BMW 540, LS400 or big jag...???

[[TW]Fox]

Jeremy clarkson compared a 98 XJR to a 99 M5. And the XJR held its own well despite being the cheaper car

I've got the video where this happens - what you have to bear in mind is that it was also a bit of a battle of ego's between Clarkson, who is a confessed Jaguar fanboy, and Tiff Needel, who is a confessed BMW fanboy.

It was a bit like giving me a Vectra and expecting a completely unbiased review against a Mondeo

Sense of occasion is one rather important thing in luxury cars, though. It's also totally subjective - so you need to try them for yourself. It's quite random in that it's an utterly pointless thing, in theory, to judge a car by but when you are actually in the car it just... matters. It's what let the Pheaton down for me, at least.

 

[Kitchster_uk]

Am going to have to find a Jag to road test as well as a eemer 540 I suppose, though I have got a tingle for the 540 to be perfectly honest. Ok, it looks like a 5 series BMW and most people will have an incling that it is a rapid machine. A private plate would defo help as the E39's look pretty timeless imho.

The road noise on the Lexus is one of th other flaws tbh. If it has a big V8, you want to know about it - it needs to sound like a V8. It needs to have the roar of a V8 - something that is capable of creating a rumble that makes passers by soil themselves as it hits the resonance frequency of their backside.

Have had a couple of good reports on the Jags but am yet to find any REALLY bad ones on the beemer. Hmm...

Incidently, is the general concensus of opinion "leave the M5 kit on an M5" or "an M5 kit looks very good when done properly and that V8 powerplant mostly does it justice. it's a good idea"

 

[TomO]

the M5 kit is basically the sport kit in terms of bodywork. so you would just be making it a 540 sport. just dont put the M badges on

 

[[TW]Fox]

Incidently, is the general concensus of opinion "leave the M5 kit on an M5" or "an M5 kit looks very good when done properly and that V8 powerplant mostly does it justice. it's a good idea"

Get the kit. It really makes the car look fantastic, and like Tom0 points out, the bodykit supplied with the 520i/525i/525d/528i/530d/530i/535i/540i Sport models is virtually identical - infact the only difference an additional 'bar' in the front bumper where the lower grille is.

As for timeless looks and a private plate - an E39 5 Series with the Sport kit and facelift front and rear lights could be anything from a tarted up £3000 520i to a £24,000 approved used 2003 540i Sport Quite appealing, if you like that sort of thing.

Just leave the M5 badges for the M5 owners.