[bodonx]

Hi,

I’m not starting a debate. I just test drove these 3 cars below today. I just want to give my opinions. A little bit of me, I own E46 325i with a sport package and owned B5 and B6 A4 in the past. I drove relatives' E-class, C-class, Lexus GS, E60 before. I’m not an expert about car so excuse my amateur reviews.

I test drove these 3 cars in order:

1. 528i with SP (no DHP, no sport auto)
2. 528i with Msport and sport auto
3. 535i with Msport and sport auto

Car 1 (white/Cinnamon brown)

Negative: The car felt soft and big. As all other 2 cars, it hesitated when you started from stop. It might be due to drive-by-wire crap. Although I could feel more power than my car, it did not give me the thrill when revving the engine to the redline. There was more body roll on the bends. As everybody said, the steering lacks of feedback especially on the center, but no pulling to the right issue. Then, I switched the transmission to the right "sport." It only changed the shifting points and made the steering heavier.

Positive: The ride was very comfortable. I love the interior of this car. BMW has outdone itself with the interior quality and design. They screwed it up on E60. This F10 has a classic BMW driver-oriented cockpit with nice details here and there. The cinnamon brown interior is very nice too. It looks sporty yet luxurious. It should be easier to maintain compared to beige/oyster.

Car 2 (white/oyster) w/ Msport and auto sport

Driving Dynamic
The car felt the same as car 1 on normal on comfort. Then, I changed the DHP to sport (drivetrain and chasis changed). Remember, this car has a damper control only in DHP. I put the transmission in sport too. WOW. I was surprised what a difference it made. The engine pulled harder to red line, the car felt planted on the bends, and the steering offered more feedback (not as good as 3-series). This gave back the true “BMW feel” back. I am NOT sure if it is due to sport auto or the DHP. Some expert folks might be able to give more insights. The better handling might also be due to 275 rear tire width on Msport as well.

Exterior
I love the Msport look from the front. The rear end is not as good as the regular rear bumper. The reflectors are too high. I am not a big fan of the 18" on 528i Msport. I even like the 18" regular sport package better. Now, I am debating whether to get an Msport if I will get 528i.

Interior
I love the contrast of the anthracite headliner and oyster. But, I will not get oyster because it will be hard to maintain. The sport auto is very worth it I think. You will get paddle shifters and very sport look console shifter.

Car 3 (dark graphite/black)

Driving Experience
I expected to be blown away with 535i Msport since it has more power and adaptive drive and ARS (part of $2700 DHP). I was disappointed. Yes, the car felt much stronger on the lower end (2-3k rpm). But, on 3.5-5k, 528i has the same thrill and better sound from the engine.

With extra stuffs from the DHP, I was disappointed with the handling too. It was maybe due to the weight, who knows. I could not feel any difference between this 535i and car 2. According to my sales advisor (he is a car enthusiast), he could only feel the difference unless he drives it VERY hard (which rarely can be done on public road). I think $2700 DHP is not worth it on this test.

I love this dark graphite color. It gives different shades of color every time. The 19" Msport wheels and the dual exhaust look awesome. It makes me want to get this car just for that looks.

CONCLUSION
Overall F10 is a great car. It fulfills my need for more luxury and space and keeps 80% of the sportiness of my current car. The design is WAY better than E60 IMO. It is the best handling car for its size. I hope BMW can do better with the steering. I will wait for 2012 production; hopefully they will come up updated software to improve the steering feel.


Sorry for the long post.

[pogodog]

if you choose the 528i as a 2012 model year it will not have the same inline 6 engine you drove as they are going to a turbo 4- the silky smooth engine you drove will be gone- replaced with a bit more low end torque and a touch more HP and probably better MPG- but a bit rougher as it will be a 4.

[bodonx]

It has not been confirmed, has it?

[nAuTiLuS^]

Originally Posted by bodonx

It has not been confirmed, has it?

It has been ... Apparently the new Z4 sDrive28i will have this new engine come this fall .... And I reckon it will appear on all 28 engines thereafter.

[bodonx]

Originally Posted by nAuTiLuS^

It has been ... Apparently the new Z4 sDrive28i will have this new engine come this fall .... And I reckon it will appear on all 28 engines thereafter.

I read an article somewhere when they are still debating to bring this new 4-cylinder engine to big cars such 5-series or 6-series for this F-generation.

X1, X3, Z4, 3-series have been confirmed.