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BMW 5-Series Wagon 2004 Redesign
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I know where there are a couple of new 03 540i, 6 speeds (sport), one jet black on black, one sapphire black on black. (I'm not connected w/ any dealer)
Jack
I gotta agree with you ... I would have thought that BMW would have taken' a good lesson from the new 745 .. dealers are sitting on 3/4/5 months of inventory (their not happy), folks don't like them (their not happy) and they are being sold at big discounts just to move them, and the ones that have them, are already trading them in with 3/5/7k with a Big Hit .. no more BMW's for them I would guess.
The 5 was the fat daddy in that mid size, and they could sell/lease them easily .. with the new idrive and a "almost" anything look it's going to be very interesting how this plays out ... "Hello BMW - is anyone home" ...?
Terry.
Welcome aboard! I just got my 530i for similar reasons.
Happy Motoring,
Jack
Happy Motoring,
Jack
Jack
Yes, year-to-year sales of the 7 are up, but that is due, in part, to significantly greater financial incentives BMW is providing , as well as the fact that the new 7's advertising budget has been quadrupled over what BMW spent on the previous 7 in it's last couple of years.
http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/bmw28_20030528.htm
If you look at the crossover reports Lexus, Benz, (especially Lexus) etc, have already picked up 16% of that market .. you know you are in trouble when someone spends $80,0 ++ in September and they are trading them in May and they are only worth the ultra low $60's .. kinda scary .. they would have been better off buying a Acura MDX and only losing $2 grand .l.o.l.
I buy and sell a lot of Bimmers, I really like the 5's, I hope this doesn't turn out to be a direct reflection of the new 7 series ..
Terry.
Model 4/03 4/02 YTD 03 YTD 02
BMW 3 6394 6546 23597 21432
BMW 5 4240 3929 12827 13518
BMW 7 1753 2125 6385 6679
So total YTD sales of both 5 and 7 Series are down. Only 3 Series sedans up YTD. 5 Series sales up for month of April. But April sales down for both 3 and 7.
MB data much better.
MB C 4277 4133 15135 14568
MB E 4228 2614 16789 11057
MB S 2042 2002 7292 6640
April sales of C, E, and S classes up. Notice the huge increase in E Class, both in April and YTD. E Class Outselling C class YTD! MB E and S class outsell BMW 5 and 7, but 3 outsells C.
P.S. AWESOME LOOKING CAR! HOW CAN ANYONE CRITICIZE? WHY PAY 50K FOR AN OUTDATED LOOK? ANYONE HEARD OF DARWIN?
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/tw/045series.htm
Terry.
So who at BMW is manipulating the data to make it look the other way around?
-juice
The Packages are going to be quite similar I am told by my dealership as the existing 5.
However, most of the exciting new technology will be options such as run flat tires, active steering, and adaptive headlights.
As far as the base price, it is said that it will only come in a a couple of thousand more then the exiting 5. However, if the US$ continues to plumbet, who knows!
As to the 7 series facelift it's just a rumor, it never has been confirmed. Of course, like any BMW, it will have a facelift in its life.
Comparing the 5 series to a Pontiac is, well, uhm... Even with the photos that are out currently I just don't see any Pontiac cues in it. Actually I prefer the new look over the sedate, classic look of the current one. Ditto for the 7.
Things change.
I think the widespread concern over the new 5 has less to do with a general resistance to change than with skepticism about change for its own sake, and in particular a dislike for change that makes things worse rather than better.
-juice
525i (Petrol): 42,000 Euros
530i (Petrol): 45,000 Euros
530d (Diesel): 41,000 Euros
Hmmm, am I missing something? Unless the 530d is de-contented when compared to the 525i and the 530i, how is it that it costs less? If I remember correctly, the published specs for the 530d rank it right behind the 530i in acceleration off the line, and even faster than the 530i above 40 mph. Go figure.
