523i, 528i or 525d?

phoenix1981 · 10-17-2010, 12:33 PM

Hi again,

I am still undecided about what engine I should order... I know all the options I am going to take (+/- 1 or two) but don't yet know what engine to take...goofy, I know.

What I know for sure is that I want a 6-cyl engine, which excludes 520d. Also, both 535i and 530d are beyond my budget. This leaves me with 3 possible choices (here in Belgium): 523i, 528i and 525d. Now, which one would you get considering that I do an average of 15.000 km a year? Which one of these would be the purist's choice? I would say one of the two gasoline NA engines... Am I right? Any real experience with any of these beauties? Is there a noticeable difference between 523i and 528i? Please, anything u KNOW is a big help

My big plan is to keep it simple suspension-wise: stock or M sport suspension. The gearbox will be the Sp8 Auto. The seats will be comfort seats with all the bells and whistles (except massage).

Now, what is your take on it? I would really appreciate your views, this is a really nice forum from which I have already learnt a lot about my first!!! BMW (not ordered yet).

I want a 5 series because I dislike the interior design of the 3 series.

There, I hope I have given u enough data...

Thanks a bunch!

T.

eripers · 10-17-2010, 01:04 PM

I was thinking a lot about the same choices. The main wish was 528i. But with heavy horsepower tax here in Norway the difference to 523 is about €17 000, and for me that just too much for 54hp extra. I test drove a 525d, the performance was very good, but in the city I still found it to be too much engine noise from the diesel. It actually felt a step back in terms of noise compared to my current E39 525i.
So I ended with 523i and added a lot of extras from the money I saved compared to the 528i.
So I guess it’s comes down to how important engine noise is to you. If you don't care that much about the engine sound, 525d is both faster and use less fuel than the 523i. I don’t know how much more it is for a 528i in Belgium, but considering Belgium and Norway are the only countries with a 163hp 520d I guess it's some tax involved for extra power there too?

phoenix1981 · 10-17-2010, 01:16 PM

520d has 184 hp here. And, honestly, I would have MAYBE gone for the 520d if they had offered the 204 hp bi-turbo diesel they have in the X1 and 1 series.
To come back to ur question: the road tax (u only pay it once, when u buy the car) is related to kW or hp i.e. for the 523i and 525d it would be around 2500 while the 528i would cost me 5000 euros. After that, the annual car tax would be roughly the same for all three engines since this one is related to displacement and they are all 3.0l engines. Tell me more about your 523i, please! Does the engine have enough punch?

eripers · 10-17-2010, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phoenix1981

520d has 184 hp here. And, honestly, I would have MAYBE gone for the 520d if they had offered the 204 hp bi-turbo diesel they have in the X1 and 1 series.
To come back to ur question: the road tax (u only pay it once, when u buy the car) is related to kW or hp i.e. for the 523i and 525d it would be around 2500 while the 528i would cost me 5000 euros. After that, the annual car tax would be roughly the same for all three engines since this one is related to displacement and they are all 3.0l engines. Tell me more about your 523i, please! Does the engine have enough punch?

I will get the car next week so I will let you know then. But I think it would be just a little bit better than my current e39 525i, a few more hp, a more efficient transmission, more torque at low engine speeds since it’s a 3.0l.

So I think it will be enough punch for me, but not at all like the 525d. The 6 cylinder diesel is also sounding much better than the 4 cylinder diesel so if you want punch 525d is probably a better choice.

EdM5 · 10-17-2010, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phoenix1981

520d has 184 hp here. And, honestly, I would have MAYBE gone for the 520d if they had offered the 204 hp bi-turbo diesel they have in the X1 and 1 series.

Have you tried the 520d? Because honestly I don't think 4 or 6 cylinders is as relevant for a diesel as it is for a petrol. Right now, I have a 335d, and allthough better then before, it still sounds like a diesel. If you want a great sound, a petrol R6 is the way to go and defintely not the 525d. And if you want serious diesel punch, order the 530d/535d. 525d is a bit stuck in the middle.
Anyway, IMO you should decide on diesel vs. Petrol first. But if it's a diesel, the 520d seems a much better choice then the 525d, just think of all the extra goodies you can include

phoenix1981 · 10-17-2010, 03:32 PM

no, never tried the 520d, nor the 523i... but I am not really a big fan of diesel engines...never had one, but I was told that the newer ones are miles away from a 2005 Merc CDI or Audi/VW TDI (engines which I know). What I have tested is the 535i and the 530d...not because I wanted, but because they were the only ones available... after 5 minutes in the 535i I decided I did not need that much power... u cannot floor the damned thing too long, cause u r in license suspension territory... anyway it is financially out of my league... the 530d....same thing...too strong, too expensive.

