sudonano
528i M Sport (2014)
Bought new, Owned for 3 Years
Fuel Economy: 11.0 km/litre (9.1 L/100 km), RON97, Mileage: 1,000 km/month
So the time has come for me to finally retire my 2012 MY after 3 years of good motoring.
Till the day I signed off on the trade of the car, I have to say the looks are really one of the few things that really make this car so special. Unlike the A6 and Merc E class, the BMW has that understated charm to it, making it so elegant and simple yet current. I feel that the LCI makes it even better, in the rear at least. Especially the compared to the A6, the 5 still feels more timeless.
The engine, I kid you not, seriously deserves the Engine of the Year award. Which it did. Never have I seen such a well thought out engine with such refinement and drivability, considering this is one of their first 4 cylinder turbo engines. While the Audi bunch give a more punchy feel to the car (in the higher tune 2.0TFSi), the linearity and drivability of the N20 is still brilliant. What impresses me more was till the day I turned the car in, the engine still doesn't vibrate at all, and it just feels exactly the same way as per how I got it at the dealer 3 years ago with only 2 digits on the odometer. I never understood what on earth Motor Trend was complaining about for the N20 engine, cause tbh, I personally find the N20 a nicer engine than the competition (at the same range - bar the Porsche Macan's 2.0 T engine, which I rate highly).
In terms of fit and finish, on the whole, nothing broke in the 3 years, all I had was one button replaced as part of warranty, because the paint came off. But again, in comparison to my Japanese car before this, nothing broke! And it's an Inokom car!
BSRI finally came useful when I was due for a new set of brake pads and discs. Thank goodness for BSRI cause if not that would have been a 4 figure job alone. I did leave the original dealer for another BMW dealer and I must say, their aftersales experience was considered to be really up to standard. Everything is done in 60-70% of the time quoted, and everything is settled once and for all.
And now, finally the best part. The drive. By far and by large, I have yet to find a large sedan of the same size as the 5 that can out handle it. In fact, I had already been planning on finding a replacement for this car for some time, since I knew the 3 years was coming up and it was time to look at options to replace it with. Driving experience after being pampered by the scalpel sharp dynamics, meant i had that as my first priority.
I did test it against the following:
BMW X5 xDrive 35i
Porsche Macan 2.0T
BMW 320d M Sport
Audi A4 B8 1.8T
Mercedes-Benz E300 BLUETEC HYBRID
To be honest, I was still considering on whether or not I still needed the large rear and the boot, since I didn't really need it, but at the same time I was thinking on the sensible sides of things. I was ready to go into something smaller provided it was still a good driving car. Of the lot, while the A4 was impressive in the ride, the steering was absolutely lacking in feel, very Audi. The X5 on the other hand shocked me cause it floated all over the place on a straight highway stretch. I guess the rear air suspensions still needed work, but it was not confidence inspiring, considering the X5 is viewed as the next step for a 5 owner. The 320d and the E class twins came close though, but the issue was I couldn't get a test drive for the E300 Hybrid, so I was not planning on taking a risk. I did enjoy the 320d a lot, but unfortunately I did find it a bit too low for me - making it difficult for my passengers to get in and out. Plus, its a fact the interior is not the best in class, and the LCI for that is coming soon so not a good idea - though one in Estoril Blue looked stunning. The Macan 2.0T was I guess the closest option I had to upgrade to from the 5, but the price was eyewatering for a small SUV. If it started at 350k and tapered off with options about 430k, I'd have bought it. But by order of elimination, it looked like I couldn't find a real replacement to this gem of a handler - so I decided, time for another 5! Seriously, the way this car can cosset you and waft in comfort mode, and attack corners in Sport and Sport+ giving others a run for the money is amazing.
It's not the best in some respects though. For a start, seat comfort is still not the best. I still found the E class with a better of seats - mainly in terms of materials. I always had this against BMW's Dakota leather, it feels worse than the leatherette used in a Porsche - and that's like the cheapest material on a Porsche! I never had this on BMW's Merino Leather in their ///M cars, so... Porsche Malaysia's leather selection on the Macan is seriously amazing. Absolutely love some of the interiors they have done, and especially their full leather or natural leather interiors, it's so soft and comfortable. Come on BMW Malaysia, I'd actually pay for the Merino leather!
Toys too while has improved over the pre-LCI (iDrive touch, iDrive 4.2 - with the seriously cool graphics, Adaptive LED lights, comfort access) make it a better buy, but again the E class does come with a sunroof and the Collision Prevention Assist tech which should have been standard in this class. Having said that, I would trade the sunroof for the Adaptive M suspension that this BMW has, it's really worth it.
Boot too still has the same niggling issue where you can't fold the rear seats down. But that's just nitpicking really.
Long term value. Well this is the biggest elephant in the room I would say. For a start, buying the car was about what I would have expected at this range. Overall maintenance for me over 3 years wasn't really painful at all, BSRI took care of most of the drama. Tyres are eyewatering though and no way can you elect to have a spare. Also, when it came to trade up for a newer model, while I did go back to the same brand for part-exchange, I would have preferred something a bit higher considering brand loyalty and all. Having said that, looking at the values of the Jag XF made me convinced that the BMW was a more sensible buy. It's shocking how a year old XF and a 2 year old 528i have similar prices in the market.
To improve
On a whole, I would say my BMW experience has cemented some brand loyalty over the last few years. BSRI has finally been sorted out, so now we get the benefit of using it every 15k or 1 year as opposed to the older 30k intervals.
Having said that, BMW Malaysia should seriously consider increasing the new car warranty. 2 years is absolutely pathetic and while I have upgraded my new 5 with 5 year BSRI, I would still prefer if that was standard instead.
And come on, give us driver training for the M Sport models!
All in all, great car - can't wait to see what's in the next 5 already.
Yes, I would recommend this car
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