FWIW, I rode in one of the new W211 E-Class cabs again on this trip. I hailed it at something like 4:30 AM Monday morning for a ride from the Gare du Nord area to Charles de Gaulle airport. When we started rolling, I immediately noticed that this one was a diesel just like the E220 that I rode in back in April; however, it felt somewhat faster. When we merged onto the autoroute we were following some other traffic up the ramp, and as we hit the main roadway, my driver opened it up, and I was stunned at how fast that thing went from 60 kph (a little less than 40 mph) to 160 (100 mph). When we got to the airport the driver turned to me while patting his steering wheel and said, "What do you think of my new taxi?" I told him that I loved it. While retrieving my baggage, I noticed that I had been riding in a new E320 CDI. Hmmm, maybe by the time the lease is up on my 2002 530i, MB-USA will be importing that thing, I would buy one in a minute.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Almost all the comments were positive, IMO. The only negative comment was the cut-out for the tailpipe.
Read it for a professional perspective on the new design cues.
Best Regards,
Shipo
shipo: I agree completely with MSGreen. The only person who can tell you if a particular style is pleasing to your eye is yourself. After all, if a "Professional Reviewer" of SUV type vehicles was to proclaim that Hummer or the Ford Excursion to be the pinnacle of 21st century vehicle design, I still wouldn't be caught dead with one in my garage.
Seems to me you two read my last post as "Hey, look, this professional says it looks good, so it must be good, let's go and buy one now".
It was not.
I was merely pointing out an article written by a 'professional' to add another perspective to this board.
It's similar to a 'professional' guide explaining to you the intricate details of Mona Lisa or Whistler's Mother or any Van Gogh's paintings. At the end of the day, you might walk away totally unimpressed with what you saw but hopefully you get a new perspective on the thinking behind them. FWIW, I was not impressed with the Mona Lisa painting, although no way near as much as SUVs, so we're on the same page there shipo
Ultimately, the new 5 design has to work for you to want to buy it. This is true for almost anything we buy, except SUVs...
One thing I can say about this board so far is I haven't read one post that was a pro just because it's a BMW and that's a good thing.
I know...I'm stretching here,
Jack.. who just bought a '03 530i after looking at pictures of the '04 5.
-juice
From some angles the 5 is ... interesting, but I too look forward to the actually look, feel, touch, drive session once my dealer gets them in.
From my view, the interior is nice. My kids like playing with the I-drive when we go to the dealer. So good thing it is in front. But you could put it in back and let the kids handle it for you. hehe
The interior dash seems to no longer be driver centric, but a bit flatter. No big deal there, because the images still show a very nice and clean interior.
When I drive a car, I'm not TOO concerned about how it looks outside because I'm too busy enjoying the drive.
The E60 is growing on me, and my wife too. Anybody want a 1999 Civic Si so I can make room in the garage for one?
-Paul
Shipo, welcome back
I do believe that both the new 7 and Z4 look better in person than in pictures.
I drive by the US plant twice a day, so I've seen so many 7s and Z4s that I'm actually starting to like them. Of course, the Z4 looks better because it handles "so good".
Cheers,
Jack
-Paul
If you could design a new 5 Series, what would you require it to have? With the criticisms of the E60, I'm curious as to what you would expect a new 5er to have to identify it and make it a true 5.
I'm just looking for ideas here.
-Paul
Don't try to "style" it. Look at the original sports sedan, the 2002. 3 decades later it still looks better than the brand new 5 or 7 series.
What makes a BMW a BMW? The driver is conscious. So stop adding features intended for the passengers.
-juice
Make/Model...5/03...5/02...YTD03...YTD02
BMW 3 Series 6,460 6,498 30,057 27,930
BMW 5 Series 4,067 3,550 16,894 17,068
BMW 7 Series 1,973 2,209 .8,358 ..8,888
BMW M5........ 227 ...132 ....892 ....818
M
Do we know the final curb weights in US production trim? It'll be interesting to compare. Often manufacturers talk about all the steps they took, and then the car is still heavier! We'll see.