EdM5 · 10-17-2010, 03:44 PM

Well, that narrows it down!
Go for a nice classic straight six petrol.

Btw, on the german f10 forum, word is that from march 2011 the current 525d engine will be replaced by a 4 cylinder 210 hp bi-turbo.
However, this is not confirmed yet.

phoenix1981 · 10-18-2010, 03:02 AM

straight classic inline 6.... I must admit this is music to my ears... but regarding that diesel bi-turbo that might replace the 525d... now u get me worried again

krell · 10-18-2010, 04:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdwinF10

Btw, on the german f10 forum, word is that from march 2011 the current 525d engine will be replaced by a 4 cylinder 210 hp bi-turbo.
However, this is not confirmed yet.

That doesn't surprise me. The 525d is a bit of an oddball in the range.

1. It's the most de-tuned version of the 3 litre diesels. The 530d and 535d have the same capacity.
2. It has almost the same fuel economy as the 530d and 535d. So you lose out on power and torque, but you don't get any benefit with respect to economy.
3. Emissions are very similar to that of the 530d and 535d - not sure if they all sit in the same tax bracket.
4. It only has 20 bhp more than the 520d - though torque is 450 Nm against 380 Nm.

The big difference will be the way the 525d delivers its performance compared to the 520d. It will be smoother and more refined - but the 520d is the clear class leader in this area. Drive any small capacity Mercedes diesel, and you'll instantly see the gulf. You'll wonder whether you're driving a tractor or a Mercedes.

With all the above, it appears the 525d has been engineered to sit halfway between the 520d and 530d, rather than engineered to get the most out of its 3 litre capacity. Of course, it's also been priced as such - halfway between the two.

As one motoring journalist said, BMW need to "crapify" the 520d engine to make the 530d more appealing, let alone the 525d.

For some, the benefits of a 6 cylinder engine will draw them to the 525d regardless if they can't stretch to a 530d or 535d. If cost were no object I would go for a 530d. I suspect a 535d will have more power than I'll ever use.

Mercedes are also going the same way. They have ditched the 5 cylinder 270 CDI engine in favour of a 2.2 litre twin turbo unit (250 CDI). The 250 CDI has 204 bhp and 498 Nm of torque - but much better fuel economy than the 270 CDI..

It's interesting to note that while gas prices have risen in the United States in recent years, they still pay a heck of a lot less than we do in Europe. So it's still very much a viable option to buy large capacity petrol engines over there - though this is starting to change. My sister lives in NY and owns a V8 Lexus 4x4 that drinks premium fuel for fun. She weeps every time she fills the beast up - which is regularly. She's on first name terms with the people at her local gas station.

HighlandPete · 10-18-2010, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krell

That doesn't surprise me. The 525d is a bit of an oddball in the range.

1. It's the most de-tuned version of the 3 litre diesels. The 530d and 535d have the same capacity.

...

The big difference will be the way the 525d delivers its performance compared to the 520d. It will be smoother and more refined - but the 520d is the clear class leader in this area.

We have to remember the history of the engine development and how progress very quickly makes engines appear obsolete. When the 525d 3.0 litre was first introduced the 2.0d was way behind for output and refinement, so the 525d (325d) made perfect sense to the folks who wanted 6-cylinder refinement and not after 530d (325d) output, cost also part of the equation and it was better for consumption, compared to the 530d (325d) at the time.

The 525d was touted for its flexibility and torque output at low revs, 400Nm @ just 1300 rpm, so a very useable engine and some preferred it to the 530d in average driving, so clearly it had a place in the range.

The other factors which completely mess with engine outputs are the national requirements and break points for tax, insurance, etc., so we don't see engines always designed for best outputs, some even appear 'detuned' for no reason.

