I drive the car most of the time. I am concerned that I'll get annoyed at the Lexus if it forces me to slow down when Imake a turn. Currently, I love my A4 because I can hit the turns with the foot down on the accelerator, with no hesitation. I pushed the 525i hard yesterday, and it responded like a champ. My wife was a little worried about how hard I was pushing the test drive, probably never having accelerated so hard around u turns and windy roads (there's a particularly good windy road near west bellfort and gessner.) I'm actually just the guy that the 525 caters to. The big ding is the idrive and mediocre luxury interior. I started this analysis with a pretty strong predisposition toward the 525i, and am surprised and a little irritated that it's even close. I know I'll feel the diference between the Bimme and Lexus handling. the question is just how much difference. if the Lexus is very competent, but not all worldly, it's a legitimate possibility. if it drives like the old 1992 Acura Legend I used to have, it's over. I'm getting the Bimmer. It seems my ultimate car would have the perfect interior of a lexus, but hte ultimate handling and performance of a 5 series. I don't know where I can find that for 50K. I gotta go drive that GS300 again, this time with the windy road on West bellfort.
Thanks. that's consistent with what i've read and generally understand. I don't want my 50K car irritating me. Arg. this is getting less and less clear by the day. Maybe I wait till they phase out the idrive.
Get a Chrysler 300C, load it up with every option in the book, and you will have one heck of a vehicle with more-than-adequate power (345hp, rear-wheel drive), size (interior space comparable to 7-series), handling (for its size), looks, quality, and every other luxury feature you will care for (including an aux input for your mp3 player), and still have enough money left over to buy a Corolla for fuel-efficient road trips or load the vehicle with premium aftermarket parts. I am speaking from experience... If not, and you want a more 'luxury' brand, get the '07 FX45 from Infiniti, it's a GREAT vehicle that has enough room, power, and 'plushness' to spoil you rotten...it's a better choice (IMO) than the M.
The Idrive can be a little irritating, however i think its a cool feature that if you get used to it, it can be very easy to use. It also has a bluetooth option that i love for my tmobile sidekick...navigation is good enough, but not great. One of the reps at momentum told me that they are adding the IPOD feature to the 5 series at the end of this month, i am definitely going to get it as the playlist will showup on the screen, which i think is cool. overall on a scale of 1-10, i would rate the idrive probably a 6. above average
The idrive is just the biggest example of how the bimmer's interior pales in comparison to the Lexus. I'm not one that really needs a lot of interior luxury, but i certainly appreciate the perfection in the Lexus. it has a touch screen that is easy to use and intuitive. No matter how I slice it, the best case for the bimmer is it rates an 8 to the Lexus' 10 in interior qulity and design. I'm driving the gs300 again tomorrow.
i know u think the M is ugly but test drive it has a great engine. This has nothing to do with the cars ur looking at but have u seen the 07 LEXUS LS DAMN! heres the link http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/FVDP/Photos/styleId=100535121 it comes out this August.
I guess that's where I disagree. 5 series is solid but the 3 series suspension and lightweight really brings out the athleticism of the car. 5-series is a bit sloppier on the turns and isn't as flat. It's a more luxurious ride but the fun factor FOR ME is in the 3. I haven't driven the 545i or the new 550i but I'm comparing the 330i to the 530i, both with sport package. Maybe you test drove one car with active steering and the other w/o? That makes a huge difference. The computer assisted steering is horrible if you want to control the car yourself. Definitely designed for the women.
Nah owners just say that so they can bring their car in for the loaner so they can drive that for the weekend trip they planned
you may be right, i didn't pay that much attention to it. Maybe the 3 series i drove didn't have the active steering, where as mine does. I might go test drive the 330i on my off days this week to see if you guys are accurate and im just ignorant I would still purchase the 5 series in a heartbeat, however i would probably get the 550i if i had waited a little longer, that 550 came out about 6 weeks after i purchased mine.
So do you drive a 545i? Because I'm sure the difference in suspension between the 530 and the 545i is huge.
You suck. We love our M, but I don't know about $40k for an M45 (and a lot of guys complain about the M45's gas mileage). I have a nearly loaded M35 and it was clsoe to $50k (but I got it in yr 1). Can't speak for the Lexus v 5-series, but I can say that DOD knows his cars...and looks like Biggiestuff too. I used to have a 328 and it was a way better drive/car than the 5-series, and I don't like the 5-series styling. The M has the best styling anyway.
Just went over to BMW and have now ruled it out, I think. I've ruled out the BMW. The interior is just weak compared to the Lexus, and frankly, other luxury sedans. The Dakota leather is coarse and presumably built for durability, and has little luxurious feel, if any. The wood trim looks plasticy compared to other cars, but particularly bad compared to Lexus. This is a slight exaggeration but it's almost a comparison between the furniture at Foleys and Ethan Allen. Foley's is fine for everyday use, but certainly doesn't make your house look like a showroom. Its surprising that BMW basically gets a pass from critics on interior luxury. I'm now considering whether I might prefer the IS350. Today, I really scrutinized the difference between the 3 and 5 series, and the rear leg room and overall cabin is not that different. The 3 series has been stretched out so much that it's sometimes hard to distinguish between the two. I will investigate whether that is also true for the GS 300 and IS 350. At this point, any input on teh IS 350 woudl be very helpful.
Too bad you need 4 doors or I'd say way for the 335i. twin turbo 3.0L engine. Nice. maybe they'll port the engine into the 4 door but i don't think so
Sucks that you feel that way. BMW was always about driving experience first. I agree that the bmw's interior are a bit spartan and a little less than what other car manufacturer's offer but it's not that bad. After you get used to the interior i don't even notice mine anymore. But the driving experience is always there. I can't stand driving anyone else's car in the family or even my girls. I haven't tested the new IS though yet. I've been waiting for lexus to do a test drive event but that doesn't look like it's happening. Grrrr. BMW does one each year and that's what sells me. Pushing the car pretty hard and watching it do what you want it to do. nothing else like it.
I think its more of personal taste than anything for the interiors. I found the leather in my X5 to be better than the Lexus GX, and I can't really tell the difference between the two wood trims. Both has that glossy finish. The IS 350 is fast, fastest of all the cars you are looking that. But the bimmer still has a better drive though (comparing with a 330), and I think BMW is coming out with a bigger engine (turbo), so you might want to wait to check that out.
After reviewing photos of the interiors of the 5 and GS, and this is my opinion only. I can vouch for the quality of the 5 as i've test driven one but there isn't much difference in the GS though. Looks like your run of the mill dash. nothing spectacular or different. Just simple. That could be more to your liking as I hate mercedes because they like to gaudy up everything where bmw is in the middle. nothing too much nothing too little, until bangle came along those 1st few years! Grrr but was mainly exterior.
