New to the board, current MB owner lookin for something new, all 545 owners please

[Little]

So i've owned my '01 Benz E430 4matic for over a year now and i'm already tired of it. I want something brand new, and it has to have good ass power. So far, i've test drove the new Acura RL, very nice car, not feeling the exterior looks, but the interior is gorgeous. The car has 300hp, but it lacks the torque that a V8 offers and the car just feels very sluggish. Car is awd fully loaded for $50,000. Now i'm kinda shying away from that car, mainly because of its lack of oomph. Now, waited forever for the new Lexus GS to come out, and after it finally arrived at the dealer, i took a look and i'm not impressed with the interior at all. I mean, it's nice, but it's not that nice and it is also lacking in power. I am still gonna take the car for a drive, and the lexus reliablilty is something that is really on a plus list. Right now though, it's in the #1 position on my list. Forget about the new E320 benz, i just don't like the car at all.

Now, i've seriously been considering the bmw 545i with its stout hp numbers. I don't see how soo many people think the car is butt ugly, i think its hot as hell. The interior is a little blah like the lexus GS, but still nice. Now a few questions.... I live in Jersey, and always said i wouldn't buy another rwd car because of the snow, but when i think about it, i really don't even drive that much in the snow, at least i haven't this year at all in the benz. Has NE1 faired ok in the snow with this car, i'm no newbie to rwd fast cars, as i've been driving 500hp mustangs since i was 18 in the snow and they go alright, hehe. My biggest concerns with this car is the bad conditions driving and how the Navigation system is. Can the I-drive really be that bad???? Please, owners of this car comment on your experience with the car and if i should wait another year or something. I really want the sport package but have been hearing very bad things about the variable steering. Thanks

Jim

 

[Eruch]

I have owned the 545i since April 04 and have loved every minute of it. I have the Sport Package and the variable steering is great. As I live in MA I have had my share of snow this winter and the car is fine. I did get 17" wheels with Dunlop Winter Sport tires for the winter. If you drive sensibly, you should have no problem except when on a very steep icy incline. Good luck.

 

[Little]

Did you get navigation?? If so, how is the interface on that and also one more thing.... is it just me or is the backseat rather snug??

 

[Eruch]

Yes, I did get navigation and it works extremely well. The i drive will take a week or two to get used to but once you're past that stage, you will certainly appreciate it.

The back seats are comfortable for two well built adults. It gets snug when there are three in the back seat.

 

[Little]

Are you leasing or financing?? I wanna lease the car as i will def wanna get into something new in 3 years. If you lease, may i ask what your payments are a month.

 

[kscarrol]

Jim, I've had my 545 since Feb 2004 and love it. No problems other than an emissions recall. I don't have Navigation or the sports package on my car, but I can tell you it handles beautifully. The decision for me was the feel of the Active Steering, I just couldn't get used to it. Others love it. If you're ordering it, you can now get the Sports Package without the AS I believe. Cars equipped w/ Nav use a different computer than non-Nav cars. Many of the software bugs/gremlins in the first year were in those Nav equipped cars. The backseat is fine for me, but I usually have my kids back there. Adults might be a bit cramped on longer trips, especially behind me, where at 6'3", I have the seat all the way back. The Logic 7 is a bit pricey but well worth it as is the Sirius radio. Nav I don't need so I passed on it and given the gremlins I'm glad I did. Vast majority of bugs worked out. I guess you'll take delivery off the lot, no more orders are beind taken for the 545, just the 550 now.

