed.
Paul was then invited to a BMW event in Munich earlier this year to take a look at the model in the flesh. I remembered his words: “Photos don’t do justice to the car” and “It looks really good in real life”. So when I arrived in Portugal for the test drive event and looked at the new 5-er for myself, I knew what Paul meant. Trust me, it really looks much better in real life. It looks a hybrid between the new 7 and the facelifted 3-Series. Just like the simple mathematical equation – Seven plus Three divided by two is the new Five.
The taillights are nice to look at night, thanks to the way it glows up, although the actual shape (outline) of it kinda misses the spot. Nevertheless, everything about the exterior design looked just about right. But why it didn’t look as good in the photos? My guess is that the new 5-er has just too many design lines that require us to look at it in the flesh, especially the lines on the hood and on the sides of the car. You can’t really see that in photos so it ends up looking a little bland. The proportions are perfectly sized making it look aggressive yet graceful at the same time.
When designing the new 5-er, the designers had to work around stringent crash, aerodynamic as well as other engineering-based requirements and to be able to come up with this final product. I was also told that the designers had to go over quite a few things to enable the car to carry the Hoffmeister kink in the shape that the designers wanted it.
The Interior
BMW made the right choice to have an interior that is inspired by the new 7-Series. If you don’t pay attention to the details you might just mistake it for the interior of an F01. They’re both differently sized slices cut from the same cake, and it’s a good thing that the cake’s recipe is good in the first place
I really appreciate BMW bringing back the driver-focused centre dash. Switch and control tactility is just perfect. It’s a much better place to be in compared to the E60 that it replaces.
The seats offer very good support from almost every angle as well. The window controls are placed where they should be (unlike the pre-facelift E60, thank God!) and I must also say that the thickness of the steering wheel feels right as well. The steering wheel is something that connects you to the car, so it plays an important role in giving the driver the right feel behind the wheel. There is good support for your hands during normal driving and gives a sporty feel as well, which is good for those spirited weekend drives.
Both leg and head room are good in the front cabin and its the same thing in the rear as well. There are also enough storage compartments in the car. Cup holders in the centre console (instead of popping out of the dash like the E60), a reasonably sized glove box, front seats with pockets behind the backrest and a centre arm rest on the rear seat’s backrest on top of the other compartments on the door cards and so on make up for a practical enough interior. Although the boot isn’t all that deep, but its long.
The Driving
Just like most test drive events, we were given routes that were made up by a combination of curves as well as highway straights. Before we hit those roads we had to spend some time in city roads. In this part of Lisbon the 5-Series behaved well. City driving was a breeze. Just like how I feel that the new 7-Series feels like the 5 when you are maneuvering around town, the 5-Series now feels like a little like the 3. You don’t feel like you are behind the wheel of a big car. Portugal is a left-hand drive market and even with that driving in traffic jams and getting in and out of tight spaces isn’t a problem with the 5.
The model that I drove was the 535i and it was fitted with BMW’s optional Integral Active Steering which means the rear wheels can change their angle, depending on the driving situation. Thanks to this, making U-Turns was easier than ever as it allows for a tighter turning radius.
The 5 can also be equipped with Parking Assistant which works just like the versions found in certain Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz cars. The 5 will be the first car to get this – not sure why BMW took so long when its competitors have had this system for a long time. The system will detect if a potential side parking spot has enough space to accommodate the vehicle. The car can then maneuver itself into the spot by turning the steering wheel itself, leaving just the braking and accelerating to the driver.
You can also use a ‘surround view’ system to see a bird’s eye view of the car. This uses various cameras placed on the car. The new 5 also has the option for a reverse camera, which is no biggie anymore at this point of time – alot of premium cars at this level are starting to have it.
