Betrayal is considered to be one of the very worst things one can do to another. If you’ve ever read Dante’s Inferno, betrayers were dealt the harshest punishment in the afterlife. So things aren’t looking good for the new BMW 5 Series in the eyes of Car and Driver.
Continue Reading Below
C&D recently published an instrumented test of the new BMW 540i, the current top performer in the 5 Series’ range. While the BMW 540i boasts impressive stats, performance, fuel economy and comfort, the staffers at C&D feel betrayed as the new G30-generation 5 Series isn’t what they’ve come to love from BMW. In many ways, they aren’t wrong.
The best generation of 5 Series was the E39, objectively. I have my love for the E28, personally, but the E39 was the best combination of comfort, dynamics and modern amenities. However, since the E39 5er, BMW has yet to get that combination right. The E60 which followed it was an ugly techno-fest whose tech was too new for it to be user-friendly. The F10 which followed that was too luxurious, too big and too heavy to feel like a proper 5er. This new car, though, the G30 generation is getting closer to that original recipe, just maybe not enough.
We recently sampled the new 5 Series in many flavors and claimed that it’s the best 5 Series since the E39 and stand by that claim. However, we realize that we’re but one publication and one small group of enthusiasts. Many enthusiasts are upset that BMW has gone too far toward technology and luxury and it’s hard to blame them. The BMW’s of yore were so wonderful to drive that it is genuinely saddening realizing that such cars will never be made again.
According to Car and Driver, the new BMW 540i hits on all the measurable points. Its 3.0 liter turbocharged I6 engine, making 335 hp and 332 lb-ft, gets it from 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds, which is damn quick. Its interior is superb and filled with great technology. It returns good fuel economy and has every feature you could possibly ask for. But it just doesn’t quite hit some of the immeasurables for some enthusiasts.
We’re actually fans of the G30 ourselves and the 540i is currently the best variant. But we’re not the only ones judging. BMW hopes, though, we’re the ones writing its fate in the afterlife.
[Source: Car and Driver]
Yes it wasn’t nice to read…http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2017-bmw-540i-test-review
No one has captured the pain of BMW enthusiasts (those who didn’t liked G30) better than C&D.
This is one helluva mundane appliance to look at and to drive. It might be an excellent car to be driven in. But, then, Merc showed that its still better chauffeur car than G30 by taking World luxury car of the year award.
To be honest, in trying to be best of both worlds (drive pleasure and comfort) it has landed in neither here not there zone. And the way it looks, that puts the final nail in the coffin for me. How can a premium car maker come up with such an ordinary looking cars. Mazdas, Kias, cadillacs etc. are more interesting to look at than BMW these days.
It might be a damn good car in its own right. But being just ‘damn good’ is not good enough these days in the segment where G30 is playing.
However, if the BMW’s mission is to become the Toyota of the premium segment then they are well and truly on their way. Just don’t expect to see most of us with you in the long run (those who loved you without understanding what you were and should be may stick) cuz sooner or later people will understand that a car simply pasted with BMW roundel doesn’t mean a BMW in essence.
Spot on.
BMW seems to have lost their way: Too much tech, too many models, too much bloat.
You are a silly man.
respectfully, in the comparison tests done by the rest of the world I have yet to see the new 5-Series come in anything but first place, and that includes dozens of them against the new E-class where the 5-Series won BECAUSE it was more fun to drive. Only in U.S. magazines has the 5-Series been chastised like this, and frankly it’s not just the 5. I don’t know if it’s just anti-BMW bias (BMW seems to be graded on an unfair curve against its own history that none of the other cars do) or if competitors are literally buying comparison victories, but the recent C&D comparison was pretty blatant (I mean, they put an ancient, outgoing Audi A6 ahead of the 540i for crying out loud). Since they were including the CTS V Sport and E43 AMG the BMW they SHOULD have used was the M550i xDrive, but instead they went with the regular 540i. C&D tested a 540i xDrive before the 540i that was quicker and handled better than the rear drive version, with more skidpad grip, which would have at least been more comparable to the comparison winning E43 AMG, and yet they decided not to use that one in the test. It’s like they knew what results they wanted beforehand and made sure they got them.
I’ve been driving BMW’s since 2001 and I’ve spent time in the new 5-Series. It’s probably the best overall car I’ve ever driven, and it’s going to make a tremendous platform for the M550i xDrive and M5. The problem here isn’t with the car, it’s with magazines comparing every new BMW to the equivalent BMW from 20 years ago, while giving a pass to the competition for the same things.
