[n:CorE]

Amazing review! Right to the point, crisp and highly informative! Superb attention to detail.

Boy that HUD looks sick! When you compare the 530d with the equivalent A6 (3.0 V6 TDI quattro). The Beamer is literally on the next page (the list of equipment on offer for the price as standard is so long!)

@ S350L-E240 - When is this engine upgrade expected? Will it be at the same price? If yes, then there definitely will be some sort of discount on it to get rid of the older engines. Plus I also do hear that BMW is also giving a discount on the 530d in the wake of new product competition/hype created by the A6.

We are going to be waiting till diwali or maybe even after that (won't be able to haggle for discounts in the festive season ), for our new car purchase.

And, a request to our BHP-Guru's, I am looking forward for a definitive review of the new Audi A6 too. Please tell me there is one on the way. It Will make things much clearer for me and other fellow BHP-ian's looking for a car in this segment.

Regards,

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Smart move by BMW. The power increase in the 530d makes it as quick to the ton as the New A6 3.0 tdi. Man, fierce competition. Gota love it !
I am REALLY interested in knowing the 80-160kph figures of both cars after the tweaked 530 comes in thanks to their explosive mid-range.

[vb-saan]

Excellent review of a great car. Thanks Rehaan! Loved the attention to detail.

Originally Posted by Rehaan

• The Auto Hold function can be toggled, however there is no Hill Hold function. The car will begin to roll back on a slope even when its in “D”.

Originally Posted by ajmat

Another thing, never park the car with the hill holder. I took over car on the side lane and suddenly turned around to hand something to someone. My foot touched the accelerator and it nearly took off.

The quoted comments look a bit contradicting. Interested to know how different is Auto Hold from Hill Hold?

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Excellent review of a great car. Thanks Rehaan! Loved the attention to detail.



The quoted comments look a bit contradicting. Interested to know how different is Auto Hold from Hill Hold?

I think Ajmat meant auto hold. With auto hold on when the car comes to a complete stop, you can take your foot off the brakes and they stay applied. If you touch the accelerator or press the auto hold button only then do they release.

With hill hold, if you are on an incline the brakes stay applied for 2 seconds so that it does not roll back.

[S350L-E240]

Hello,

Am not sure if Hill hold is present or not but today on a slope of about 40-45 degree approx tried the car with Auto Hold engaged and the car did not move one bit, below is the picture of the same.

Once again by no ways does this mean the car has Hill hold but looks like as long as the slope is not too steep the Auto H does it's job well,

n:CorE, The new engine will not exactly be a big announcement it will just quietly slip in, and like I have mentioned it is not really a huge leap ahead but then every extra horse is welcome in our stable!

Will update this post once the testing is done and I have a concrete idea on production data.

Regards,

Originally Posted by vb-san

Excellent review of a great car. Thanks Rehaan! Loved the attention to detail.



The quoted comments look a bit contradicting. Interested to know how different is Auto Hold from Hill Hold?

Originally Posted by akshay1234

I think Ajmat meant auto hold. With auto hold on when the car comes to a complete stop, you can take your foot off the brakes and they stay applied. If you touch the accelerator or press the auto hold button only then do they release.

With hill hold, if you are on an incline the brakes stay applied for 2 seconds so that it does not roll back.

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Originally Posted by S350L-E240

Hello,

Am not sure if Hill hold is present or not but today on a slope of about 40-45 degree approx tried the car with Auto Hold engaged and the car did not move one bit, below is the picture of the same.

Once again by no ways does this mean the car has Hill hold but looks like as long as the slope is not too steep the Auto H does it's job well,

Can surely vouch for that. Infact i was just wondering, what would be the difference between Auto Hold and Hill hold since just like mentioned above, even my car stops perfectly well without issues on a moderate slope with Auto Hold engaged.

[noopster]

Rehaan, what a review! I was absolutely hooked. This is my dream car for sure: the HUD and 10.2 inch i-drive are delicious, not to mention the rear seat entertainment. Worth every penny I'd imagine.

Did the whole T-BHP mod team land up to test drive this car?

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

is it possible to add the price too?

Will do.

Originally Posted by sachinj12

Wondering out aloud: The linear power delivery in the recent launches,they are done keeping in mind the urban commute? Case in point being the new Swift, the Figo and now this?

The more linear the power, the more "steady" the acceleration and therefore greater comfort for the passengers too (less back and forth). This can be tweaked in many ways, different tuning, lower inertia / smaller turbos, etc.

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Correct me if I am wrong but the alloys in picture above are the same ones that are offered on the 525d?

My bad. The 525d test drive car had non-standard wheels. Corrected!

Originally Posted by parsh

Guess, it completely looses the rear sensors that were there in 525?

Actually they still exist. Take a look at the screen, the same "sensor" representation is shown on the RHS of the rear cam. If the driver turns off the rear cam, you're back to sensors only.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

I don't like this at all. What's wrong with the good old Analog meters? This is too superficial!

I think it works really well. The 4 main meters and needles are analogue. Think of everything else as a really big, high quality MID.
This is a very nice in-between, compared to say a Lexus LFA for example.