The Brake Energy Regeneration feature of the EfficientDynamics system now has an indicator to show you what it is doing. Before this, it worked in the background and didn’t really provide the visual satisfaction that eco-freaks desired. For some reason they don’t exactly want to just save the environment, they want to be constantly reminded that they’re doing it and praised for it. Beside the fuel consumption indicator on the instrument panel you can see a battery logo and the word EfficientDynamics written below. This area is illuminated in sky blue. This simply shows you what the Brake Energy Regeneration system is doing. Whenever I hit the brakes and whenever I lift of the accelerator, the indicator moves, showing that the energy is being collected under braking and during coasting.
The road surface is very very smooth compared what we have to live with back home. The 5 was rather quiet while cruising on the highway and it really felt composed and planted even at high speeds of up to 190 km/h. There’s only one big question mark right now which I feel foreign drives like this don’t really answer for local markets – as European roads are generally better than the rubbish we get here in Malaysia, will the new 5’s ride (with its low profile hard sidewall runflat tyres and whatnot) feel as good on KL roads as it does in Portugal?
The model I drove was also fitted with a Lane Departure Warning system which monitors the lane markings on the road using a camera. It will then vibrate the steering wheel if veer off your lane. It vibrates just enough to let you know that you are not keeping the car in your lane. It feels much like how your steering would normally behave when one of your car’s wheels go over really thick and rough lane marker paint on the highway, and that kinda paint can be found everywhere in Europe so I suppose it feels natural to them.
The system really helps, especially when you are a Malaysian driving in the left-hand drive country! If you ask me, all cars in Malaysia should be fitted with this system and the steering wheel should vibrate even more and perhaps be configured even automatically give the driver a little static shock the next time he touches his door handle to get into the car to punish him if he veers out of his lane a little too often during a drive. That’ll teach those idiots!
A yellow triangular light fitted in the wing mirror housing will also blink if it thinks that the driver is making a dangerous lane change. I decided to try it out when I noticed there was a car on the right lane cruising at the same speed about one car’s length behind. The light blinked as expected and it blinked in a place that I could clearly see. This system is what BMW calls the Lane Change Warning system.
The 535i has a turbocharged, direct injected 3.0 litre 6-cylinder engine that is capable of 306hp and 400Nm of torque. Throttle response is quick and sensitive but not too jerky at the same time. The floor-mounted accelerator paddle (which I think should be standard in all cars!) feels well-weighted as well. Power delivery overall is very smooth and even while cruising on the highway at say 90 km/h and trying to overtake, it proved effortless.
If this engine is already so powerful, thinking of the 4.4 litre turbo-charged V8 in the 550i is really quite mind boggling! The upcoming M5 would be out of this world! The engine is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. Thanks to this, gears can even change at below 2,000 revs during normal city driving, and this works throughout all the gears. As a result, when driven sedatedly the car is actually quite silent because the engine doesn’t really get very much over its idle speed. This probably helps with fuel consumption as well.
The model I had a go in featured variable dampers under the Dynamic Drive Package. These dampers adjust according to driving conditions. There are also four modes to choose from including Comfort, Normal, Sport and Sport+. A number of automakers these days can probably just decide not to spend much time on fine tuning the chassis just by using these variable dampers. Chassis engineers might just end up being ‘lazy’ because of this.
But for the F10, even in Normal mode, the car still felt good over bumps and yet still performed well on the twisty roads. That’s a mark of a really tight chassis and the differences in drive enjoyment between Normal and Sport are really not that obvious because of this. Comfort gave a softer ride while Sport stiffened the dampers up. Different modes also offer different throttle and steering responses as well as different gear shift patterns on the transmission.
Estoril Race Track Experience
Unfortunately for us, a rather dull looking sky a day before worsened into showers on the circuit experience day, making it an all-wet affair. It was just my bad luck as I really wanted to push the 5 on the track and see how it performs although I was already given positive hints about it when I was in the mountains.
A wet track meant that we couldn’t turn off the traction control and had to be very careful on track. Even a Formula 1 car will have to slow down tremendously when the weather isn’t friendly. Nevertheless, it gave me the opportunity to find out how the 5 works its way around in such a condition.
