2019 540i Quick Review
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First things first, this fucker is ENORMOUS. Although given the size, I kind of expected it to be a little bigger inside.
Driving experience. Numb. The actual capability of the chassis is pretty high, but the overall level of feedback and driving pleasure is more akin to my grandfather’s ES350 than any other car I’ve driven. Engine. The B58 is *ok*, but it occupies a weird space between plenty and weak. A car like this should have effortless torque, but it just doesn’t. But when it finds the right gear, it’s plenty. Also, in this car, it sounds horrible. The noises aren’t just muted. They are bad. Transmission. The usual BMW bizarre too sluggish or too aggressive mis-match. I don’t get it. Audi can make the same transmission feel way more responsive without being annoying. Why can’t BMW? Interior. OK, but disco party at night. Trunk. Uh, guess that’s where all the interior space went? Electronics. The whole no CarPlay without a subscription thing is so fucking customer hostile and self defeating. The all around camera is weird and surprisingly artifacted. Also, I can’t understand what causes it to turn off randomly while i’m still parking. Lane departure warnings got turned off immediately. Ride quality. Good, but honestly, not really good enough. Also surprisingly similar to my impression of the ES350. In summary, meh. |
Yuck .. sounds terrible thanks for the review :lol:
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Love the B58 in my car.
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I thought the 530 loaner I had was quite pleasant for a 5 series. Everything is big now, but IMHO it drove a lot better than the last generation did. The tech was well integrated, and the driver aids were non-intrusive (and easy to disable).
In comparison to where cars have evolved to, basically e-pliances for the detached/connected generation, it was still more driver centric than I expected it to be. Granted I haven't driven an MB or Audi comparable lately, but I have tried the newest Acura TL and a few others that were way worse. All the blue lights and disco themed crap is configurable as well. You can set it up to be much less bling than the pic shows. Totally grant you the BMW transmission programming is ABYSMAL. I can't stand it in the X5. It seemed to be better in in the 530 and x3 I recently had, but still no on par with where it should be. |
The transmission thing is disappointing. I have no idea why BMWs are so bad in that regard. And with that many gears, it should *always* be in the right gear.
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Once it is moving it is generally *fine* for an auto. |
I typically start off in D and drive until the engine warms up, then shift into DS for the rest of the trip. That said, my transmission is much smoother and easier to modulate than the X5 50i. I struggle mightily with that transmission.
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I will say that BMW has *finally* accepted reality and put a normal, decent feeling turn signal stalk in.
But honestly, I think the Audi Q5 is more engaging to drive. |
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It is pretty amazing how one car enthusiasts outlook of a car can be so different then someone else’s.
I think my 540 is one of the best cars I’ve ever had and really love driving it. I find zero wrong with the engine or the transmission. I think the cameras are hands down the best in the industry and i currently have and also have had some good systems from the other brands to compare them to. They should not be turning off while parking I would have that car checked out. Paying for CarPlay after the first year is a bit ridiculous and greedy but all of the brands try to get you, Audi gets you hooked on their google maps navigation display and then charges you to keep it. I’m not defending the 540 because I have one, mine is gone back in a drop over a year and the chances are I will be considering another one. As they say different strokes for different folks. |
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Everyone but BMW can make the ZF8 drive well. This is a BMW specific issue. |
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The car goes down the highway very pleasantly, but it has no steering feel at all, and it’s annoying to maneuver around the city. I kind of wonder if the 530e gets better torque fill around town? If I get bored, I might test drive one. Edit: Audi charging for access to a service that they are providing (even if it’s a pipeline to Google) is at least justifiable. BMW charging the customer to connect their phone is insulting. |
I really am becoming my parents and getting old. I don’t want or care about any of the tech except maybe a map service and phone/audio streaming. I think this is why I am still ok with my ancient car at this point. When I ever get off my ass and get my 981 I’ll probably keep it as long as I’ve had the M5. A dying connected manual car that does not bombard you with tech I will never use.
