F10 test drive feedback

[macdaque]

A couple more photos snapped with Iphone before the last test drive yesterday...

A closer view of the interior,

The upward slanting door handle which is more ergonomical with the seat memory buttons on the door panels

The craftsmanship and quality is almost unbelievable. The car is really art in motion. Love every bit of the car! Both interior and exterior, exterior already growing on me. Bangle's artful design was horrible at first sight, then it grew on many including myself. The e60 will exit with some feeling sadness, whilst some celebrating. The new F10 has started with more general acceptance across the board, being not overly conservative, but not overly exciting either.

 

[vish]

523 is just as fast if not faster with the 8 speed tranny. We were doing acceleration tests, and both cars have similar torque (250nm).

But seriously I tested the 523 a couple of times and it is by no means slower

E60 525 and F10 523?hmmm...a quarter mile drag race will erase all doubts :top:

 

[kamion]

having said that, the gearbox upshifts on its own even in manual/sport mode. which doesnt make any sense and is HIGHLY ANNOYING.

From what I understand, just putting the gear selector to manual/sport won't completely switch over to "manual" gear selection. You have to push/pull the gear stick and actually select a gear before it will switch over to "manual" gear selection. After a while, if you leave it alone, it will switch back to "auto" and select gears for you. You are right that it is not intuitive when you push the gear selector over to manual/sport and it still change gears automatically.

 

[vish]

From what I understand, just putting the gear selector to manual/sport won't completely switch over to "manual" gear selection. You have to push/pull the gear stick and actually select a gear before it will switch over to "manual" gear selection. After a while, if you leave it alone, it will switch back to "auto" and select gears for you. You are right that it is not intuitive when you push the gear selector over to manual/sport and it still change gears automatically.

yes bro you're right, but i did that too...the gear indicator on the instrument panel showed M followed by the gear i was in/had selected...and still the idiotic thing kept upshifting at about 7k rpm :banghead:

 

[kamion]

D'oh! That's not good.

 

[ryan88]

I also tested in Sime Darby Property Gallery. My observations:
- very nice finishing touches, like the ambient lighting under the interior door trim, etc. (even sales ppl didn't know that this feature existed). Attached is pix, did any of you see the interrior? I drove during the day, so missed it all. Will try to go over and look at it tonight. Interior quality impressive.
- good vehicle control at high speeds
- 523i a little underpowered compared with e60 525i or e90 325i (target replacement markets for the f10 523i), HP and torque figures notwithstanding
- lack of navi is a BIG disappointment
- takes potholes quite well in comfort mode
- price tag very steep at 398k
- motorised headrest at front driver side a welcome addition
- sales people didn't know enough about the intricate details about the car, only can say that it's worlds apart from the e60
- boot very difficult to close, esp for women / those vertically challenged

Very nice Interior!!:rock::rock:

 

[davidykhor]

The only thing is i can't understand, why the 535i can weight about the e60 m5!

so heavy!

 

[astroboy]

The gearbox. VW GTI DSG is not any lighter..

 

[safri]

Saw the f10 for the first time at the Ingress event a couple of fridays back...love the exterior especially the rear (vs e60); the interior is much more refined vs its predecessor. Question is whether all these provide strong enough reasons for BMW lovers to trade in their cars for CBU 523 f10???. A quick answer is NO, based on initial feedback and responses thus far. 523 price is rather steep for somewhat basic specs fitted to it. Most of the rational buyers would probably want to wait for the SKD or CKD specs which are likely to be cheaper or come with better specs. And for those who are currently on e60 525 and 530, a 6 month's wait for 528 is an idea worth considering. e300 is currently priced around rm450k+, surely 528 price will hover around the same level.

 

[alpina b5]

waiting for 528i

 

[macdaque]

waiting for 528i

Yup, good idea. Me too. But if the new SKD 523i has impressive specs, then I may change my mind, depending on the differences between the 523 an 528.

 

[macdaque]

After test-driving the 523i again today, I am convinced that a 2.5l 204HP 250Nm torque engine is more than sufficient, and the features in the soon-to-come 523i (if it comes with Navi professional, and without any subtractions) would satisfy my requirements. I don't need keyless entry, I don't need moon-roof, I don't need rear climate controls nor the other nicer luxurious things. If I had $ to spare that I wouldn't otherwise think would be better spent on charity, helping the poor or the sick, perhaps my evaluation of these things would be vastly different. My one sen's worth anyway.

 

[alpina b5]

Yup, good idea. Me too. But if the new SKD 523i has impressive specs, then I may change my mind, depending on the differences between the 523 an 528.

haha but then the current 5er's are imported. my e39 is imported and it never gave me trouble, lasted much much better than my friend's ckd's

 

[alpina b5]

another problem...the wipers no longer swish to the left....gonna have hard time getting used to that

 

[phas3r]

wait for the 530d.

 

[macdaque]

haha but then the current 5er's are imported. my e39 is imported and it never gave me trouble, lasted much much better than my friend's ckd's

What used to be CKD is now SKD (semi-knocked down) - I guess the Germans wouldn't trust Malaysians to build any machine better than a proton. I understand that more than 90% is assembled in Germany, with the remaining non-essential items assembled here in Kulim. I stand corrected, so if anyone has more specific info, please post. TQ.

 

[macdaque]

another problem...the wipers no longer swish to the left....gonna have hard time getting used to that

Whadaya mean? Can you explain, I'd like to know comparatively what's the difference between old and new. TQ.

 

[alpina b5]

Whadaya mean? Can you explain, I'd like to know comparatively what's the difference between old and new. TQ.

hmm...if u drive the e60 and e39 before.....when u turn on the wipers....u will see that it will flip to the left side (normal cars flip right) but as for the f10......it no longer flips left

 

[affan66]

What used to be CKD is now SKD (semi-knocked down) - I guess the Germans wouldn't trust Malaysians to build any machine better than a proton. I understand that more than 90% is assembled in Germany, with the remaining non-essential items assembled here in Kulim. I stand corrected, so if anyone has more specific info, please post. TQ.

this is not only for the Malaysian factory. All BMW factories worldwide are doing this. Ask those who went to the Kulim factory visit.

 

[Schwepps]

Actually, a properly homologated right-hand drive car should have wipers that sweep right, so that the sweep goes all the way to the A-pillar on the driver's side. So the F10 has the correct arrangement now.

SKDs for this region are semi-assembled in Rayong Thailand to take advantage of the zero import duty within Asean. Rayong became the assembly hub for Asean and we lost a great chance to be the hub. Our non-national cars are still differentially-taxed with a secondary tax called excise duty.