The circuit was made up by a couple of short to medium length straights and slow to medium speed corners. I engaged the Sport mode and started my way around of the circuit. I just had to make sure that I don’t brake too late and accelerate too early mid corner.
The wet surface proved to be a nuisance and I had to make sure that the tires didn’t touch the slippery kerbs. The car behaved well through the corners though. Oversteer could be easily corrected by counter-steering and when it was understeer can be tackled by lifting off the gas and hitting the brakes a little to bring the balance back. Most of the time the ESP did it for me by cutting power and performing selecting braking. The 5-er is very balanced, predictable and forgiving under hard driving and it’s almost ridiculous to be using such words to describe a big sedan like the 5-er but that’s just how good the chassis boys at BMW are.
When you are in the market for a premium mid-sized sedan – apart from a more attractive price package – you will most likely look for something that looks good, aggressive and elegant at the same time, something that offers a luxury feel on the inside, something that drives like a dream and something that you take your family with for those weekend ‘balik kampung’ trips.
The BMW F10 5-Series could be the one that fits the bill perfectly, but given that the model we tested was a high spec 535i (not something your average Malaysian will be able to buy here) and we drove it on foreign roads, we’ll reserve our final judgment for when we try the 5-er out in more ‘affordable’ typical Malaysian specs, on Malaysian roads.
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Good report. Did they let you try the 6M/T versions?
1st..
dream car..
dream on, for me
Woaaa….. speechless..
Looks so much better than the E60 …. Can't wait for the new 3 series :)
Looks boring if compare to the new E class…
New E class, Too much cosmetic. Look from the back is Japanese Camry. Front German Merc Steering too light.
To me the opposite is true. Can help to assume that the E class was designed by ‘cock-eye’ Korean, copying the Honda accord…
lol… cock-eye Korean…
Korean are improving nowadays.. They stopped copying the Japanese and designing their own.. Kia and Hyundai latest design is awesome.. Forte.. Tucson..
Jason, your comments “To me the opposite is true. Can help to assume that the E class was designed by ‘cock-eye’ Korean, copying the Honda accord…” certainly speaks for itself because it clearly demonstrates the fact that you are a direct product of border line mentality.
If a design contest were to be held between Koreans and Malaysians, the outright winners will surely be the Koreans. Anyway it come as no surprise because Malaysians generally live in a constant state of mental illusion based on their own self absorbed jaded world.
"The 5-er is very balanced, predictable and forgiving under hard driving and it’s almost ridiculous to be using such words to describe a big sedan like the 5-er but that’s just how good the chassis boys at BMW are."
Errm… may be you should not be calling them "boys" (or gals) for that matter… judging by what they have accomplished thus far… though I know you hv no bad intention in using it or to mean it literally… in any case, its just that the above doesn't sound right or nice when they (the chassis development engineers) are so good at it… whether guys, men, ladies etc etc… may be you can use chassis "boys" for ppl in Proton handling dept… hehe just kidding…
cheerio
nice.. anyway paul ur team doesnt helping much for man utd laa he he..
littlefire said,
February 8, 2010 @ 3:47 pm
Looks boring if compare to the new E class…
u dun have the 6ith sense laa i think..
I must say I liked the E60 better than the F10, but that's not to say the F10 is not a charmer. The E60 somehow has an aggresive look that I like, and the F10 loses some of that. Maybe I like it because its odd.
Versus the E Class? The design language of the E Class is edgier I think, with taut, square lines. The F10's rounded edges leave it looking rather soft, but the size offers some respite. The rear is anytime better than the Camry lookalike E Class.
Yes I think the 7 Series and the 3 Series is represented here in various ways, all for the better I guess. What BMW needs in Malaysia to overcome Mercs is really a paradigm shift for the Merc loyallists. They're both good cars, but perhaps the fact that Arshad Motors spoiled it for them in the 70s and 80s is a little larger an issue than BMW Malaysia gives it credit for.
I like this car.
exterior looks…E class won hands down!
