[DNA_42]

I will say more later. But for now, WOW, should do it.

If you are on the fence, get off, this is a NO BRAINER!

Great great car, BMW did well. Albeit 2 days in.

WOW, WOW, WOW, on so many levels. Do it.



DNA

[hks786]

lol wut? need more info

[bigslick82]

[ibeclueless]

cool...

[schmoolie]

Originally Posted by DNA_42

I will say more later. But for now, WOW, should do it.

If you are on the fence, get off, this is a NO BRAINER!

Great great car, BMW did well. Albeit 2 days in.

WOW, WOW, WOW, on so many levels. Do it.



DNA

Couldn't agree more. Picked mine up yesterday (15th Oct) and just can't stay out of it. The engine in amazing, smooth and quiet compared with the old equivalent on the E60. Gadgets galore..

I hear you. I'm waiting to get a couple of k on the clock before doing a review, but its looking like the best yet, by some stretch

[Kev131tc]

Today is the day I've told the salesman I'll make my decision - I think it's the first time in a while that I've felt that there is no competition for my car choice (520D) so I'll have no regrets on selecting this car - It's just the fact of spending so much of cash on a car that's holding me back slightly...but this forum and threads like this one is helping me to decide !

One question I can't decide on - is the Lumbar support on the standard seats a worthwhile extra...ditto the smaller sports steering wheel..?

[schmoolie]

Originally Posted by Kev131tc

Today is the day I've told the salesman I'll make my decision - I think it's the first time in a while that I've felt that there is no competition for my car choice (520D) so I'll have no regrets on selecting this car - It's just the fact of spending so much of cash on a car that's holding me back slightly...but this forum and threads like this one is helping me to decide !

One question I can't decide on - is the Lumbar support on the standard seats a worthwhile extra...ditto the smaller sports steering wheel..?

Pound for pound the 520d has to be the best buy compared against any of the competition. Great value for money now. As for the lumbar support I have it on mine (company policy) and I have to say that it's set once and forgotten about.. I guess that's the point though. Sports steering wheel is great and just the right feel for my average size hands. I have the sports auto box which really add's to the whole experience.

Go on.. you know you want to..

[Lost-Again]

Can't agree more!

[ipso_facto]

Originally Posted by schmoolie

Pound for pound the 520d has to be the best buy compared against any of the competition. Great value for money now. As for the lumbar support I have it on mine (company policy) and I have to say that it's set once and forgotten about.. I guess that's the point though. Sports steering wheel is great and just the right feel for my average size hands. I have the sports auto box which really add's to the whole experience.

Go on.. you know you want to..

DNA - congrats - interesting post - I like your unbridled honesty, and well, very clear sense of enjoyment with your new ride !!

schmoolie, I see you were an E60 520d driver. I had an E61 520d (2006) for 2 years. This was a manual transmission and had the 163ps engine which felt great on the motorway and in the mid-range on A or quicker B roads, but in the town / at slower speeds, it felt quite underpowered. I don't know if underpowered is the right term ... I'm searching for something that describes the way that it felt, but doesn't sound too derogatory.

I really loved the car, but the only real down side was that lack of power from the off. I have no desire to beat anyone off the lights, in fact, I'd go as far to say that I don't even like beating people off the lights. Okay, that's my self psycho analysis sorted.

To the question : how do you find the lower speed power in your new car vs. your previous model?

Cheers ...

[schmoolie]

Originally Posted by ipso_facto

DNA - congrats - interesting post - I like your unbridled honesty, and well, very clear sense of enjoyment with your new ride !!

schmoolie, I see you were an E60 520d driver. I had an E61 520d (2006) for 2 years. This was a manual transmission and had the 163ps engine which felt great on the motorway and in the mid-range on A or quicker B roads, but in the town / at slower speeds, it felt quite underpowered. I don't know if underpowered is the right term ... I'm searching for something that describes the way that it felt, but doesn't sound too derogatory.

I really loved the car, but the only real down side was that lack of power from the off. I have no desire to beat anyone off the lights, in fact, I'd go as far to say that I don't even like beating people off the lights. Okay, that's my self psycho analysis sorted.