HighlandPete

phoenix1981 · 10-18-2010, 05:51 AM

quite interesting points, thanks krell and HighLand Pete... I am thus starting to rule out the 525d... u get the 530d consumption and the (upgraded) 520d performance basically... any thoughts on 523i vs 528i? Same engine (N53), R6, different outputs, almost identical consumption... on paper at least... any REAL world impressions? How do they compare?

fiveten · 10-18-2010, 07:06 AM

Hi eripers,

Congratulations on going for the 523i, I will be really interested to hear what you think as I am in the same position as you, the 528i is what I would like but the price difference in Norway makes no sense. The 523i & 528i have identical engines, I bet they cost the same to manufcture, the 523i being simply downtuned to meet national tax laws and the needs of the marketing department

phoenix1981 · 10-18-2010, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiveten

The 523i & 528i have identical engines, I bet they cost the same to manufcture, the 523i being simply downtuned to meet national tax laws and the needs of the marketing department

That I know... but how do they compare in practice? Is the difference in output easily perceivable in normal city driving or is it only there at high speeds on the highways? And if so, is it sufficiently perceivable to justify the acquisition of the 528i over the 523i? Thanks! Note that I do not have to commute for work, I do mostly city-driving, with the occasional week-end tour and 1 or max. 2 long driving holidays a year (around 5000km).

krell · 10-18-2010, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phoenix1981

That I know... but how do they compare in practice? Is the difference in output easily perceivable in normal city driving or is it only there at high speeds on the highways? And if so, is it sufficiently perceivable to justify the acquisition of the 528i over the 523i? Thanks! Note that I do not have to commute for work, I do mostly city-driving, with the occasional week-end tour and 1 or max. 2 long driving holidays a year (around 5000km).

Interesting. I also don't drive into work. My wife normally drives the car during the week and its mostly city driving. We do the occasional longer trip, but nothing like the 5000km you do.

This is where your driving style and the characteristics of the engine come into play. Way back I used to drive normally aspirated cars like a VW Golf GTI and took the engine high into the revs to access whatever power was on offer. As I got older, my driving style changed where I wanted more torque lower down in the rev range for a more relaxed drive. I was no longer interested in revving the engine so much. That's when I came across turbo charged petrol engines that provided just that - greater torque lower down in the rev range.

Looking at the figures for some of the F10/F11 engines:

523: 0-60 (7.9s), Torque 270 Nm (1500-4250)
520d: 0-60 (8.1s), Torque 380 Nm (1900-2750)
528: 0-60 (6.6s), Torque 310 (2600-5000)

It strikes me that in the 523 you may have to rev the engine to make swift progress in the lower gears when driving in the city. You may enjoy doing that if that's your driving style - and the BMW straight six petrols engines are great at doing that.

I prefer the greater low down torque of the diesel engines. Most of the torque is available low down in the rev range so it makes city driving effortless. What I found during my test drives of the 520d is that it was also excellent on the motorway. Crusing at 90 mph was effortless and extremely quiet - even quieter than my S Class Mercedes.

Not many dealers carry petrol cars in the U.K because of the popularity of diesel engines. So you may find it difficult to test drive one in the spec that you require. But if you can, do test drive the 520d. I initially disregarded it because I didn't think I could live with a 4 cylinder diesel - but after I read the press reports I decided to try it. What BMW have done with the 520d is nothing short of amazing. Sure - it's not as refined as a 6 cylinder diesel or petrol but most of the time you wouldn't know you're driving a diesel. I don't feel I'm losing out coming from a 3.2 litre V6 petrol.

If you find you can't live with the 520d then it's a straight shoot-out between the 523 and 528.

phoenix1981 · 10-18-2010, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krell

Interesting. I also don't drive into work. My wife normally drives the car during the week and its mostly city driving. We do the occasional longer trip, but nothing like the 5000km you do.

This is where your driving style and the characteristics of the engine come into play. Way back I used to drive normally aspirated cars like a VW Golf GTI and took the engine high into the revs to access whatever power was on offer. As I got older, my driving style changed where I wanted more torque lower down in the rev range for a more relaxed drive. I was no longer interested in revving the engine so much. That's when I came across turbo charged petrol engines that provided just that - greater torque lower down in the rev range.

Looking at the figures for some of the F10/F11 engines:

523: 0-60 (7.9s), Torque 270 Nm (1500-4250)
520d: 0-60 (8.1s), Torque 380 Nm (1900-2750)
528: 0-60 (6.6s), Torque 310 (2600-5000)

It strikes me that in the 523 you may have to rev the engine to make swift progress in the lower gears when driving in the city. You may enjoy doing that if that's your driving style - and the BMW straight six petrols engines are great at doing that.

