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-   -   BMW 525d : Test Drive & Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/82610-bmw-525d-test-drive-review-3.html)

Awesome review GTO and Sahil!
Would love to do a car test with you guys sometime. The white chrono rings look much better than yellow, IMO.

Steve Jobs worshipping, MacBook toting! LOL! Nice one there.

Thats one helluva review. Thanks for sharing.

Do you guys remember its review on some channels by a TV guy who pretends to be a petrol head.

Here is what he did, he sat at the back and points everything, legroom etc is fine. But what the hell is this bulge, BMW should work on it so that three people can sit at back.

Hellllooo knock knock !! thats the transmission tunnel and three people in an executive saloon. :eek:

what a shame. BMW giving their cars for review to people who don't know sh** about cars.

GTO,

Awesome review.

As stated earlier by most of you, the designs of BMW had suddenly gone crazy.

I remember falling in love with E36 design 10 years back. Since I couldn't get the same model, I got a scale down model of the 850i (Maroon Color) and told my parents - One day I will own a BMW.

3 years later I got my hands on E36 which was in a pathetic condition and took 2 years to restore it to it's original self by spending 2L.

I wanna own a 5 - series someday . After you review, it becomes more tempting. BMW is surely and Purely a Driver's Car. :D

Appreciate the 5 star rating :)

Switches the headlamps on.

What information? Vehicular data is stored onto the iDrive system.

Thing is, I'd switch to tubeless type Michelins within the first 20 kms of ownership. What does one do if they end up with a major puncture in the middle of nowhere? Sahil got himself a space saver. Even though its only a 145 mm width, will still do the job. The E60 had space for a spare that's sorely missing in the F10.

Could be on the CBU 535i. The 525d doesn't have Heads up display.

The engine was indeed running. I placed the key far away from that car just to capture the warning sign!

IIRC, they were in the mid-2s for 5 year coverage.

You know how I love the new 7. For personal use, I'd pick the 5 (t-i-g-h-t around corners). For your Dad, the 7 is best.

I was just waiting for someone to point that out! BMW guy who delivered the car said that the last test driver wasn't...ummm...appreciative of a new machine. There's people who thoroughly abuse test cars. Not Team-BHP. As petrolheads, we respect machines. Our test cars are given back in the exact same condition that we receive them in.

Both the cars are superb luxo-barges, but the E's 4 cylinder doesn't come close to the 5's inline 6 refinement. My personal recommendation would be the 5. Yet, as I posted on the first page, its not as simple as it was before (BMW = Driving, Merc = Back seat). Decisions will now be made on brand / looks / dealer preferences. Its all down to how Merc & BMW market their cars now.

Can't blame you. The side profile does borrow heavily from the 3. Look at the pictures again...you'll see some E39 magic too.

I gotta hand it to you. Brilliant post!

Haha. Don't think so. BMW does a bit too much for taste of apples. This time especially with the looks (in that case, it's for grannies?) Don't go vis a vis to technology in BMW to tech in Apple. The E class' beautiful too. And the looks do get you excited in a moment. Though definitely BMW would have the edge for the "technology".

I got to examine a black E250 CDI today. It really was beautiful except for it's wheels. Waiting for my chance to see the new F10 now. Still wish the headlamps looked like those from E60...

Great review guys.

As a long time BMW owner the F10 has really gotten me all excited. Being a big fan of the elegant lines of the E39, I was a little disappointed with the E60 which was a little flashy in the back and akward up front. The F10 is a superb blend of elegance, natural good looks and mild agression.

Driving wise I have TDd a E60 545i w/ sport pkg and loved its rawness and racecar like steering response. What I am hearing from you guys is that its been toned down a little bit while improving the ride quality. What helps this is that the F10 adopts a double wishbone style front suspension geometry which is a big change from the McPherson strut that they stuck with for several decades.

Looks like BMW has finally addressed the big complaints like
brittle ride quality
heavy steering at parking speeds
Interior not able to match rich feel of Audi and too similar to each other

I just wish they had'nt messed with the their traditional strong point which is the superbly weighed steering. I feel VW's EHPS would have been a good solution for them. EHPS retains the hydraulic steering rack but instead of a power sapping belt-driven pump it uses an electric motor diven system.

Interioir with its subtle chrome treatments handly beats the E-class which I found a little too plasticky. Pricing wise offering a six instead of the 4 in the E250d seals the deal for me. Fix the steering and this is one car I dont mind breaking the bank for.


Interesting. Is this the effect of VGT?

Quite an achievement with low profile 18" run flats. I think the 520d with even smaller wheels with take ride quality to another level.

Excellent review GTO,
Love the way you covered every bit of the car.
Now cant wait for your 530d review.
Are there any other options on the alloys too ?
Not sure about this one.

Sid,

I thought that the F10 M5 was to debut at Paris later this year.
Where did you get these pictures from?

Looks realistic, isnt it? Its an amazing PS job done by a member of a international forum called 5post.

Standing Ovation for the TD Report GTO,:thumbs up

High time the 530D came in the garage so that we can have a long-term report and know some hidden details

not interested in a high-revving petrol? i thought it just might be the i which shall come to the garage instead of d

^This review was straight from the heart and i hope you guys had truck-loads of fun in the twisties

^^how easy/hard is it to slide?

Wonderful review. Captured all the important bits of info. If you walk away from the car, the engine keeps running. So does that mean that someone can get in and drive away if you forget to press engine stop?

@GTO- Neat work on inscribing the www. team-bhp .com on my plates ! We should have taken one pic of the rear side-by-side too. The clear LED turn signals would outshine the F10 ;)

I forgot to mention one thing that really pissed me off about the F10 most is the absence of a spare wheel well. This is outright BULLYING by BMW. If you don't have space for a spare then obviously you will hesistate to shift to tubeless. Which means every-time you need a tyre change due to wear&tear or tyre damage(which is very common on run flats) you have to contact only your BMW dealer and let them pocket a hefty profit for the company as Run flats are not commonly available outside.

If BMW can adapt to markets like China by offering a long wheel base version of the 5er, then why can't they just let the customer choose if he wants run flats or not !?

I guess even if you keep the engine running, you will lock it from the remote. If you forgot that too i guess the thief deserves the car lol:

I too think its a big mistake on BMW part, many people want to shift to normal tubeless tyres from runflats. Its a big money making scheme from BMW. Are runflats available tyre shops ? or you have to go to BMW only ?

Tyre shops rarely stock them, unless special order. So it's you BMW dealer that you gotta contact.

The June edition Autocar India has summed it well in their comparison test of the 525d V E250 CDI.

To quote them, "Who would have thought that the best Mercedes for decades would be beaten by a BMW that doesn't even drive like one?"