 

[jlgnyc11]

I just switched from a CLK 430 Cabrio to the 545i (got it less than 2 wks ago) - and I have the sport package, nav, sirius, split folding seats and premium pack (w/ Logic 7). I also debated a 4-wheel drive car- either Cayenne S (wife didn't want an SUV) or E500 4-Matic (which just bored me to death). At the end of the day no comparison between BMW and MB. I LOVE the car- I find the variable steering an amazing feature, as does my wife who at 5'0 has trouble negotiating a bigger car in a parking lot. It has helped a lot. I live in Manhattan so snow doesn't phase me- when it snows I don't drive. I may pick up some snow tires/17" rims for next winter. Not gonna bother this year. At the end of the day this is the best handling car I have ever had the pleasure of driving. It's power comes close to last series' M5 and the handling is just amazing - it blows away my old CLK 430 in every category, and THAT was more of a 'sports' car. As for iDrive- you basically need to set it up, then everything can be handled from the steering wheel or voice commands. Other than nav related things (like looking at the map, which actually can be called up with a voice command), there is little reason to use the iDrive while actually driving. I am a gadget guy so I love it, but even if you are gadget phobic there is little to learn on the simplified 5-series iDrive. A little patience in the first couple of days and you will appreciate the system. Finally, the Nav is excellent, particularly when compared to the first gen MB system I was used to. Japanese luxo's might have a small edge on Nav systems. But that is not a good reason not to get this car!

Hope this helps. Email any questions.

 

[Little]

Damn you guys got me all excited about this car now. This is prolly thee only car that i can say this about right now, as i looked at the new GS in person, sat in it, and i just did not feel the car. I am waiting for this snow and bad weather to stop so i can get out there and test drive this thing. Will BMW keep the 545i for 2006-2007 or will i need to get a cracken?? I am gonna test drive the 530 as well as it's alot cheaper than the 545i, but i dont' think i will be happy with any V6. As far as the I-drive, i can handle anything electronic, i just thought maybe it had some kinda glitch that made it real hard to use, but i can figure anything out real quick. The only other thing right now, is the price tag of this car. It runs in the Lexus LS price range and i think that car is pretty hot looking, as it resembles my benz and i think my E430 is untouchable with exterior looks. LS interior is a tad plain and it's def way underpowered. But the two cars are totally different, but i'm not set on either side. I must admit i love that super smooth ultra quiet ride which i'm sure the LS would def offer, but then again, i love sports cars and their ride. Guess it will just come down to driving all the cars i can before i can make a decision.

 

[mikereyno]

The 545i will become the 550i come the fall and the 2006 model.

 

[nevetS]

I have a 530 with the nav system/idrive. It's one of the worst Nav systems. Finding a business or an ATM machine is a task because it's all menu based. You can't just search for restaurants. You have to navigate to the restaurant category and then it only lists them by distance - no way to search alphabetically.

It's not practical to put a portable nav system in there, so you go with what is available. I just thought I'd give you my experience so far.

The nav system is very accurate, though. And when searching by address it's great. It even gave me great instructions to a Hotel 500 miles from my house. Also - the voice command doesn't work with Nav other than to bring up a map or to get to the basic navigation screen. It will allow you (your passenger) to enter an address while driving, which is a big complaint I have with my Lincoln Navigator. My wife is usually in the car with me and there's no reason she can't plug in the address while I get started driving in the right general direction.

Honda and Acura allow you to say stuff like "nearest ATM", so I don't see any reason that BMW shouldn't. Also - BMW cannot unlock the car via the BMW assist program, like virtually every other OnStar clone does. The Anti-Theft system is top-notch. When I had the keys locked in it, it detected the guy prying open the door and disabled the unlock button, which impressed me.

 

[Little]

What are my chances of finding this exact car on a lot instead of ordering if ordering is even possible anymore on this car:

'05 545i Black on black with the anthracite wood w/ steptronic

- Navi
- Logic7
- HUD
- Heated front/rear seats
- Sports Package
- Comfort Seats
- Splitting rear seat ( I would like to have this but could do w/o)

 

[kscarrol]

What are my chances of finding this exact car on a lot instead of ordering if ordering is even possible anymore on this car:

'05 545i Black on black with the anthracite wood w/ steptronic

- Navi
- Logic7
- HUD
- Heated front/rear seats
- Sports Package
- Comfort Seats
- Splitting rear seat ( I would like to have this but could do w/o)

The only potential problem I see in finding this car in my opinion is the HUD. i don't think many spec cars shipped to dealers will have the HUD option, that is usually ordered by someone. But being in NJ, you have a number of nearby dealers, shop around, you might get lucky. With the impending rollout of the 550, you might be able get a pretty good deal on a 545. Good luck.