To the question : how do you find the lower speed power in your new car vs. your previous model?

Cheers ...

Ipso Facto, Yeah, i had the same engine in my E60 with manual transmission. I politely described it as "agricultural" when cold and at slow speeds it felt a little "out of breath" but on the motorway it was as good as any other. A great engine in it's time but the new engine is light years ahead.

The new engine, coupled with the auto box is dreamy,, i know it's no 6 cylinder 535 etc but it is very smooth and quiet in comparison to the old 4 cylinder diesel. Off the mark it's fine,, being hyper critical there is a little lag sometimes but as I say, it's fine. Cruising on the motorway is effortless and i'd challenge anyone in a blind test to identify it as a 520d.

[DNA_42]

Things I like about my new 520d (so far):

• Stunning looks.
• Comfortable (standard) seats.
• Comfortable ride.
• Poke! More speed and acceleration than I will ever need.
• The finish, I am not sure it could be much better.
• The most luxurious cabin. My friend has a new Bentley and that is better... but not by that much. Well done BMW, one feels really special behind the wheel. Amazing.
• Wicked iDrive/Professional media - stunning 10" screen. SatNat and access via iDrive wheel - zoom in/out etc...
• Solid feel.
• Stereo is superb and I decided to go for the standard stereo in the end. I am glad, it does not need another £700 spent on it in my view.
• Value for money.

I know the BMW purists will yawn at this list, all style and no sporty handling. But this list is what I want in a car.

If you are thinking about buying a large saloon I cannot see how you would buy anything else. Great package, great price.

On the negative side, it is quite a big car and I am being a bit careful at the moment. Also at speed the steering is light and I am finding I am making lots of small adjustments whilst going in a straight line. However, that might be me, it is probably too soon to tell. No pull to the right. 35mpg so far... Just 150 miles so far though.

DNA

[DNA_42]

Forgot to mention.... very very smooth ride and ultra quiet cabin. This is my first diesel car and you just would not know... it is so quiet.

AND.... when I picked my car up I was given the chance to buy a 5 year (FIVE YEAR!!) service pack for £350!

I had to check with them 3 times that it wasn't £350 per year.

Five years service for £350!

My Merc cost more than that a year...

Go get one.
DNA

[listerone]

Damn you Europeans! You get the "d" and we don't! Although there's a rumor that an F10 "d" will arriver here in a year or so.

BTW...I know it's not your fault.I'm just jealous.

[joy5]

Originally Posted by Kev131tc

Today is the day I've told the salesman I'll make my decision - I think it's the first time in a while that I've felt that there is no competition for my car choice (520D) so I'll have no regrets on selecting this car - It's just the fact of spending so much of cash on a car that's holding me back slightly...but this forum and threads like this one is helping me to decide !

One question I can't decide on - is the Lumbar support on the standard seats a worthwhile extra...ditto the smaller sports steering wheel..?

If you are still thinking of your options.

Sports Steering wheel - Go for it, I am glad I got the Sports Wheel, which comes with the Sports Auto box if you order (2TB).

Lumbar Support - I couldn't drive my Laguna without this. Since the Renault Garage broke this in my Laguna, I got a back pain, when driving without the support. So I ordered them in my 520 with standard seats.

Kind of a mistake I did (that's the way I feel it) I did get the Lumbar support on the Standard seats, but I should have get the Comfort seats at least. I feel that the bucket is little small. Not extending up to the back of my knee, simply it doesn't have that adjustment. Honestly I didn't think of it.

If you can afford get the comfort seats, I think the Lumbar Support is included in the price.

Not sure if you get this with Sports seats !

[HighlandPete]

520d is the sensible package, no doubt about that, best value, if you don't go too mad on the options.

Some of us do prefer the bigger engines, for that extra bit of refinement and more relaxed drive.

Originally Posted by DNA_42

...On the negative side, it is quite a big car and I am being a bit careful at the moment. Also at speed the steering is light and I am finding I am making lots of small adjustments whilst going in a straight line. However, that might be me, it is probably too soon to tell.