There’s only one big question mark right now which I feel foreign drives like this don’t really answer for local markets – as European roads are generally better than the rubbish we get here in Malaysia, will the new 5’s ride (with its low profile hard sidewall runflat tyres and whatnot) feel as good on KL roads as it does in Portugal?
—————–
this is the reason why a lot of people choose a E over a 5.
i wld like to be in the team designing cool cars like this…dream dream
look nice from rear view.. front..not too nice, has to go to sunway and fix the grille… ha ha ha ha
When this f10 launches in Malaysia?
PerFecTion on DisPlaY man…!!
Yayyaaaa..good continental car………..
performance n value….than LEXUS……
Beautiful and boring at the same time…sangat2 mengecewakan…Hopefully the next M5 is more exciting…haaaaaa…
hey, nice review & very nice car!
I couldn't find any imperfection on the design, no matter how hard I tried.
The four extended tailpipes are ever-present and confirm BMW's long-standing approach to all its M cars. Exterior mirrors are standard issue but will likely take on a different shape for the final production model. The other items appearing again are the power dome on the bonnet and cross-drilled brake disks all around.
Charlie Williams
E60 FOREVER!!!
bring down adrian van hotdonkey!!!!!
I still think the new W212 E class looks better on the outside and the inside. That car is such a vast improvement over the W211 but the F10 vs E60 is arguable. Usually, the beemer would drive better but people should look at the base model to compare and not use a 535i which may or may not come to Malaysia.
hmmm… since the chief designer left, i am losing my faith in bmw…my last love stays with E60..
new model is always like this, but slowly it will grow in our heart and eyesight..
and just imagine that this model equipped with m-kit, for sure it will attract a lot of potential buyer…
this is much better than lalazai e60
looks fine to me.rear legroom seems smaller than e class?my friend always fells like throwing up everytime she has to sit at the back of her sister's E60…..goes to show that if confort is your first priority go or the benz especially with our teerible road surfaces.
sales figures seem to suggest that the E class sells better than the 5 (E60) but we see so many E60's on the road. could it be that there are more recond E60's than W211?
Apparently,entire bodywork similar of 3-series with bigger size but it bear a little shadow of elegant 7-series. Interior juz like used to BMW Style nothing startle. Comparison between Merc E-class and new 5 series ,i think E-class turn into limelight instead of it.
Omg! 5-series = Bigger 3-series look?
Still dreaming…..
A nice one though…
E-class…..don waste money buy that car. Buy camry. looks the same.
camry is budget luxury car! everybody can afford that. But this e60 is such a big difference!
Ya! You are right
Already booked mine… getting it next week!
As if… hahaha…. why r good cars so xpensive in this country??
I personally think that e best looking beemer now of the s/room is the 3series, the rest somewhat feel not right, they dont have the aggresive look beemer use to have, they look very shy, soft….., the huge plastic cover under the hood is a big no, spoils the look of the engine compartment, shoul do what alfa does.
niuhje said,
February 9, 2010 @ 10:50 am
Already booked mine… getting it next week!
As if… hahaha…. why r good cars so xpensive in this country??
————————-
thank your government
wah paultan u test drive this car at germany? cool!
waaa…… Looks like a 3 series..! Does not even look bigger..!
They should compare it with a 3 (E90 Facelift). I know that they are trying to follow the same design scheme, but somehow, they lost the 5 series elegance. Instead, the new 5 is going into the sportiness of the 3 category.
Just my 2 cents..!
great report and photos!
the entire interior seems to be based on the F01 7er, which is a great place to be in in the first place. good angle (6.5 degrees rite?) and lots of info being displayed in the dials/meters lcd.
the steering wheel looks better here, with the paddles and silver insert.
it does look like a 320i with 17" wheels from certain angles, no thanks to the rather uninteresting multispoke and high-ish profile wheels, on a 535i?!?!??!
did u try the Sport+ mode???u had only try on Sport mode only?
"Mazda 3 MPS said,
February 9, 2010 @ 4:23 pm
niuhje said,
February 9, 2010 @ 10:50 am
Already booked mine… getting it next week!
