Quote:
Originally Posted by Roadkiller
The new 5-series is really a luxury executive car with the appropriate amount of power -- depending on what works for you. I might be wrong but its really not designed to hit the corners hard but refined for comfort with some cool tech toys and a conservative external look.
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We use the term 'executive segment' over here in the UK. 5-series sits right there in the middle, deliberately so.
Having come from an era when cars were much smaller, lighter and more nimble, are latest cars are big, heavy and much more refined, blunting the feelings we used to get from the typical BMW. It is hardly surprising the OP and others may have issues with the latest cars.
The Fives are now bigger and heavier than the Sevens my father used to drive. I remember at the time saying his car was too big and heavy to be sporty. Now we see that in the Three vs. Five comparison.
Just yesterday I parked nose to nose with an E39. Emphasises how much bigger the 5-series has become in three generations. The E39 looked small. Even the F3x 3/4 series are virtually as big as the E39.
Even in E39 days, many BMW drivers said it was too big and heavy to be the sporty choice. The E46 filled that part of the market. Look how small a E46 appears today.