Shame you also have the steering issue. Not what we expect from BMW in their 5-series. To me, as a BMW veteran, totally unacceptable. A BMW should be planted on the road with 100% straight line stability. Then you've probably read my views on this issue, IMO wheels/tyres are a part of this problem.

HighlandPete

[karmakal]

=> "how do you find the lower speed power in your new car vs. your previous model?"

I love my F10 520D MT but you are right about the lack of power from off.
I could use more power under 2000 rpm in second gear. Looks like the turbo kicks in only from that point.
Compared to my previous Audi A6 1.9L. Diesel (only 140 hp but quite a bit lighter), I really feel the difference here.

[ipso_facto]

Originally Posted by schmoolie

Ipso Facto, Yeah, i had the same engine in my E60 with manual transmission. I politely described it as "agricultural" when cold and at slow speeds it felt a little "out of breath" but on the motorway it was as good as any other. A great engine in it's time but the new engine is light years ahead.

The new engine, coupled with the auto box is dreamy,, i know it's no 6 cylinder 535 etc but it is very smooth and quiet in comparison to the old 4 cylinder diesel. Off the mark it's fine,, being hyper critical there is a little lag sometimes but as I say, it's fine. Cruising on the motorway is effortless and i'd challenge anyone in a blind test to identify it as a 520d.

Great. Thanks for this, it sounds like we have the same feeling about the older 163ps engine.

I have a 520d M Sport saloon with Sports Auto on order and very much looking forward to it's arrival. I think I will have this around mid-November time frame, so will post some pics when it arrives. Having a look on Wikipedia at engine spec's it looks like the F10 520d has a slightly increased output than some of the engine variants in the prior 5 series' 525d, which are of course 6 cylinder. I know not increased on all, but certainly on some. This is really impressive. I think that the output of a BMW 4 cylinder diesel engine, it's fuel economy and my current purchasing power are now fully aligned !! Hopefully anyway - on all three counts.

Cheers

[DNA_42]

Lovely car. Toys are wonderful. BUT STEERS LIKE A BOAT AT HIGH SPEEDS!

Drive it in all conditions before you buy.

[rsyed]

Originally Posted by DNA_42

Lovely car. Toys are wonderful. BUT STEERS LIKE A BOAT AT HIGH SPEEDS!

Drive it in all conditions before you buy.

what is your setup... I assume, 17", standard suspension, or?

aftermarket solutions for a better ride:
- change the springs (take stiffer ones)
- bigger alloys resulting in smaller sidewall.

[gorban]

I came from an E61 525d Touring and had my doubts about the four cylinder 520d engine. Still decided to go in that direction as I wanted more extras for a more "complete" car.

Picked up my F11 520d Touring last Monday and the engine is great. I do have two 120dM's with 177 hp as well but the new engine is much more refined. The semi-electrical engine mounts ensures that there are no vibrations in the chassi or steering weel when the engine is on idle. On a cold start, it's only when you stand in front of the car and hear the sound coming from the kidneys that you can really hear that it's a 4 cylinder diesel.

Once driving at highway speed, the car is silent and you can't hear the engine at all. When pushing it, there is a little lack of power compared to a 6 cylinder. But it's a great luxurious, comfortable family car. Don't belive it's a sports car though.

On another forum, a member with an F10 520d sports automatic complained about the car being a bit weak and vibrating below 1500 rpms. I can't say that my car is, and wonder if the F11 is different or if BMW has updated the software for the autobox?

My spec:

F11 520d Touring

- Imperial blue
- Alu rails
- 18" 328 wheels
- Sports automatic
- Sports seats in black leather
- M sport steering wheel
- VDC
- Xenon
- PDC
- HiFi Professional
- USB
- Electrical tow hitch

[Touring]

Originally Posted by listerone

Damn you Europeans! You get the "d" and we don't! Although there's a rumor that an F10 "d" will arriver here in a year or so.

BTW...I know it's not your fault.I'm just jealous.

Dont worry. We are even more jealous of your gas prices. We pay about 7 dollars per gallon