splower
12-11-2006, 05:07 PM
Its been two weeks now with the e39, and so far its been slightly different.
I'm still missing the E34, the sound of the V8 engine and the little quirks that gave it character. But loving the 523 at the same time.
Strangely enough, the E39 seems to capture the BMW-ness from the E34- for me anyway...
The interior is pretty much the same, and driving home in the dark the only thing that gives it away is the ambient light that it has. Everything is in the same place, just more up to date. The best improvement they made with the interior is the heating and ventilation, I havent had to touch it yet, just leave it at 22 degrees..
The engine feels like a smoother and slightly more responsive version of what was in my '92 525i. To be honest, I think I've always preferred BMWs inline 6 engines. The V8 was incredible on a long stretch of motorway, or when you could really let it breath. Sat in traffic I always found it a bit of a handful. Not sure if I explained what I was thinking there... Definately no where near as much kick though, but more than enough to keep up with traffic and cruise quietly down a motorway all day long.
The gearbox is nice, the changes are very smooth, havent really played with the steptronic thingy yet, doubt it be anything like a proper manual though. Its nice they ironed all the bugs out of the adaptive control.
The steering is the most noticable difference. It feels alot sharper, without the dead feeling on centre. I'm sure the roadholding capabilities are comparible between models, but the rack and pinion gives me a bit more confidence to push it. My 530i had stock non-sports suspension, and so does the 523, but the newer one feels a bit firmer.
Overall, I think BMW took the E34, which is an amazing car, and just put a bit more refinement into it. True, it doesnt quite have the same amount of feel to it, but at the same time its separated from it by 7 years of evolution.
Lastly, I'm sorry if I caused anyone offence in my last posts, it honestly wasnt intended like that...
Just took these in the car park on the way home.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l67/simonpaullower/DSCF0323.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l67/simonpaullower/DSCF0325.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l67/simonpaullower/DSCF0326.jpg
I'm still missing the E34, the sound of the V8 engine and the little quirks that gave it character. But loving the 523 at the same time.
Strangely enough, the E39 seems to capture the BMW-ness from the E34- for me anyway...
The interior is pretty much the same, and driving home in the dark the only thing that gives it away is the ambient light that it has. Everything is in the same place, just more up to date. The best improvement they made with the interior is the heating and ventilation, I havent had to touch it yet, just leave it at 22 degrees..
The engine feels like a smoother and slightly more responsive version of what was in my '92 525i. To be honest, I think I've always preferred BMWs inline 6 engines. The V8 was incredible on a long stretch of motorway, or when you could really let it breath. Sat in traffic I always found it a bit of a handful. Not sure if I explained what I was thinking there... Definately no where near as much kick though, but more than enough to keep up with traffic and cruise quietly down a motorway all day long.
The gearbox is nice, the changes are very smooth, havent really played with the steptronic thingy yet, doubt it be anything like a proper manual though. Its nice they ironed all the bugs out of the adaptive control.
The steering is the most noticable difference. It feels alot sharper, without the dead feeling on centre. I'm sure the roadholding capabilities are comparible between models, but the rack and pinion gives me a bit more confidence to push it. My 530i had stock non-sports suspension, and so does the 523, but the newer one feels a bit firmer.
Overall, I think BMW took the E34, which is an amazing car, and just put a bit more refinement into it. True, it doesnt quite have the same amount of feel to it, but at the same time its separated from it by 7 years of evolution.
Lastly, I'm sorry if I caused anyone offence in my last posts, it honestly wasnt intended like that...
Just took these in the car park on the way home.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l67/simonpaullower/DSCF0323.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l67/simonpaullower/DSCF0325.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l67/simonpaullower/DSCF0326.jpg