Quote:
Originally Posted by K-A
Lol, you obviously haven't spend much (if any) time in an F10 nor an E Class, or at least the right F10.
I had 3 straight E Classes, and the F10 is on another level in luxury. It is by far the most luxurious and smoothest/comfortable in class, has higher safety ratings and is about 30% more torsionally rigid than the E Class. As Motor Trend said "it feels like how Mercedes used to". The E Class interior doesn't really compare, nor does the interior quietness or isolation, especially considering the M Sport F10 is still far more sporty.
The Lexus GS is just a dud. Drives well, but doesn't look nor feel as expensive as a 5 Series all in all, nor does an A6, IMO.
To me, the F10 with M suspension is the most dynamic car in class, "dynamic" because nobody does luxury + sport better than it. Others will do sportiness better, such as the A6, but they fall behind in the various other areas the F10 is so effortlessly good at. Being a basically sized down copy of the 7 Series, using the same chassis that's so over-engineered for this price range that it houses said 7 and the Rolls Royce Ghost, the F10 gets a bit leg up to its competition.
IMO the 3 Series interior is a joke, utterly cheap and the whole experience isn't at the refinement or luxury level of the 5, not even close. I also don't find the 4GC that attractive as it's less "Coupe" looking and more "Hot Hatch/Mini Sport Wagon". I personally prefer the F10 looks.
To O/P, the problem is that you have a 2011 F10 with no suspension mods, basically the worst combo unfortunately. A 2013+ model with the 704 M suspension will probably give you the sportiness and luxury you seek. Most guys who go from 2011 to 2013+ 704 F10's note a night and day "this is how a BMW should drive" difference.
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+1
This entire post is spot on IMHO. An important note here about the 5-series chassis being shared with the 7 and Rolls Royce Ghost - truly one of the best I've experienced... solid, quiet, rigid, and composed. Couple it with the right suspension (passive sport or DHP) and it's a beautiful thing.
I also agree that the 3/4 interior is a bit of a let-down. The dash design really feels like another step backwards with the center stack continuing to feel/look like a cheap Japanese car. While I wasn't a fan of the e9x interior either (and lived with it for years), I think the current 3/4 is even a further departure from the quality I'd expect from BMW. The e46 interior, while lacking some of today's higher end materials, was a much more cohesive, driver-oriented design. The F10 gets a serious interior - driver oriented and large, sporty center stack, premium materials all around, leather abound, etc. The F30 materials seem to be going backwards, while the center stack is less driver oriented, smaller (confined to the upper dash and starting to look reminiscent of a mini-van if I must say), and stylistically seems to be a departure from the rest of the line-up.
To each his own, I guess... and I think the 3/4 are still good looking cars on the exterior... I think I actually like the 3 much more outside than the e9x... but the interiors are really suffering... granted, they do need to meet a specific price point (I'll give them a pass on some of the materials), but I think the design is just poor regardless.