As a huge fan of the 3-Series, I was pretty excited to get behind the wheel of the 5 and see what she would do. While the 5 never had the looks of it’s smaller, sportier looking sibling, I didn’t dislike the old 5’s stylings. The Bangled-styled 5 isn’t bad either, but to me says more of a father’s car than a sports car, yet I was hopeful it would still deliver thrill in the drive.
Unfortunately, it’s more of a father’s car.
There is no doubt that the 255hp engine will help you go fast, and you’ll get there rather quickly, but you never feel like you’re actually moving quickly. The turning is a little slower, the weight transfer is a little more strained, and the throttle a little thicker. The 3 feels like a 6-year-old kid standing at the gate of Disneyland, all you have to do is say “go,” but the 5 feels more like a teenager standing against the wall at the dance; willing to move if asked to, but not going to make the first move without you.
I found that I had to use significantly more throttle than seemed necessary to really feel the car take off out of the stoplights, although when I kept the foot into it, I was quickly going faster than I realized and had to then slow down. It seemed it took a lot of effort to feel like you were moving fast, but then you had to pull back so that it didn’t take off without you.
For me, I would definitely have the 3 for in town driving, however, Friday I leave for a four-day, 3000 mile trip and had I the two to choose from, I would take the 5 with no questions asked.
This is all ignoring the 20,000lb elephant sitting in the corner, which is the I-Drive.
As a self-proclaimed gadget-geek, tech-lover, gizmo-nerd, I was so ready to fall in love with the I-Drive, but I just can’t help but hate it. When I first encountered it in last year’s 5 series, I was told that it had been pulled back and improved upon from the earlier 7-series models. I can’t imagine the pain those cars must have inflicted upon their stuffy, old, technophobic owners. The improved version was bad even for a guy who wanted to de-mystify it. Luckily they have learned the volume control and temperature adjustments really need their own knobs on the dash, they still make the rest of the instrument panel navigation as painful as possible. I did everything I could to not deal with it, and I was fortunate to not have to more than a few moments. I applaud their effort, but wish they had done a few more usability studies first.
As for the exterior, it’s a Chris Bangle design, and you can see it for yourself. I don’t hate it, but it certainly doesn’t have a youthful, hip aura any longer.
Overall, I would drive this car, and would really appreciate it if I had to drive long distances or even handle some ice once in a while, but here in Oregon, I would never pay the premium over a more sporty and more fun 3-series.
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