I prefer the greater low down torque of the diesel engines. Most of the torque is available low down in the rev range so it makes city driving effortless. What I found during my test drives of the 520d is that it was also excellent on the motorway. Crusing at 90 mph was effortless and extremely quiet - even quieter than my S Class Mercedes.

Not many dealers carry petrol cars in the U.K because of the popularity of diesel engines. So you may find it difficult to test drive one in the spec that you require. But if you can, do test drive the 520d. I initially disregarded it because I didn't think I could live with a 4 cylinder diesel - but after I read the press reports I decided to try it. What BMW have done with the 520d is nothing short of amazing. Sure - it's not as refined as a 6 cylinder diesel or petrol but most of the time you wouldn't know you're driving a diesel. I don't feel I'm losing out coming from a 3.2 litre V6 petrol.

If you find you can't live with the 520d then it's a straight shoot-out between the 523 and 528.

my driving style is quite sporty, coming from a TSI Twincharger in a Golf 5 GT Sport (small engine, but quite temperamental even though a bit jerky...). I do like to rev the engine every now and then... plus I am quite often in Germany where one can really drive fast and stay legit... i am however not the racetrack type....nor is the 5 series the car for that...at least not fitted with these 3 engines I can afford...

now please tell me more about that 523 vs 528i shoot-out

HighlandPete · 10-18-2010, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phoenix1981

my driving style is quite sporty...

....now please tell me more about that 523 vs 528i shoot-out

For me it's a no brainer, if you can afford the 528i. More power, easier drive, as fuel consumption is virtually identical then the bigger engine will likely fare better if, as you say, your style is 'quite sporty'. I've always found bigger engines, (without weight penalties) particularly in bigger cars, give better fuel returns in the real world, than a less powerful motor, unless you are a very very light footed driver.

HighlandPete

elie06 · 10-19-2010, 04:11 PM

Hi,

Since we have so many speedtraps here in france, the engine is not my first priority, so i chose a 523 and with the price difference i added all my dream options.

I'm picking it up in 2 days and i'll let you know how it feels.

regards,

elie

phoenix1981 · 10-22-2010, 08:15 AM

OK, can't wait elie...

bimmerfrei · 10-22-2010, 11:59 AM

As an owner of a 528 I would (surprise, surprise) say 528. It a very nice ride with very good performance from standstill. The power in higher speeds might not be too much to brag about, but overall it's a very nice engine in a great car. I changed into my F10 from a 335d so I surely miss the massive torque but I don't miss the vibrations and the diesel sound.

And by the way, go for the M suspension. Makes the handling much better and makes the car look better too. Add 20 inch rims and you have a gorgeous car.

/Christian

PoleApart · 10-23-2010, 03:35 PM

I've had the 523i 4 months now and if I was to do it all again I'd get a 528i. It needs more power - especially if you have 4 people on board. It is a great sounding engine but only until about 6000 pm. After that it gets boomy and there's no point in thrashing it beyond that. In a mixed cycle I'm getting 12l100 km. In town in quite heavy traffic if you like to rev it this goes up to over 14. There are huge differences in fuel consumption depending on driving style.

I've never driven an F10 with a different engine so can't compare to 528i.

My previous was E60 530d for 4 years. My first and last tractor engined car

raleedy · 10-23-2010, 04:42 PM

A recent issue of "auto motor und sport" (the German bi-weekly car magazine) has a good buyer's guide to the F10 5 series. Their reviewers don't much like the 523i, which I guess is a detuned version of the 3.0 litre six, especially as compared with the 528i.

krugerjq · 10-26-2010, 05:16 AM

Hi There

I have a 523i. Was also not willing to pay the extra money for the 528. In South Africa cars are very overpriced here. My previous BMW was a 2006 323i E90. The 523 almost has the same engine but definitely has more power. Fuel consumption on my 523 is also better than on the 323. Don’t know if it is the Efficient Dynamics with the 8 speed sports auto. Performance wise the 523 is not a rocket ship, but it is not bad either. The ride is much better than the E90. The only thing I miss is my xenon’s. I bought my 523 of the floor so did not have the option to take xenon’s. I am very happy with my car.

