After all these miles, you’d think that I’d have gotten over the new size of the 5 Series.
It’s now a little big car instead of a big little car, more like a 7 Series than a 3 Series.
And I like the 7 Series. It’s far more of a driver’s car than you’d expect from something so hefty, and I’ve put in lots of miles in various iterations of this car over the years. And not just around the block, either.
Drove the first V12-powered 7 Series E32 from Dallas to Big Bend National Park and back. Drove the controversial Bangle-designed 7 Series E65 from San Antonio to L.A. Drove the Alpina B7 F01 around Sonoma County and then burned the tires off it at Infineon Raceway.
So I should be fine with the big car personality of the new 5 series. Only I’m not. In a way that I still cannot quite pin down even after 20,000 miles, this car has captured all the clumsiness of an even larger car and no amount of fiddling with the electronic chassis set up will make it go away. The bigness is always noticeable, from the slightly obscured sightlines from the driver seat to the delayed response from the control inputs.
This car still seems like a pricing strategy to me, a way to make 7 Series attributes more affordable. The trouble is, the big car attributes it displays are the very ones that remind me that smaller and lighter better suit the way I drive.
If it were my money, I’d be spending it on the world’s most expensive 3 Series. I still want a big little car, not a little big car.
Michael Jordan, Executive Editor @ 19,665 miles
vvk says:
12:07 PM, 08/30/11
Meaning, the M3? Not a bad choice at all...
ed341 says:
12:29 PM, 08/30/11
I managed to confingure a 335 in to the $60K range...
bassrockerx says:
01:45 PM, 08/30/11
maybe this is just the bane of driving the base model 5 series? what about the more sporty versions of the 5 that has more horsepower. driveing a little big car is all about going just a few mph under the limit of grip and then flooring the throttle out of the corners. a little big car is no fun without tons of power on demand
e90_m3 says:
02:35 PM, 08/30/11
I traded in my 2-year-old M3 sedan for a brand new 535i, with no money changing hands.
So, yeah, M3's, with decent options, cost a lot more than even midrange 5ers. You can go all the way to a well-optioned 550xi for the same money you spend on an M3.
tjpark01 says:
05:26 PM, 08/30/11
You guys majorly FAILED with this base engine. A 535i with Dynamic Handling Package has much larger staggered summer tires, adjustable dampers and active roll stabilization. It can be soft and comfortable when you just want to oil yourself home. Or you can drive it like you stole it and is still a rewarding sporty car. As great as a M3 or 335is, may be, when you want to tone it down, there's no where to hide. The tore up streets of Los Angeles gets so old, after a while you get sick of getting your spine crushed on the way to work.
bimmerjay says:
10:31 PM, 08/30/11
@tjpark01, I think the M3 rides quite nicely with the dampers dialed down. Better than a 335i IMO - in large part because it doesn't have run flats.
fm1station says:
06:53 AM, 09/ 1/11
What are u talking about "Big little", "Little big"?
credd says:
02:54 AM, 09/ 2/11
@ tjpark01 says: "You guys majorly FAILED with this base engine. A 535i with Dynamic Handling Package has much larger staggered summer tires, adjustable dampers and active roll stabilization. It can be soft and comfortable when you just want to oil yourself home. Or you can drive it like you stole it and is still a rewarding sporty car."
TJ, if you compare IL's track testing of the 2011 535i v. 2011 528i you will see the 528i with its steel spring suspension is significantly faster through the slalom than the Dynamic Handling Package equipped 535i. Sure the 535i pulls more g's on the skidpad, but who drives around in tight little circles all day?
The next 3 series is bound to become bloated as well, but I can't imagine going Lexus, Infiniti, or MB will offer the appeal of the older 5 series cars.