A big step up from the 1, too
Bye bye M135i ...
- Thread starter Basher
- Start date
A big step up from the 1, too
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
The trouble is that this applies to everything now. It isn't as well built as my E39 and this continues to irritate me but it is as well built as any of the competition.
Blame the bling-brigade who have made lowest possible monthly cost the primary factor driving the construction of most cars now.
In 2001 a 230bhp 5 Series with Navigation, Xenon's and Leather was £38,000. This is £58k in todays money. You can currently order a 245bhp 5 Series with Navigation, Xenon's and Leather from a broker for about £31k.
Something has to give.
Yep thats flawed logic - technology progresses and gets cheaper, this is obvious. A more realistic comparison would be to find options that are comparible in newness to what nav and xenons were back in 2001. I dont doubt that Fox's point would still stand but maybe with a bit less impact.
Also if the 38k was list price then the new price used for comparison should be list price too
Also if the 38k was list price then the new price used for comparison should be list price too
It's based on the invoice that came with my 530i. Even if you discount it you can't change the fact that certain new cars are cheaper now than they have ever been and that to maintain this quality has been perceived as less important.
The current new car market is predicated on monthly prices, list prices are irrelevant to 85% of private car buyers these days as so few pay cash. People go to a web page, spec their dream car, play with the finance numbers (deposit, mileage, months) and work out what they can afford. I have no issue with that as I've never subscribed to the 'can't buy it outright, can't afford it' often shouted by people in 5K cars. The fact is however many who do buy them on the never never can't afford them once they move out of warranty periods because a 5K bill means you park it up and save until you can afford to fix it. That of course doesn't matter to Mr/Mrs 3+36 as that's all factored in, so if you can afford to fuel it, service is and pay the monthly value you can afford it.
Worlds changed.
Worlds changed.
People in the USA have been buying their cars like this for years. Everything is based on how low the monthly price is.
Obviously tech from 2001 will be cheaper now, but what about the latest tech that cars contain - does brand new tech cost more relatively than it did in 2001? It's a rhetorical question really as it's very hard to answer.
Obviously there's a huge amount of factors involved in being a car manufacturer and designing/making cars - would be interesting to know what has become cheaper and what has become more expensive over time.
I imagine sales volumes are a huge driving factor - better to have something a bit cheaper and not quite as well made but have relatively high sales volumes vs the other way around.
Probably stating the obvious though!
The screen looks like that of a screen from years ago, it is not flush like sayh an ipad screen, it's got a plastic border overlapping the actual screen like you'd have found 10 years ago i guess! It's also pretty bland and i would actually say a step backwards from the C6 which i have, i do prefer the interior in my C6. The BMW was a really nice place to be, light and airy, nice switchgear and well designed, and best of all, without the pop out screen like Audi seem to favour now. Also, the resolution on the BMW screen is MUCH better than on the C7, making maps look so much better.
Seems I'm on my own disliking the interior then! I felt the BM 5 series interior was well below that of the Audi and Merc when I looked at them all in 2013; the options ended up being the latter ones and as I prefer the exterior of the Merc that was the choice I took.
I do like the exterior of the BMs still, I just don't like the shape of the dash, or the screen that looks like an afterthought stuck on top, or how 'plasticky' and cheap everything feels inside. My Passat certainly felt a higher build quality than the 5 year newer BMW.
I do like the exterior of the BMs still, I just don't like the shape of the dash, or the screen that looks like an afterthought stuck on top, or how 'plasticky' and cheap everything feels inside. My Passat certainly felt a higher build quality than the 5 year newer BMW.
I hate with a passion the cars with the nav screens that look they've been stuck on top. That's a big reason why I like the interior of the 5.
Here are two photographs I took - one is my 5 Series and the other is the E Class I had as a hire car recently. I think they nicely illustrate the difference between the cabins.
Both interiors of are of a comparable specification - both have the Sport interiors with Sport seats, sport wheel and both have the highest available navigation system.
For me the pro's of the E Class cabin where that the fit and finish was exceptional - I could find no surface to be picky about. The majority of the 5 Series is the same but if you poke about a bit you'll come across some crap plastic, which I didn't on the E Class. The only part of the E Class which was inferior in terms of build was the paddles on the steering wheel - the 5 Series has solid aluminium paddles with a quality rubberised contact patch at the rear. The E Class ones felt cheap and flimsy.
Everything else though, the 5 Series felt quite noticeable superior and more modern, which is odd as they were released only a year apart and are of the same generation. Key points for me:
a) The layout of the centre console. It reminds me of the previous gen Vauxhall's - why so many buttons?
b) The whole aesthetic feel was very utilitarian - at times only the build quality reminded me it was a high end car.
c) The navigation screen is very small compared to the 5 Series - it restricted the amount of information I could see at any one time and the screen was often very cluttered with information. The navigation system itself worked well.
d) The COMAND interface is simply not as nice to use as iDrive.
e) The PDC was bizarre - two black bars, one mounted on the top of the dash, the other on the headlining above the rear window. Each contained LED's which let up as you got close to an object. Ok it worked, but compared to the top down view of the car with radar guided colours etc it felt like something you'd find in a 2001 W210 E Class. Bizarre.
f) Both my car and this car have the basic key system - neither have comfort access. But the basic key on the 5 Series is keyless - it just needs to sit in my pocket. Whereas on the E Class you have to put the key in a slot and then twist it to start. Ok it's hardly the end of the world but I thought we'd left that sort of thing behind.
But, generally, I liked the car. It drove very nicely and was far less bargy than I'd have expected it to be - infact if anything the drive was quite similar to that of the 5 Series. It also had the intelligent LED headlights which are hands down the most amazing headlights I have ever experienced.
The new merc dash is a lot better on the new models than the old one in the pic, our local merc dealership tried to sell me a new company car C class but at the time in Feb they had no demo of the new one just the old one which had this dash near enough (bar the stick on screen) and I didn't like it at all made it worse that there was one in the show room.
Still even the new one isn't the nicest interior but miles nicer than the a class they stuck me in to start.
Love the 5 series interior defiantly consider this to be my next company car after my current one.
Still even the new one isn't the nicest interior but miles nicer than the a class they stuck me in to start.
Love the 5 series interior defiantly consider this to be my next company car after my current one.
The 'old one' in the pic was a brand new 2015 E Class, so for comparing E Class and 5 Series it simply doesn't get any newer.
A new E Class will be released midway through next year and it is looking like it's going to be absolutely stunning.