As if… hahaha…. why r good cars so xpensive in this country??
————————-
thank your government"
please be realistic. its still a 5 series.. not everyone in europe can afford to own one also.
No mention of the new front suspension layout in relation to steering feedback and front end handling. Perhaps moving away from the decades old MacPherson strut to a Multi-link design had made little or no difference? I get sick and tired of reading car magazines (print and online) mentioning that there's a "dead zone" when moving just off-centre.
the car has lost the E60 design essence for example the angel eye with the 'eye brow' and the rear lamp that waja and vios imitates. in this F10, i am just looking at a business man car. moreover, the front of the car looks so polite that is just disappointing. as far as i know, bmw is fierce where benz has a friendly looking front, i guess the design for both of this cars company swap their identity
wow…..try cover all that features with E60 skin…..
E60 better than this F10
We just received the new 5 series a few days ago in Dresden. Its beautiful like you said in flesh. Unlike the new E-Class where its beautiful in photos. But honestly, the impact is not as great as the E-class.
My neighbour has the new E, The quality is stunning, it looks bold, it looks thick, very sturdy, and the interior is very strong in character, unlike the 5 where it lack of contrasts, and it seems so normal inside, unlike the feel when being inside the E-class.
Driving wise, exceptional, theres nothing i can comment on. But if you're young at heart, first new BMW, the new 5 is great. But if you want to create a statement, be bold at the same time be classy, go for the E.
Yes Sir . You are right.
I would say that it would take a lot to shift Merc buyers to this Beemer in Malaysia. I've just driven my W212 for 1800 kms and it's great having graduated from a E46 beemer. The F10 would likely not be able to tempt Merc owners and almost the only way would be for the Merc to self destruct with reliability and build quality issues which appears not to be the case so far.
Someone…please help me…I can't decide which one to purchase. Both specs (W212 and F10) seem really tempting. Already test drive the W212…really nice…realy comfort…a very good car. Do I need to wait for F10 to make a debut in Me'sia or should I proceed with W212 booking…damn…very confusing.
Ya. You need to test drive the F10 first. F10 is a owner driving car and W212 is a Chauffeur driven car. If you have a Family “Driver”go for W212, if not, than F10. F10 is a well balance from the inside out. there is a saying. “Don’t judge the cover by the book”. Test drive first
Having owned both brands now, I would go for the W212. Why? Simply because it is no longer an old man's car. It moves well and corners well. No doubt the F10 should in theory drive better but it is not an improvement in looks over the E60 and it is longer than both W212 and E60 !! Cars are getting bigger but not parking spaces and road access. They should both be equally well built but a three pointed star has more image in Malaysia. Now, you can floor it even in the base model E200CGI and it moves well. It should also be rock solid like the old W124. Quite a few W124s have clocked 500,000 km and still running. The W212 was tested to be driven as a taxi in Germany where 3 drivers share to buy one car and drive 8-hour shifts each , so it can operate round the clock without rest !! What other testament do you need?
hmmm…. the E being a taxi. It does bring down its image for the average Malaysians having seen all deplorable taxis we have here.
Quote:
“The W212 was tested to be driven as a taxi in Germany where 3 drivers share to buy one car and drive 8-hour shifts each , so it can operate round the clock without rest !! What other testament do you need?”
Do you mean that the F10 is not up to this test?
F10 was not specifically tested for this purpose. W212 was. About image, no better than the 3 pointed star anywhere. Which car still sells at a reasonable 2nd hand value with mileage between 300,000 and 500,000? Why, the E class Merc of course. Any other car would be in the “stay away” category, especially 5 series. Would you buy 350,000km E34? For the W124, it would be “just run-in”. Look at those E280 Masterpieces still around. Most look in quite good nick to me.
P2,
You have the same problem with me. I cant decide at the moment which model I should go. E class or have to wait for f10. Ingress Auto already told me to wait for a while and see for myself before deciding my dream car. But E class looks classy and bold.