 

[wolverine]

I've test driven pretty much all the cars in the 545's range - mercedes, jaguar, lexus, infiniti, cadillac, audi. Nothing really comes close. The car is just awesome to drive. I've had mine for almost a year now, and I still race the damn thing around like a teenager.

Here's your options: If you can't wait, get the 545 now.

If you can wait, the 550 will be arriving in September. If you really want HP, this is the car to get. It will have 360 vs 325 HP, and should have performance close to the old M5, and as good or better than the current M3. It will be an awesome car.

The options I would recommend (in order) are:

Sports Package. (a must have.)
Active Steering. (for this car, a great feature, makes the car feel smaller, lighter)
Comfort Seats. (best you'll ever sit in - better than the new M5's)
Winter Package. (you get a heated, thicker steering wheel along with the heated mirrors and seats. The heated wheel is something you'll never want to do without once you are used to it in the winter.)
Logic 7. Best OEM Stereo you can get
Sirius Satellite Radio. Again, once you've had it, you won't ever want to be without it.


I didn't get HUD, Nav, PDC, or adaptive cruise control so I can't comment on those.


Guarantee this will be the best car you've ever driven.

 

[Bmw 325i 7803]

If you can wait, the 550 will be arriving in September. If you really want HP, this is the car to get. It will have 360 vs 325 HP, and should have performance close to the old M5, and as good or better than the current M3. It will be an awesome car.

I don't think it can have as good or better performance than the current M3 by the laws of physics. Maybe it can do 62 in 4.8 seconds but the car mags have routinely gotten the M3 to do it in the mid 4's not to mention the M3's size/handling advantage.

 

[wolverine]

I'm an engineer with a degree in physics. I would agree with you that the M3 does have the handling advantage when it comes to size/weight. I was really talking about the 'power' that Little was referring to.

Here's the best way to evaluate the relative straight line performance. Look at the weight/HP ratio of the 550 vs the E39 M5 and the E46 M3: I'm assuming the 550 won't gain much weight.

545 3800 lb/325 hp = 11.7 lb/hp 3800 lb/330 tq = 11.5 lb/ft-lb
550 3800 lb/360 hp = 10.6 lb/hp 3800 lb/360 tq = 10.6 lb/ft-lb
E46 M3 3500 lb/333 hp = 10.5 lb/hp 3500 lb/262 tq = 13.4 lb/ft-lb
E39 M5 4000 lb/394 hp = 10.2 lb/hp 4000 lb/369 tq = 10.8 lb/ft-lb

So, the 550 will be dead even with the E46 M3 in performance. Probably not quite as quick to 60 because of the weight, probably quicker on the hwy because of the torque and higher HP. Also remember, any weight added to both cars favors the 550 - you and a friend = 350 lb, the numbers then become:

550 3800+350=4150 4150/360 = 11.5 lb/hp
M3 3500+350=3850 3850/333 = 11.6 lb/hp

and the 550 has the better numbers.


If Little is looking for 'power', the 550 will be every bit as powerful as the E46. As you can see, it will be close to the E39 M5. That is one heck of a 4-door.

 

[Bmw 325i 7803]

Well on that hand you're right but, considering drag due to its larger size the M3 will still have the better track time, be probably a bit faster, and look GREAT!

The only thing the 550i has on the M is more interior space, being more practical, and it's the "newer"model...

 

[BMW545i]

I sold my 2004 M3 for a 2004 545i and do not miss the M3 at all.