I took our new long-term 2011 BMW 528 out last night for the first time. As I had recently driven a new 535, I knew I would like the 528 dynamically.
My first impression of the 528 was actually a reflection: the outer mirrors are tiny. I'm used to usable mirrors on most cars and big mirrors on SUVs. But these mirrors are like those on a Sportbike.
They don't look so small from the outside, but they're don't appear overly large either.
The reason must be Styling.
Albert Austria, Senior Engineer @1,270 miles
carguy622 says:
11:40 AM, 10/ 1/10
I hate tiny mirrors. My '99 Escort had triangular rear view mirrors. Who's stupid idea was that? At least the BMW's don't taper as dramatically.
bankerdanny says:
11:48 AM, 10/ 1/10
I've been experiencing the same thing recently. The mirrors on my '04 Jetta are much smaller than the ones on the Forester I had previously.
txdave13 says:
12:06 PM, 10/ 1/10
"I knew I would like the 528 dynamically."
You knew you would like the 528 in a variable or constantly changing nature?
You lost me on that one.
chavis10 says:
12:07 PM, 10/ 1/10
Could this be a german thing? I noticed the mirrors on the new Buick Regal are pretty small too and very aerodynamic looking.
I remember when older Audi/VW cars have assymetrical outside mirrors- the passenger side had a some little dinky that was half the size of the driver's side unit.
raleedy says:
12:22 PM, 10/ 1/10
Mirrors are normal size. Car is very big.
throwback says:
12:31 PM, 10/ 1/10
I am not a fan of tiny mirrors either. But, what really annoys me are the huge
A-pillars. Get the mirrors off the A-pillars and slim them up.
chavis10 says:
01:18 PM, 10/ 1/10
raleedy- what does the size of the car have to do with the area of the glass on the mirror? Those mirros like small to me- on any size car.
bds231 says:
03:08 PM, 10/ 1/10
Do you think the small mirrors serve any significant benefit, for example reducing wind noise or increasing fuel economy? I suggest Edmunds conducts a test: make some nice, big faux mirrors, stick them on the car, and then drive a few hundred miles around a course to check it!
bodyblue says:
04:24 PM, 10/ 1/10
Hey now....you cannot criticize any car from the Fatherland......every part on a BMW has been engineered by 33 PhDs and re checked by 10 super computers. NOTHING on this car has been compromised for styles sake! People have been shot for that! Three Daimler-Chrylser workers were thrown into a vat of sharks for suggesting a pin stripe on a Durango once. Wait....this car has had problems already...oh oh that means two suicides in Stuttgart or wherever BMW builds car. (I just like saying Stuttgart...I took two years of German and it is the only word I like)
Small mirrors wont help the boring as hell looks of this over priced snob-fest.
hybris says:
07:07 PM, 10/ 1/10
I hate small mirrors on any size car. If I could have SUV size mirrors on a GTI or Miata I would be happy.
fhwulala says:
10:56 PM, 10/ 1/10
I thought the thick A-pillar is caused by the side-curtain airbags ? No?
audisport says:
06:01 AM, 10/ 2/10
I am already over this car. I know, I have a choice to not come to the website. But, just saying.
FYI, noone is going to buy a $60k 528i. Nobody. Zero.
On a side note, does anybody remember that late 90's Audi sedans had miniture passenger side mirrors that were about half the size of the driver's side mirror? Hilarious.
edubyatx says:
11:06 AM, 10/ 2/10
Audisport, it has been well established that no one is suggesting people plan to buy a $60K 528i. IL likes to test all the options so its readers can decide which ones are worth having.
Regarding the mirrors, I don't like them either. I hate having poor visibility in vehicles. But I'm curious if any of the editors are finding them inadequate in real-life driving.
bimmerjay says:
11:46 AM, 10/ 2/10
Oddly enough, European laws are requiring larger mirrors. For the 2010 MY, BMW significantly enlarged them on the 3- and 1-Series, they're HUGE now.
bimmerjay says:
01:20 PM, 10/ 2/10
"But, what really annoys me are the huge
A-pillars. Get the mirrors off the A-pillars and slim them up."
They're rather thick because-
- They contain part of the side curtain airbag inflation system.
- They need to withstand 4x+ the static weight of the vehicle (multiply that by about 100x at the instant of impact since the A-pillar/roof rail joining point has to take the first hit in a rollover)
- They have to withstand massive up and rearward forces without deformation from 40 mph offset frontal crashes
- They also have to manage side impact forces
- Steeper windshield rake = thicker pillars
The heavier a car gets, the more the A-pillars need reinforcement. Until UHSS gets cheaper A-pillars are gonna be thick. My convertible's A-pillars are like tree trunks.
cgrocho47 says:
05:36 PM, 10/ 2/10
Cool, random Capitalization!