I am planning to get a 520i costing about RM154k in Dubai by end of March. Not sure whether to wait for F10 model to be launched here.
from the pictures, i must agree with some that the new 5er looks and feels much better than the new e-class..however notwithstanding this, both these cars will still cater to different markets, ie. the 5er to more youth orientated market whereby the buyer would be younger and successful with an individual streak whereas the e-class buyer would be for those traditional businessman who are successful. if you want value for money, ie. better resale value and less headaches in terms of electronic failures plus better ride comfort, go for the new e-class. if you enjoy driving, likes great handling plus a hands-in-glove feel, go for the 5er..
I love the power… Great Power!
Backside looks great, BUT
Front side looks like shit…
Why copied volvo's shit look (bonnet straight cross cut)?
Front signal light for new 6-series looks much better than this one
paul, which is more spacious especially back seat legroom? Merc E or the F10?
The twin exhaust design just don't look good on it. Hide it from sight better !
e60 definitely looks better than this. this is a lil bit softer looking, kinda girlish. put on some nice shoes on e60 and u will have THE most aggressive looking car anywhere. yes..i like my car to look manly, not girly :)
Not bad but older one look much better than this!btw new E Class is so nice!
Yup-yup-yup….. I got one and loving it. Still, the F10 won’t be bad. Will have to wait and see.
does anyone know when this F10 going to hit our shores?
Yup, it will hit our shores on 15 May 2010 CBU. First to launch would be the 523i with the 204hp 2.5 litre engine (same as the one in the current Z4). Price will be around RM390k (or slightly less). Not bad for a CBU. CKD will be later in the year, maybe November.
7 series goes thru the woods, sees 3 series. Catches it and rapes it. Welcome to the world F10!
Ever since the demise of the E39, BMW seems to have lost its design mojo. Whilst I think Bangle’s flame surfacing was alright, he and his team made a royal mess of the boot design and accompanying lines for the E60 5-series, 6-series, and previous 7-series (especially the pre-facelift ones).
Fast forward to the F10, and I dare BMW to deny the similarity of the shape of the rear lights to the last generation Camry. hahaha. and while the ‘one sausage, different length’ formula is ‘safe’ and allows BMW to harmonise the design language, in the face of truly pretty cars like the Jaguar XF and bold niche slinky sedans (e.g. Audi A5 Sportback / Merc CLS vs… BMW 5-series GT???), the F10 and 5-GT stablemates are a missed opportunity IMHO.
when i eventually move on from my E60 M5, I think replacing it with something from Jaguar’s XF range will be hard to pass-up!
do not only consider how they look “today” but “tomorrow” as well. the merc w212 E-class might look nicer but the design is only to please the crowd of today, very safe and conservative, and gets old very fast. whereas they design the f10 for the future, to still look “today” after 5-6 years.
Just one way to sum up the F10……a classy, spacious and refined executive saloon with low running costs and excellent engines. With the active ride and integral active steering options, the Five drives beautifully and is everything any BMW buyer could ask for. The eight-speed automatic is superb and has a bit of a split personality: stroke the accelerator pedal and the shifts are baby-bottom smooth, but jump on it hard and the shifts become clinically precise.
As for the E-Class, it is thoroughly conservative. If you’re looking for the thrusting drive of a Jaguar XF or the quality and style of a BMW 5 Series, you’ll be disappointed.
gud job bmw…
i luv it…
Hurray, everybody loves it! But who has actually bought one? Could they share their experiences with us?
Can one compare the new 5 seater VW Passat CC with the new E and F10?