They throw everything at BMW in comparison..and yes it’s biased!!!..especially all Wheel drive versus rear…you can try the 20 and 30 year old vehicles from yester..year and compete..if BMW wasn’t the vehicle to beat you’re sure trying hard to find something to beat it…especially when comparing models with in a segment with like equipment.
Furthering the irony, the entire industry is chasing BMW while they move to the centre. Didn’t C&D’s test vehicle have over $20k in options? And then complain it’s a limousine?
Well, As i mentioned in my comment Merc has beaten BMW for World luxury car of the year award 2017. This victory should be able to offset whatever small losses merc has suffered from BMW hands.
One thing we have to understand here is that most of these auto magazine blokes are writing about cars because they like automobiles more from its sporting intent point of view rather than holistic point of view. Now, i am not saying that they totally ignore facets other than sportiness totally its just that the treasure the sportiness more. And to BMW’s credit, they have managed to dial more sporting intent than Merc for sure. But, wasn’t this always expected out of BMW? But despite that its not the best handling and steering car in that segment. That distinction lies with the Jaguar XF.
The problem with BMW vehicles is that for the pest decade and a half there vehicles appear to be suffering from mood swings while almost all other manufacturers have more or less build on their traditional strengths and ironed out their traditional flaws. E39 was epitome, E60 was good enough to carry legacy forward,then F10 went completely other way. Now G30 is trying to make amends for F10’s flaws. is it the case with any other premium automaker? Mercs have become more and more luxurious and stately ( some may disagree but there is no denying that their cars are putting a better impression of luxury than others), their designs have evolved as per the need of the time (whereas BMW’s designs evolved only as per the need of China and to be honest, barring X models, they are passable at best and yawn inducing at worst :P)
And as for your comment that magazines comparing the new BMWs with their 20 year old equivalents i kind of agree to you somewhat. The cars have gone heavier, the tech has had its say, NVH has become a paramount importance and all this has led to dilution of driving pleasure. But, then again, why automakers such as Porsche, Jaguar etc haven’t suffered the dilution in the way that BMW did? Even Cadillac has showed, in recent times, that they can teach Munich a thing or two in the game that was started by them. This does make me wonder whether the dilution that BMW has gone through is really the results of changing times or is it a problem specific to them?
And when i factor that BMW M models also aren’t coming ‘first time right’ from day one, the very models that should be all about sportiness, then i tend to believe that its BMW who has lost the way. standard M models are perfected somewhat by competition pack, then, in turn, those models are further perfected by CS models. It is by the time CS models arrive that things fall in place as it should have fallen at the first place. All the M cars should be the epitome. Each and every one of them. And that is not happening. If these new editions were about reducing weight and extracting more power than its agreeable but if they are also including further steering calibrations, suspension fine tuning over standard M models (to iron out the flaws in standard M models) than it further cements the impression that BMW is losing it all.
And even if you dont believe most of what i said the fact that almost all their recent models have met with more than mere criticism from almost all quarters should raise concerns among BMW guys, especially when they are thinking that they are doing everything right. If they are producing vehicles that are surpassing the lofty expectations exceedingly well then, logically, they should be treated with praises instead of criticism and that’s not really happening.
Drove 540i really hard (I mean full throttle or full brake all the time) about an hour both on the street and autocross and wasn’t impressed. I drive E46 M3 and today’s BMW simply lost it. Partially blaming the EPS. I in fact agree with C&D. Feel betrayed. It is sad.
Why would you expect a luxury sedan to compare to an E46?
Have you driven a E39 540i?
Of course. What does that have to do with my question?
Wtf dude you were really expecting a 5 Series to somehow behave like an M3 Coupe ???
No I did not expect it to have E46 level handling but expected to be driven like a BMW. That was not the case. Very disappointing.
You feel betrayed because you had the ridiculous and unrealistic expectation that a 5-series sedan was going to feel like your 15 year old M3. Alrighty then.
I tested a 540i over 3 days in the Lake District. It performed just as well as my e24 M6 or my e38 728i or my e90 330i. I can step from any BMW to another with 20 or more years age difference and am immediately at home. They all give one that feeling of joy, handle well, drve effortlessly, but most of all do it in style!
When I bought my e24 in 2005 to replace my Opel Monza GSE I was disappointed. It just did not feel to perform. It was only after I looked in my rear view mirror after a normal start from the lights, and saw the 1/4 mile gap that had opened up that I realised it did perform, but not in the loud way like your motoring correspondents like, but in a distinguished manner. If you want something that has a loud exhaust and a sound that means you can’t drive it more than 10 miles without a headache, get a tractor. I prefer my BMWS to any other cars.
Are you defending the new 5 series? :)