Originally Posted by ashis89

Any other external differentiating feature other than the alloys?

Well, the badge
If you've got a keen eye, then perhaps the rear camera. Can't think of anything else. (and do note moralfibre's point about the alloys above).

Originally Posted by Sahil

Although I expected to hear this, I was hoping the F10 530d matched up to the E60's explosiveness.

GTO can comment on this has he's spent time with the F10 525d/530d and E60 -- which i haven't.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Rehaan, how is the feel from the EPS with that heavy oil burner up front?

I agree with Sahil here completely...>

Originally Posted by Sahil

The steering feedback is one part, I infact wasn't all that let down by the F10's steering.

I don't have a single complaint about the 530d's steering. Given the sort of car its in, i'd say it does a fine job.

Originally Posted by driveanddrive

This is the same engine that does duty in the 5 Series GT, right?

Yes i think so.


Will reply to the other posts in a while.

Cheers,
R

[parsh]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Actually they still exist. Take a look at the screen, the same "sensor" representation is shown on the RHS of the rear cam. If the driver turns off the rear cam, you're back to sensors only.

Thanks for pointing out, I did seem to have missed that part.

As already said above, pls do add the prices too and also the difference it creates compared to the 525d and if possible compared to Merc.

[S350L-E240]

Will reply as much as I can until Rehaan comes in,

Engine

Compared to the 525d the 530d packs in a lot more power which is highly noticeable, not just that but the 530d feels a lot more quiet this perhaps is due to the fact that the car can do higher speeds at a lot lower rpm and at times like I have said it a few posts the car feels as if it was just rolling down on an incline, do take a look at the attached picture, do add a few 100 rpm's as I might have lost a little pressure taking that picture but feels amazing driving at those speeds with little effort.

Features

Features include the ones mentioned like HUD, Navigation, Rear View Camera, Larger Screen, Better looking gear stick including steptronic which allows you to have paddles on the steering wheel, and a few minor extras.

Price

The difference is about 7 lac, depending on the city you are in,

Compared to E-Class

Honestly, without offending any E-Class owners, The E-Class is a pretty lost case in this generation, it offers nothing pleasing, worst is Mercedes-India equips the 4 Cylinder models with the old 5 speed transmissions, and there is very little that one can speak of in terms of better compared to the 5, the only other alternative I would consider is Audi A6. Also the E350CDI is even slower than the 530d so imagine the model which should compete with E350CDI comes in (535d) as internationally the 530d competes with the E300CDI.

But yeah 5 has its own bad points, one being I still have not figured a good position to drive in, I absolutely cannot get it's lumbar correct and find the seats really flat and I miss being able to adjust the length of the cusion for better thigh support. But this is similar issue in all CKD cars by MB / Audi and BMW as no idea why these car companies do not give us better seats.

Regards,

Originally Posted by parsh

Thanks for pointing out, I did seem to have missed that part.

As already said above, pls do add the prices too and also the difference it creates compared to the 525d and if possible compared to Merc.

[lamboguy]

Awesome review Rehaan! Very crisp and to the point!

I was hoping for the appearance to become a bit 'in-your-face' like the E60. None the less, the equipment levels are awesome!

Just one request though! Could we now have an Audi A6 review and a head to head between these 2 beasts???

Is it possible for us to get video reviews on Team-BHP
I guess many members would like that.

[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

I think it works really well. The 4 main meters and needles are analogue. Think of everything else as a really big, high quality MID.
This is a very nice in-between, compared to say a Lexus LFA for example.

Oh! I missed the fact that the main meters and needles are 'real'. Thanks for the clarification.

I guess the new C facelift and the Jag XJ also have the fully blown digital meters.

[Jaggu]

Finally i caught up with the MAD BMW! review

It was a short spin but boy oh boy, i would just blindly buy it if i can afford anything at 50 lakh range. Its super comfortable for my taste (am not a fan of cushy limo's), drives like a rabid dog and handles even better. Last time i drove a BMW was almost a decade back i guess and it was a 3 series and there is no comparison at all. World has moved on so much!!!

I will not entrust this car to a regular chauffeur, one wrong decision by the right foot and this thing will just leap forward. Only solace is the braking but then again the guy tail gating you would have taken the rear quarter by then. Another reason would be rear seat space. I thought it was too crowded in there, add 3 and you will have to be a yoga guru to fit in the middle. Good thing was middle row also get proper 3 point belts.

Last but not the least i was totally in love with the gizmo's. Though did not get much time, but hey i figured out where the sport setting controls are

[Raosaheb Desai]

But this is similar issue in all CKD cars by MB / Audi and BMW as no idea why these car companies do not give us better seats.

Agreed,
Volvo S60 have super supportive seats

[S350L-E240]

Hello,

XJ has a completely digital cluster, but C-Class is traditional with only the centre screen in full colour and it's a wonderful combination.

Regards,

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Oh! I missed the fact that the main meters and needles are 'real'. Thanks for the clarification.

I guess the new C facelift and the Jag XJ also have the fully blown digital meters.