Personally, if one can put ‘brand’ and ‘status’ aside, I think these 3 cars can be compared (in terms of build quality, engine performance, safety, features, etc) and the Passat CC should be the best value-for-money among these 3 cars.
perfect car :P.. Passat CC is totally in a diff league.. ppl who buy it for the sake of lovin its design :D.. i would.. :P.. but i will still have this 5 series :D..
the e-class how ever.. will soon be turn into a diesel taxi all around city of singapore.. :P.. its suppose to be in a diff league too..
when u buy a BMW u tend to drive it more.. even the 7 series.. go try one and u will know.. when u buy a Merc.. u tend to relax.. and cruise.. and sit at the back..
so not biase or anything it cant be compared between this too..
this is when the Audi A6 jumps in.. its kind of a mix.. between the too :D.. the only thing is if u like the exterior then u will get it.. but if its an AUdi.. i’ll go for the A8 :D.. even though its a higher level car :D..
this 5 series is great.. but just remembert to get the full accs one.. no point getting the low spec since ur gettin a 5 series.. :D.. if ur not able to get the full spec.. just get the 323i and enjoy the drive :D..
My two- month old F10,535i engine is giving out constant rattling noise just like like a diesel engine when the car is idling and when it come to a halt during driving . This noise is very audible at the driver position when the aiconditioner is ‘on’ and the gear shift in ‘D” position. I sent the car to the local agent for investigation and was informed by the adviser that this is a common problem to the F10, 535i model and they are unable to come up with a fix at the moment. The problem was highlighted to the manufacturer.
Considering that this is the high end M5 series, I was surprised that if this is a common problem with the F10, 535I engine why is it that the manufacturer are unaware. I booked the car without even
testing it and based on the good reputation of the BMW brand and is very disappointed now. I hope the local agent Performance Motors will actively pursue this this problem the manufacrturer.
Test drove the new F10 @ Ingress Auto, Damansara, model in hand was the CBU 523i F10. Was quick to accelerate and torque was fine but differences between the E60 and E39 are still not much in terms of driving, it has to be said.
The feel inside the car is better ergonomically and feels more ‘premium’ to the outgoing E60, and not to mention much more comfortable in comparison with the E60. But it has to be said that the sportiness, the niche of BMW cars have been slightly eroded. Although the F10 drove superbly, one has to wonder whether are there any differences between the new F10 and the E60 LCi (Facelift) as basically they share the same engine albeit with different tuning.
The E39 and E60 will be forever etched in the hearts of BMW enthusiasts as one close to the pinnacle of luxury saloon engineering. The F10 serves as a model to tame down the fire by previous models, and to give BMW the edge back as a business saloon, not a racy luxury car. You want sportiness in its original form? Get the E60. Minus off the aftermarket “extensions” and just get a normal one, or a M-Sport bodied 525, it looks good from the factory.
As for the W212 – It’s great looking, and given the price differences (barely negligible) one would be tempted to get the more “socially desirable” Merc. Such is our culture in Malaysia that Mercedes is the icon of rich people. (J.D. Power, 2009) – The W212 is not a bad choice given that it is a huge leap from the old model. Certain complaints about the rear look of the W212 exists and remains to this day, and I’d like to see what Mercedes will do in the facelift.
My conclusion: If people are buying the F10 as a first BMW, then I’d say it is a great car and a good choice and congratulations to you for having the guts to make the more socially ‘undesirable’ choice, but if you intend to upgrade from the E60 or in fact the excellent E39, I’d say hold your horses and wait for the next generation 5-er. The E-Class is really literally Camry’ish as stated by the above comments. Go for a drive in the Ultimate Driving Machine, you’ll get addicted.
*P/S: I Don’t Sell BMWs or Mercs for that matter, just my two cents from driving the cars ^_^*
wow f10 i love you more then my gf haha,its really beautiful and i love the tail light
im currently owning camry 2.0G,considering not to say considering really planning and preparing for f10,may b gold or black la since im tired washing my pearl white camry.
but guys any idea comment tips,do you thinks it worth for me to buy at around 410k this car +- price,and i feel like this really make people look and mark me since its a huge upgrade,,
im intrested in lexus new harrier also have check out the model price around 330k oklah nice also wht u think
What a happy looking car…..
I really like this with its interior and exterior design. That paint color and engine like a great combination. I think BMW’s car makers are starting to realize the grat looking rims and how they carry a lots of weight with the consumers