[Minty]

Was invited to test drive the new 5er and obviously it would have been rude to refuse. Anyways, here is my brief review:

The only demonstrator available was a 520d SE with VDC and Adaptive Drive. Bit annoyed as I wanted to have a a go in the 540i but it was sold

First impressions were that is felt quite light and nible and didn't feel massive compared to my F31. Interior build okay; felt a little bit plasticky..seats very very comfortable. One strange feeling is that the steering wheel was not in line with the drivers seat...the wheel was quite a bit offset to the right of the driver

Steering was very light with little feel, worse than the F31.

Ride was very good and smooth in comfort and sport, adaptive seemed to make very little difference. Road noise was okay, not significantly better than the F31. I was surprised as all reviews say how refined it is. It's probably due to the optional 19" rims.

Performance was average and the 2.0d was quite noisey and obviously not a patch on the B58.

Got back in the F31 and took it on the same test drive route and was really impressed that it didn't feel massively different in refinement from the new 5er, in fact the engine seemed even more special after driving the 2.0d.

BMW have gone back to old skool indicators that actually click into place. Also they have removed the temperature blend dial from the face vents ; I love that feature!

In summary, I think it was 'nice' but didn't feel special enough to warrant changing. The B58 is an absolute peach so would be keen to see what that is like in the new 5 series.

[teaston]

Also the steering wheel isn't as nice looking as F series M Sport one!

[nickb3]

Thanks for posting. Interested in your views on refinement. The F10 was always said to be more refined than the F30. If the G30 us on par with your F31 does this imply a step backwards? I wonder how much your view is influenced by the engine.

[JLR1969]

I drove an F10 and F30 back to back and the difference in refinement is huge.

The F10 is also a lot nicer place to be. To be honest I would expect it to be as its higher in the range.

I would also expect the 6 Series to be a step up again

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by nickb3

Thanks for posting. Interested in your views on refinement. The F10 was always said to be more refined than the F30. If the G30 us on par with your F31 does this imply a step backwards? I wonder how much your view is influenced by the engine.

I was wondering the same thing, engine has a big part in NVH levels. The G30 is reported to be better than the F10. If so, then it is a very refined car, and no comparison to the F30.

I know an F11 520d is not comparable to my F11 535i for NVH. Some are reporting the 540i so refined it lacks what many expect the car to be.

BTW, the face vent blending is still there, put into a menu function, via iDrive or shortcut.

[Roberto71]

What exactly is the sensatec covering in the G30? It is it leatherette that covers the upper dash?

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Roberto71

What exactly is the sensatec covering in the G30? It is it leatherette that covers the upper dash?

Some markets have had sensatec as an option for seat covering, an alternative to leather. So it's well established as a covering. I understand leather will become an option for the dash, if not already on the options lists.

[Minty]

Originally Posted by nickb3

Thanks for posting. Interested in your views on refinement. The F10 was always said to be more refined than the F30. If the G30 us on par with your F31 does this imply a step backwards? I wonder how much your view is influenced by the engine.

When comparing refinement I was commenting on both the engine and road noise.

Just to be clear, my F31 is definitely not the last word in refinement. Tyres make a big difference; my winters are a narrower square setup and certainly reduce tyre roar. The fact that tyre roar in the 5 was quite noticeable surprised me; possibly due to the massively wide 19" setup. The F31 suffers from a bit of wind noise whereas in the 5 wind noise was non existent.

The 2.0d is noticeable at low speeds only - at speed it is very subdued. The 340i is lovely thing to burble along at low speeds whereas the 520d felt a bit gravelly.

I would like a longer drive in a 540i to do a fair comparison.

[CazuaLLUK]

Ugly steering wheel, and M sport steering wheel in SE?

[Minty]

Originally Posted by CazuaLLUK

Ugly steering wheel, and M sport steering wheel in SE?

No, this was the MSport in the showroom. The SE steering wheel was quite nice - I didn't get a picture of it though. The interior of the SE was very nice and I actually preferred it to the MSport.

[Chompers]

Originally Posted by Roberto71

What exactly is the sensatec covering in the G30? It is it leatherette that covers the upper dash?

Exactly that

[P1 PET]

Originally Posted by teaston

Also the steering wheel isn't as nice looking as F series M Sport one!

I bet the chrome/aluminium trims around steering wheel are just pieces of painted plastic. Not real, solid and cold metal.

[P1 PET]