Quote:
Originally Posted by nfnc
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Some love it, some will hate it ... As it is always been.
I had a 3 series (2002 model) which handled better than mine 325i (2006) and current E61 (2007).
"BMW has taken the brave step of risking the wrath of corner-mongers by eschewing firm sportiness in favour of cosseting compliance this time around. But how many people really care about on-the-limit feel in a diesel executive saloon? It's you, the regional manager; you on the motorway; you with hundreds of miles a week to do; you with two kids to transport at the weekend; you who doesn't care about limited-slip differentials on a wet Tuesday morning. You'll be living with the Five every day
BMW has set the car up for you. The Five is no longer a grown up 3 Series; it's a grown down Seven. It rides beautifully, with a suppleness that takes most road nuances and hides them from you. It deals with tarmac like Jack Charlton circa 1966 dealt with his alopecia: brushes over it. Of course, that's to the detriment of outright cornering feel; there's obvious weight transfer during acceleration, braking and cornering. There's still a very talented, balanced car here, it's just one that you must dig a little deeper to find and enjoy.
We discovered that over a 1,200-mile Southern France to Northern England odyssey. Not once during those two days did the Five ever get uncomfortable. Our car sat on standard springs with a standard steering
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I hated the handling of the E61 on RFT (17-inch). Replaced them with nRFT 17 Michelin, but it is still so-so ...