530i's are quite quick!

Trick

Trick

Trick

Soldato
Joined
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Had a bit of a play with a 530i yesterday evening. Crikey, they're pretty nippy aren't they?! Without trying to kill myself, I was definately giving it 8/10ths or so and he didn't seem to have much trouble keeping up in the twisties and on the roundabouts. Off the line and up to about 40 the Elise seemed to have the measure of the BMW but anything over 60 and the 530i would happily pull away. Nice car.
 
05 plate so I assume that's a newer variant? Looked quite new but I know nothing about BMW's I'm afraid. A google suggests it's got quite a lot more power and torque than my little elise (120bhp) even though it probably weights probably twice as much!
 
Trick said:
05 plate so I assume that's a newer variant? Looked quite new but I know nothing about BMW's I'm afraid. A google suggests it's got quite a lot more power and torque than my little elise (120bhp) even though it probably weights probably twice as much!
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05 plate could be either the 231bhp version, which has the same engine and is roughly the same weight as the E39, or the later more powerful variant. That said, most of the power in the newer engine is right at the top of the rev range (And it revs higher) - both the 231bhp M54 and the 258bhp N52 have the same torque output - so on the road there isn't much in it.

Thing is, its such a barge. You'd normally be better off with something nimble, like perhaps a Mitsubishi Colt. Just the other day I managed to sail mine out into Plymouth Sound.
 
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FWIW on one Southampton meet the long banned Noz went out in his Elise and I went out in my 530i and he wasn't leaving for me on the straights, only the corners, cos his car was better and my driving was teh suxor :p
 
Indeed. I very much got the impression that the chap in the 530i knew what his car was capable of. The Lizzy is good in the corners but it's just not got the ooomph to be much use in a straight line, especially when you're north of about 60 or so. It's not really made for drag racing! plus my driving sux()rz too!
 
The 258bhp variant was 2006 to 2007 so its more likely to be your unit foxy.

The Elise should try against the 2007 on 272bhp unit in the LCI models.

:)
 
No doubt the Lizzy would take a beating. It'll be a different story when I get the Honda engine installed later this year!

Is there such a thing as a 530ci? I'm sure that's what the badge was but I can't be certain so I assumed it was a 530i.
 
[controversial]
I think this is more that the elise is not a fast car, rather than the other way round ;)
[/controversial]
 
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