I have become the name of this site. |
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With that said I don't know if I could live with one, I'm not saying they are bad it is just not a transmission I like but heck what do I know, I loved the R-tronic in my R8 and you couldn't possibly read about transmission with more bad reviews:D. |
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My biggest complaint with my car is at almost a year old I still can't figure out how to shut it off in my garage and leave it unlocked ... I am not joking when I tell you it is not unusual for my wife to go into the garage hours after I come home and she will see my car on usually with the lights and radio on (not the engine running just in the on position). And this is after I know the car shut down when I left it ... it is just weird but I gave up on this 8 months ago :dunno: Quote:
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I've never had a CarPlay implementation that worked reliably and consistently. The VW's would stop working for weeks at a time (only on particular phones, though), and then would inexplicably come back. The one in my parents' Mustang works a little more reliably, but still not 100 percent of the time.
When it does work, it's...fine, I guess, but the integration isn't necessarily better than whatever the car is running natively (especially in Audis without touch screens). Not sure how it would work in a BMW with no touch screen; mine doesn't have it. There is no chance in hell that I'd pay for it. Re: FC's point, I'd be very interested in Nick's take on the F80. It's...also fine? I mean, I like it, and there are some things about it I like a lot. But it's not a particularly engaging car to drive, and it also has very little steering feel. It's fast but it definitely has some lag, and the power comes on in a whack that reminds you it is turbocharged. I don't think there's a better performance sedan around right now, but honest to god I'm not sure it's a better overall car than the E46 330i ZHP. |
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Wow- that's the first negative review I've read of the B58 though it sounds like your issues are more with the transmission programming.
I agree that Audis implementation is smoother. My old F10 was super annoying in that it would always noticeable downshift to 1st as you were coming to a stop. in low speed traffic, that meant you constantly felt it going from 1-2-1-2. My x3 is much better in that regard, but there are certain conditions where you can "surprise" the transmission and you get a noticeable thunk when it downshifts. I remember that happening on 80s/90s automatics but never in a modern one. What's funny is that the old ZF 6 speed in my e92 was flawless in every way -- never once misbehaved or shifted strangely. Was this a loaner car that you tried? |
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That, and it just doesn’t have enough torque at low revs. The 540i is not a car that revving out the engine is satisfying in. And the noises that are allowed to penetrate the cabin suck, which make that even more annoying. The car would be a lot more satisfying with a big lazy V8. And also better steering, a stiffer gas pedal, and less grabby brakes. Edit: It’s been a long time, but my Mom’s old N54 335i auto had no drivability issues that I can recall other than the lack of a limited slip diff. |
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And I’m happy to say that it’s going back in the morning.
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2019 540i Quick Review
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Try hitting the start button one more time after the engine turns off. Alternatively get the car coded so it will shut off when you open the door I noticed that they’ve now made that default atkeast on the new 3 series |
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As long as it starts in the morning and the battery isn’t dead i’m ok with it :) |
Shocker, BMW doesn't build good cars anymore.
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Review coda:
Holy shit, I’m glad to have the E90 back. Driving the 540i for two days really reinforced what a good fit the E90 M3 is for me. That said, I should take back some of how much I shat on the drivetrain combo. After a hundred miles of my driving, the ZF8 got a LOT less stupid. It would have been tolerable if the pedals required more force. It really makes my leg tense when I have to hold it up off of the gas pedal while cruising. I want to push slightly, not hold up. (This is an irritation in most cars.) The brakes had the same issue, but since brake pedal use is transient, it was more tolerable. I actually did like the “auto hold” function. If I’m going to drive a numb whale, why should I have to hold my foot on the brake while stopped? Net-net, I’m slightly less negative on it now. If all I did was drive on the highway with cruise control on, it would be a nice place to be. It’s not a nice place to drive, though. |
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My Dad had a 5-series for a few days and seems to have hated it even more than I did. :lol:
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