i feel like arguing about BMWs.

[TopGearNL]

wow i havent see thisone sounds like v8

LOL! Really? 

Yes I believe its a e39 540i V8 with M sport package? 

[ZfrkS62]

Yeah, it's a 540 Sport. Awesome car. Still holding their value pretty well too, no one wants to let them go.

Knowing BMW's subtle advertising, I feel like a retard for not picking up on the Ang Lee/Incredible Hulk link.

They did a ton of that with these little shorts.

[TopGearNL]

Yeah, it's a 540 Sport. Awesome car. Still holding their value pretty well too, no one wants to let them go.

Knowing BMW's subtle advertising, I feel like a retard for not picking up on the Ang Lee/Incredible Hulk link.

They did a ton of that with these little shorts.

Not a surprise noone wants to let them go. Seem like pretty decent cars. It has performance and looks quite sleek and stylish at the same time! I guess the majority of them are automatic and not have manual gearboxes like the one in the vid?

[ZfrkS62]

Not a surprise noone wants to let them go. Seem like pretty decent cars. It has performance and looks quite sleek and stylish at the same time! I guess the majority of them are automatic and not have manual gearboxes like the one in the vid?

Even the automatics are hard to come by. the 6-spds just don't exist on the used car market here. But a good chunk of the ones that come in for service are automatic. 

[ARMAN]

donno about e39 but majority of 6spd 540i e34's are in US we have like 1-2 a year for sale here

[TopGearNL]

Even the automatics are hard to come by. the 6-spds just don't exist on the used car market here. But a good chunk of the ones that come in for service are automatic.

Sometimes special versions are made for the US market. Like the e60 M5 manual, not available anywhere outside the US to my knowledge? I guess people hang on to them since they are rare in the hope to increase their value

[everso]

BMW is a brand in a class of its own. Its a RWD car with a sporting character. More sporty then Audi and Mercedes. Mercedes concentrates more on comfort and Audi sits in between these 2 brands.

If you don't like the stiffness/handling/ride or something else about BMW, tough..! It says more about you then about BMW. BMW is a real drivers car, lets you put it right near the edge and gives you the full experience in driving.

This all really is comparing Mozarella cheese against Danish blue and Cheddar. They all have a distinctive character which we either love or hate..

yeah because everybody drives "near the edge" all the time.  LOL! You, my friend, sound like someone who hasn't driven many BMWs

i've driven plenty...all different models and all different years.  I know that some of them are great, and i know that some of them really are not......

[everso]

The motors aren't the problem in the 335. For some god damn reason they had a widespread failure of the high pressure fuel pumps. As it turns out, they only used that pump in the US and China and has 11 different points of failure. Why they used the shittiest parts in their 2 biggest markets, I have no clue. They've also had issues with the fuel injectors; both parts currently have recalls behind them and the high pressure pumps have had their warranties extended to 10years/120,000 miles, so it's not like BMW doesn't stand behind their products.

Styling wise, I think the E92 is on par with the A5; advantage going to Audi with the headlights. Truth be told, Audi has the coolest headlights out there.

I haven't had a chance to really drive the F10 5er and F01 7er yet, but I am not a fan of the grills on the 7. kind of hog nosed IMO. I think the new 6 is going to be a huge improvement though.

I really want to argue the interior styling of the E90-3, but I think the cluster is lacking something. The E46 and my E36 clusters are great, but maybe it's the over simplification of the E90 (which is pretty much just a hand-me-down from the E60 anyway) cluster that makes it feel so lack luster.

Don't get me wrong, I love the 335's. The exhaust note on the stock system is great and having the double pivot front suspension is 20x better than the E46's.

Yes, the M3/5/6 is the douchetard's car. Can't disagree there. I see WAY to many of them. Especially the convertibles..

I have been feeling like BMW has sold out a bit in the past few years. Proof of that was the X3. But Audi hasn't helped itself much with the Q7 and 5. And what the hell is the deal with the B5? I think my Toyota is bigger than that thing...

=edit= re-reading this, i'm not really helping your search for an argument much...I haven't really felt like BMW is measuring up all that well lately...

haha...you came round full circle!

weren't you being trained at a BMW service school before?  you're right about the water pump, not the engine part.....massive recalls for that recently as well....

i think it's a brand that is just falling hard at the moment.  All their new products are simply uninspiring.  I mean, 5-series Gran Turismo?????? PLEASE!

[ZfrkS62]

haha...you came round full circle!

weren't you being trained at a BMW service school before?  you're right about the water pump, not the engine part.....massive recalls for that recently as well....

i think it's a brand that is just falling hard at the moment.  All their new products are simply uninspiring.  I mean, 5-series Gran Turismo?????? PLEASE!

I wouldn't say I've come full circle. I'm still not driving a glorified VW

The 5 GT sucks asshole. I despise it with my entire being. Same with the X6, X6 Hybrid (90,000 bucks for 19mpg? ) the X5 and 3. I hate the entire X line with the same passion that any Audi enthusiast should also hate the Q line.

I used to be able to argue this kind of stuff until I was blue in the fingertips. I can remember a few flame wars on JW where no one was budging

The E90/2 are great improvements on the E46 which was still an amazing car. Yes, they've lost something in the interior but I don't feel like it really detracts from the driving experience all that much. The seats are more comfortable than the E46 and hold you in even better while the car grips better than anyone could have expected from a 3 series. The E92 styling is well designed and if you're going to knock it, you better not compare it to the A5, because frankly they're pretty damn similar and there is no way you can knock one without knocking the other one.

donno about e39 but majority of 6spd 540i e34's are in US we have like 1-2 a year for sale here

Honestly, I don't think they brought a 6 speed here for the E34...I've never seen one at least.

