I too am a BIG fan of the E39 and I think that and the E38 are the pinnacle for BMW on it's way down now. I want to get rid of my E34 540i soon. (I must admit pure classic car but now outdated for me) and get a black on black 2003ish E39 M5 to compliment by W211. M5 for speed W211 for luxury.

I do like the styling of the 5 series but only with the sport body kit and wheels. Without it, it looks so so.

I now like the exterior of the E60 5 series, especially in silver grey w/ sport pkg. I initially did not like it when it came out. I still think the interior looks cheap and unattractive in its design. So........still a no go for me.

yea, the new 5 is growing on me..


... like a rare South American Fungus.

Ugly then, ugly now. It isnt as bad, but the interior is the last nail in the coffin.

If they had gone in the natural line of refined progression, I'd be driving a 545 as well.

big wheels make the 5 look better outside, but it still doesn't have any elegance at all. of course, one could argue that it wasn't meant to have any - it is a sports sedan, after all; whereas the E is a luxury exec.

the E39 is, in my opinion, still the best BMW ever, and if i had a choice between it and the W210 i have no qualms about which to choose. but merc has pushed the bar much higher with the W211. no one thinks the E60 is a "bad" car, just not to many people's liking...

Yes, I was one of the people that HATED the styling of the new 5 when I first saw it. But I kept looking at it and began to appreciate the uniqueness. My 5 drives superbly. Does it have some annoyances? Absolutely, but I find that w/ a car with this much technology and gadgets, you're going to have 1 or 2. Here's what I traded the Benz in for:

Hi Guys, I'm new here and have just read all your comments about the E60. I'm actually on my second one and yes I hated the looks at first and have never been a massive fan of the basic cabin that was until I got my M sport 535d and know I'm a firm believer. Don't worry still have the ML320 as well.

The car is very quick, economical and has a very classy light poplar wood/ black leather cabin.

Nice I seen your car on fanatics too....the only thing I would change if it was my car is the wheels hehe but again its not mine :p

No offense to my '5' owner friends but I just can't get used to the new design. Every time I see one, I can't help but think "bat mobile". I agree with the post that said the previous design has been the best yet.

Those ugly headlights have to go.

Have a great relationship with my BMW salesman, and really tried hard to like the 550 or 750 but was really turned off by exterior/interior styling not to mention idrive. Traded my 2002 M3 for 2006 E500. Miss the driving dynamics of the M3 but got tired of reliability issues. The more I drive and detail the E500 the better I like it. Hope it proves reasonably realiable.

Is it just me or does any people notice that all Bangle's designs look like ***** to a certain degree?

I kinda notice it. But I don't pay attention to what cars look like a *****. I'll say it again I love the 3.

Thank God they didn't let Chris Bangle mess up the 3'er. I would be concerned about the new engine design. It's a pretty wild arrangement and I'd be afraid to get one for the first couple of years. I am so mad that BMW screwed up the 5-Series. If they had only improved the E39 instead of going off the deep end, I'd probably have one.

I'm currently in the market for a luxury/sport sedan and I pretty much figured it was either going to be a BMW or MB. At this point, the BMW is losing based on looks and that's tough to overcome. But i'm still waiting.

Matt

You might consider counselling.

I hadn't noticed. For a flagrantly phallic look, you can't beat (so to speak) the Viper or the SLR McLaren - both fine products of our very own DaimlerChrysler Gmbh.

http://us.autos1.yimg.com/img.autos...._4_346x270.jpg

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/1...1/027855-E.jpg

My favorite Bangled BMWs are: The Z4 Roadster/Coupé; 6-Series/M6 and 5-Series/M5.

Bangle also was responsible for the 3-Series E46 and the X5.

The E46 is by far the best looking 3-series ever, I think the new one (3-series E90) looks too fat and the interior looks cheap.

You gotta feel sorry for the man who designed the new BMW 5-Series:

http://www.tiscali.co.uk/motoring/ro.../fact1/56.html

Poor guy. I for the one who actually likes the looks of 5-Series E60. :o

The new M5 looks very good in Interlagos blue (below).




I do realize that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so therefore this is just my opinion. And YES. I do realize, that I stated that the previous 5-Series E39 looks prettier; But it happens that I like the new model as well.

And even the Interior design grew on me... :p I hated the 5-er E60 interior at first, but man I've come to my senses, the interior actually looks good and well finished.

I almost bought the E39 instead of the E320 in 2003. I was also considering the E60 until I saw the initial photos. I thought it was ugly then and I still think it is ugly now (both inside and out).

I love the car but hate the styling, that bump on the butt of the new 5 series is just ridiculous.

The 5 series was bad enough, but is anything BMW designed ever been uglier than the z4 vs z3???

test drove a 03 500e and a bmw 545 2004 back to back..i must confess the bmw sounds more aggresive and drives very well. i dont like the dash but it felt fresh and not bad looking. i am very tempted to switch over.... :p

ive seen about 5 or so in person now and they aer still ugly. awkward as hell lines on the front and rear. i cant help but think burn victim when i see then nose at an angle. its pretty sad. i was very excited a few years back for the E60.

I still hate the interior but I saw a 530 Se Touring today and I must admit it did look quite good.

I would agree, I checked out a 530xi wagon and IMHO it's a much better look than the sedan.