10-17-2010, 12:33 PM	#1
phoenix1981 New Member 6 Rep 18 Posts Drives: Golf V GT Sport Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Belgium iTrader: (0)	523i, 528i or 525d? Hi again, I am still undecided about what engine I should order... I know all the options I am going to take (+/- 1 or two) but don't yet know what engine to take...goofy, I know. What I know for sure is that I want a 6-cyl engine, which excludes 520d. Also, both 535i and 530d are beyond my budget. This leaves me with 3 possible choices (here in Belgium): 523i, 528i and 525d. Now, which one would you get considering that I do an average of 15.000 km a year? Which one of these would be the purist's choice? I would say one of the two gasoline NA engines... Am I right? Any real experience with any of these beauties? Is there a noticeable difference between 523i and 528i? Please, anything u KNOW is a big help My big plan is to keep it simple suspension-wise: stock or M sport suspension. The gearbox will be the Sp8 Auto. The seats will be comfort seats with all the bells and whistles (except massage). Now, what is your take on it? I would really appreciate your views, this is a really nice forum from which I have already learnt a lot about my first!!! BMW (not ordered yet). I want a 5 series because I dislike the interior design of the 3 series. There, I hope I have given u enough data... Thanks a bunch! T.
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10-17-2010, 01:04 PM	#2
eripers Private 0 Rep 80 Posts Drives: F11 523i Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Norway iTrader: (0)	I was thinking a lot about the same choices. The main wish was 528i. But with heavy horsepower tax here in Norway the difference to 523 is about €17 000, and for me that just too much for 54hp extra. I test drove a 525d, the performance was very good, but in the city I still found it to be too much engine noise from the diesel. It actually felt a step back in terms of noise compared to my current E39 525i. So I ended with 523i and added a lot of extras from the money I saved compared to the 528i. So I guess it’s comes down to how important engine noise is to you. If you don't care that much about the engine sound, 525d is both faster and use less fuel than the 523i. I don’t know how much more it is for a 528i in Belgium, but considering Belgium and Norway are the only countries with a 163hp 520d I guess it's some tax involved for extra power there too?
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10-17-2010, 01:16 PM	#3
phoenix1981 New Member 6 Rep 18 Posts Drives: Golf V GT Sport Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Belgium iTrader: (0)	520d has 184 hp here. And, honestly, I would have MAYBE gone for the 520d if they had offered the 204 hp bi-turbo diesel they have in the X1 and 1 series. To come back to ur question: the road tax (u only pay it once, when u buy the car) is related to kW or hp i.e. for the 523i and 525d it would be around 2500 while the 528i would cost me 5000 euros. After that, the annual car tax would be roughly the same for all three engines since this one is related to displacement and they are all 3.0l engines. Tell me more about your 523i, please! Does the engine have enough punch?
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10-17-2010, 03:32 PM	#6
phoenix1981 New Member 6 Rep 18 Posts Drives: Golf V GT Sport Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Belgium iTrader: (0)	no, never tried the 520d, nor the 523i... but I am not really a big fan of diesel engines...never had one, but I was told that the newer ones are miles away from a 2005 Merc CDI or Audi/VW TDI (engines which I know). What I have tested is the 535i and the 530d...not because I wanted, but because they were the only ones available... after 5 minutes in the 535i I decided I did not need that much power... u cannot floor the damned thing too long, cause u r in license suspension territory... anyway it is financially out of my league... the 530d....same thing...too strong, too expensive.
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10-17-2010, 03:44 PM	#7
EdM5 Colonel 4066 Rep 2,064 Posts Drives: G26 i4 M50 & E70 X5 Xdrive35d Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Amsterdam iTrader: (0)	Well, that narrows it down! Go for a nice classic straight six petrol. Btw, on the german f10 forum, word is that from march 2011 the current 525d engine will be replaced by a 4 cylinder 210 hp bi-turbo. However, this is not confirmed yet. __________________ 2004 e87 118d (ret.), 2007 e92 330d (ret.), 2007 e87 130i M-sport (ret.), 2009 e92 M3 (ret.), 2010 f10 535d M-sport (ret.), 2015 f10 M5 CP (ret.), 2017 f82 M4 CP (ret.) 2022 g26 i4 M50 & 2009 e70 X5 35d
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10-18-2010, 03:02 AM	#8
phoenix1981 New Member 6 Rep 18 Posts Drives: Golf V GT Sport Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Belgium iTrader: (0)	straight classic inline 6.... I must admit this is music to my ears... but regarding that diesel bi-turbo that might replace the 525d... now u get me worried again