[Driy]

Click!

As you can imagine, it's pretty much slanted towards the Benz side since it's on a Benz forum, but nonetheless, some interesting thoughts.

thx, yes I love the W126, your 6'er is amazing to. 

[Igorionia]

Once more, talkin about BMW.
is it really so EfficientDynamic???
I mean even comparin with my old Audi A4 (2001) 1.9TDi 96kW FWD.
65l tank of diesel,w/ radio,A/C and average speed of 100km/h Me and my wife can drive 1500km easily.

and all new 320d EfficientDynamic
with EXPENSIVE! ElectronicPowerSteering
with EXPENSIVE system of generatin energy from brakin
STAR/STOP function. EXPENSIVE!
i guess EXPENSIVE energy savin tires
etc etc etc
And they are talkin about 3.6km/100km in economyc mode(90km/h). Average 4.5l/100km

Looks more commercial/marketing move from BMW!!!

[TopGearNL]

yeah because everybody drives "near the edge" all the time.  LOL! You, my friend, sound like someone who hasn't driven many BMWs

i've driven plenty...all different models and all different years.  I know that some of them are great, and i know that some of them really are not......

Your a funny guy. I worked at a BMW dealership for 2 years and Ive driven every BMW.. I agree on the fact that not all of them are great, I hated the X3, the X5 felt like a pig. I preferred the older E46 to the E90 in terms of feeling the car.

The 1-series was ok but that car is ugly and has no space. Might aswell take a Mini. Funny thing is, the Mini was my favourite handling car of the lot!

What I did try to communicate overall, was the fact that a BMW pretty much steams me up whenever I drive one. Much more then any other car. In a BMW I drive much more aggressive and sporty then in lets say an Audi or Merc.,, I wasn't saying this is a good thing though!

[everso]

Your a funny guy. I worked at a BMW dealership for 2 years and Ive driven every BMW.. I agree on the fact that not all of them are great, I hated the X3, the X5 felt like a pig. I preferred the older E46 to the E90 in terms of feeling the car.

The 1-series was ok but that car is ugly and has no space. Might aswell take a Mini. Funny thing is, the Mini was my favourite handling car of the lot!

What I did try to communicate overall, was the fact that a BMW pretty much steams me up whenever I drive one. Much more then any other car. In a BMW I drive much more aggressive and sporty then in lets say an Audi or Merc.,, I wasn't saying this is a good thing though!

 the regular BMWs bore me....the M models are alot of fun, and the 'older' BMWs i've driven (before 1998) had ALOT more enjoyment built into them than the mundane base modern ones....to me, there are much better cars to drive than regular 3-series E90 sedans....ick.

i would much rather be driving a B8 S4 than an E90 335.....with sport diff pack....yep definitely.

modern Audis are far more interesting than modern BMWs, in my opinion.

[danidmas]

I have bounced from BMW to Audi and back quite a few times over the years, but now the only modern cars that appeal to me are the ones made in Ingolstad. Beemers are quite boring these days, and the brand does not help when they offer crappy models like the X1 or the X5/6M. Audis are sleeker, with a better design in general - there're exceptions, like everywhere, and the Q7 is one nice example. If I could buy a car right now, that would be either the A4 Avant or a Q5. With the S-Line bodykit.


Said that, there's nothing like an old-school beemer when you compare them to the Audis. The Sport Quattro is the only one I'd pick, and that's because of the heritage of the S1 group B monster, not for the beauty of the thing... 

[gucom]

late contribution, but Audi's styling, apart from the R8, is boring as fuck. It all looks the same, generation after generation, and the A5 especially looks awkward and clumsy around the rear pilar. The only changes to the A4, A6, A8 in the past 9 years or so, seem to be superficial detailing instead of fundamental lines. That's fine on a 911, but not on a manufacturer that prides itself on futurism and technological advancement.

I agree about the BMW saloons though, especially the new 5 and 7 series. Also their interiors are getting REALLY boring by now. New Z4 is one of the most striking cars of the past decade though!

[ZfrkS62]

Once more, talkin about BMW.
is it really so EfficientDynamic???
I mean even comparin with my old Audi A4 (2001) 1.9TDi 96kW FWD.
65l tank of diesel,w/ radio,A/C and average speed of 100km/h Me and my wife can drive 1500km easily.

and all new 320d EfficientDynamic
with EXPENSIVE! ElectronicPowerSteering
with EXPENSIVE system of generatin energy from brakin
STAR/STOP function. EXPENSIVE!
i guess EXPENSIVE energy savin tires
etc etc etc
And they are talkin about 3.6km/100km in economyc mode(90km/h). Average 4.5l/100km

Looks more commercial/marketing move from BMW!!!

I actually asked my instructor today what the hell the ED thing was all about (I'm in F01 training right now) and the whole Efficient Dynamics thing isn't so much a marketing strategy as it is a way of thinking. It's supposed to encompass everything from the efficiency of BMW's plants to how they take into consideration aerodynamic efficiencies and lighter weight components to increase fuel mileage. Where the ED thing starts to lose it's strength is when you take into consideration that 5 different control modules are involved in unlocking the fucking door

The Hybrid 7 and X6 actually have directional rims to limit the aerodynamic drag of the wheel assemblies and low friction gears to cut down on friction based running losses through the drivetrain. They've really overengineered the car to coax out every last eenth of a mpg.

[Sir_GT]

At the risk of bringing this thread back from the dead (as opposed to starting a new one), I just wanted to share something quick:


Finally got to REALLY check out the new 5 series today (because I normally just see it driving by), and I have to say, it's a very good looking car. Reminds me almost of the older pre-Bangle bimmers in a way - very "Q", very understated. Almost like a German Subaru Legacy (when they were better looking).