-juice
Anyhow, my wife lives and dies by Consumer Reports and informs me our next car will be a 530. I offered to buy her three new Accords instead, to no avail.
Questions:
1. I live in New England; Is this car drivable in snow, with or without snowtreads?
2. I'm hours away from the nearest dealer; any wonderful sales or repair experiences anywhere in New England to share?
Second, I live in New Hampshire, and prior to last summer, I lived in New Jersey. My 328i was not equipped with the Sport Package (SP), and as such was equipped from the factory with All-Season tires, which were, ummm, okay, sort of, in winter weather conditions. I should qualify the previous statement by saying, "With the traction control engaged" (its default state) because that car was a real hand full with no electronic aids. The 530i is equipped with the SP, and accordingly, I ordered a winter wheel/tire set from tirerack.com last fall. Wouldn't you know it, just after I placed the order, we had a couple of minor snow falls (less than 5"), and with just the summer tires between me and the snow, that car was all but un-drivable what with the winding/narrow/hilly/crowned roads we have here in NH. I got the snows just before Christmas, and as a nice Christmas gift, Mother Nature provided us with 18" of the white stuff, starting on 25-December. Time to test my tires. ;-)
As I was pulling out of my driveway in about 6", I could already tell the difference. By the time I got on the main road (heavily rutted and not yet plowed), I knew I had a winning combination. Once on the local 2-Lane Highway, I was able to climb, turn and stop with relative aplomb, so much so that I was easily able to reel in a conga-line of 4WD SUVs. From my perspective, the only thing that MIGHT have performed better would have been an Audi or a Subaru.
Regarding a dealer, I bought my car (via ED) in New Jersey, and I have only been to Tully (Nashua, NH) once (my wife hooked the front bumper on a curb stone), and they were very attentive, but beyond that, I cannot say.
I hope this helps.
Best Regards,
Shipo
New 5 Prices Revealed
BMW has released prices for chief designer Chris Bangle's latest controversial work, the 5-Series. Out in September, the base 520i SE will cost £25,455, with the 530i SE at £30,995. In October, the £26,955 525i SE will arrive, as will the flagship 545i SE, at £41,555. All come with six-speed boxes, part-electric seats and a revised iDrive system.
Current 5 Prices
BMW 5 Series 4.4 V8 540i Sport Saloon 4 dr, £40455
BMW 5 Series 3.0 530i SE Saloon 4 dr, £29400
BMW 5 Series 2.5 525i SE Saloon 4 dr, £26965
BMW 5 Series 2.2 520i SE Saloon 4 dr, £25155
Today's exchange rate £1 = $1.66
I tested a new 540 6-speed @ Dreher-Holloway in Stratham and loved it; I'm a bit off-put by gas guzzler etc however; then drove a 530 automatic in Worcester --Wagner Motors -- and found it to be quite adequate for $7K cheaper -- decisions, decisions.
Was your NJ purchase a satisfactory experience? Dealer name? What do (will) you do about service?
Regarding service, I will most likely be using Tulley in Nashua. As I am nearing 15,000 miles, I will be visiting them soon.
Best Regards,
Shipo
June 7th issue of The Economist (p. 53) has an interesting article titled "European Business: Grappling with the strong euro." Discusses BMW's activities in this area. They cope by (1) getting 31 percent of sales from America and Canada and a further 24 percent of sales from outside Euro zone, (2) producing cars in USA and Britain, and (3) "us[ing] derivatives to hedge its overseas profits fully in each current financial year, and partially for the year ahead." They note Porsche does same except for (2). VW also aggressively hedging. They note the broad rule of thumb that "a 10% rise (fall) in the value of the euro against the dollar causes a 3% fall (rise) in European corporate profits."
If not, its a shame because Mercedes now has the 4-matic option available on most of it's sedans including the S-500.
-juice