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10-18-2010, 05:51 AM	#11
phoenix1981 New Member 6 Rep 18 Posts Drives: Golf V GT Sport Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Belgium iTrader: (0)	quite interesting points, thanks krell and HighLand Pete... I am thus starting to rule out the 525d... u get the 530d consumption and the (upgraded) 520d performance basically... any thoughts on 523i vs 528i? Same engine (N53), R6, different outputs, almost identical consumption... on paper at least... any REAL world impressions? How do they compare?
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10-18-2010, 07:06 AM	#12
fiveten Registered 0 Rep 4 Posts Drives: E60 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Norway iTrader: (0)	Hi eripers, Congratulations on going for the 523i, I will be really interested to hear what you think as I am in the same position as you, the 528i is what I would like but the price difference in Norway makes no sense. The 523i & 528i have identical engines, I bet they cost the same to manufcture, the 523i being simply downtuned to meet national tax laws and the needs of the marketing department
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10-19-2010, 04:11 PM	#17
elie06 Enlisted Member 3 Rep 36 Posts Drives: F10 - 523i - Spacegrey 10/2010 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Nice iTrader: (0)	i got me a 523 Hi, Since we have so many speedtraps here in france, the engine is not my first priority, so i chose a 523 and with the price difference i added all my dream options. I'm picking it up in 2 days and i'll let you know how it feels. regards, elie
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10-22-2010, 08:15 AM	#18
phoenix1981 New Member 6 Rep 18 Posts Drives: Golf V GT Sport Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Belgium iTrader: (0)	OK, can't wait elie...
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10-22-2010, 11:59 AM	#19
bimmerfrei Enlisted Member 0 Rep 44 Posts Drives: 2011 528i Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Sweden iTrader: (0)	As an owner of a 528 I would (surprise, surprise) say 528. It a very nice ride with very good performance from standstill. The power in higher speeds might not be too much to brag about, but overall it's a very nice engine in a great car. I changed into my F10 from a 335d so I surely miss the massive torque but I don't miss the vibrations and the diesel sound. And by the way, go for the M suspension. Makes the handling much better and makes the car look better too. Add 20 inch rims and you have a gorgeous car. /Christian
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10-23-2010, 03:35 PM	#20
PoleApart Private 10 Rep 61 Posts Drives: F31 LCI 325D Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Warsaw, Poland iTrader: (0)	I've had the 523i 4 months now and if I was to do it all again I'd get a 528i. It needs more power - especially if you have 4 people on board. It is a great sounding engine but only until about 6000 pm. After that it gets boomy and there's no point in thrashing it beyond that. In a mixed cycle I'm getting 12l100 km. In town in quite heavy traffic if you like to rev it this goes up to over 14. There are huge differences in fuel consumption depending on driving style. I've never driven an F10 with a different engine so can't compare to 528i. My previous was E60 530d for 4 years. My first and last tractor engined car
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10-23-2010, 04:42 PM	#21
raleedy Colonel 160 Rep 2,248 Posts Drives: 2016 228i 6-speed Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Portland, Oregon iTrader: (0)	A recent issue of "auto motor und sport" (the German bi-weekly car magazine) has a good buyer's guide to the F10 5 series. Their reviewers don't much like the 523i, which I guess is a detuned version of the 3.0 litre six, especially as compared with the 528i.
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10-26-2010, 05:16 AM	#22
krugerjq Private First Class 8 Rep 126 Posts Drives: X3 2d M Sport, F800GS Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: South Africa iTrader: (0)	Hi There I have a 523i. Was also not willing to pay the extra money for the 528. In South Africa cars are very overpriced here. My previous BMW was a 2006 323i E90. The 523 almost has the same engine but definitely has more power. Fuel consumption on my 523 is also better than on the 323. Don’t know if it is the Efficient Dynamics with the 8 speed sports auto. Performance wise the 523 is not a rocket ship, but it is not bad either. The ride is much better than the E90. The only thing I miss is my xenon’s. I bought my 523 of the floor so did not have the option to take xenon’s. I am very happy with my car.
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