maxdog

Has anyone stepped on it with a new 545i? On the freeway how will our E500 fare out?

FirstMB

My Motortrend magazine shows the 545 has better 0-60, and 1/4 mile times than the E500. That's a surprise to me because although it has more HP, it has lower torque. However, the difference in times is VERY little, so I would not think you'd feel any difference at all.

No matter what, I am more than happy with my E500 acceleration.

DWP

I haven't test-driven the new 545i because I can't get past the exterior or interior styling. FWIW, when Road & Track tested an automatic '04 545i last year they came up with 0-60 in 5.3 seconds and the quarter mile in 13.8 at 103.3 mph. Their comparable numbers for the E500 they tested in January '03 were 5.9 seconds and 14.4 seconds at 98.8 mph.

Recommendation: if a new 545 tries to choose off your E500, pretend not to notice - especially if the road has curves. I would console myself with the knowledge that my car isn't ugly and doesn't have I-dunno-Drive.

Ervin TBH

I'm with DWP. I drove the BMW and I think it would outdrive the E500. However, who wants to walk up to that car every day?

allenjdmb

a stick, you are absolutely screwed. That is one nice driving car. I can't imagine how good the new M5 will be if the the 545 is that good. But, yeah, the looks aren't for everyone...

sacguy

Yes the 545 will probably beat the E500 by a small amount and yes it will handle a little tighter, but the E500 looks better, has a nicer interior by far and cruises with a better ride. It handles great too, but not quite as sporty as the BMW. The BMW (which I now like a little better than I first did) still has some ugly seam lines and looks bloated from the side, especially the rear quarter of the side view.

I was originally going to get a new 545i when they started talking about the new design coming out (I am a happy 2002 5 series owner), but when I saw the car, I just could not buy it, especially with the interior it has now and the i-drive.

I test drove the E and liked it better overall as the more comfortable daily driver of the two cars and it has more than enough speed and handling to make it fun too. A nice combination! =

khaug

We replaced a 2000 5 series BMW with our new CDI, for all the reasons stated above. No doubt the BMW has the better chassis, but I can't get past the hideous Bangle styling, the cheap and austere-looking interior and the i-drive.

My game plan had been to replace our 2000 with the new E60 5 series and I was very disappointed when the E60 was released. I won't argue the point that the BMW is still the better driver's car, but the E-classe is a superior cruiser, particularly the CDI. I'm happy with the choice I made.

Brav

03 had a 5sp tranny, not the 7. Numbers are very close. I had 5.0 on a Gtech which is about 5.2 or so in real life.

esport

When I bought my 2005 E500 White with int black pano and amg package I was between the 2005 545 but the 5 series has more performance but the car itslelf is not worth the price because the interior has a bad design and layout and comparison with the Eclass the Eclass has more stlye and luxury and the performance is not that far away and the options for the E are way better than the 5 series. I will stick to my E500.

plocjim

I test drove the 545 and it was a dream to drive...felt exactly like how I wanted a car to drive...now, if I could only find a way to drive with my eyes closed and not have to look at the exterior or the interior then I would definitely buy one...I thing the e class overall is a much better car.

BudC

I keep saying I want a car that looks like a Mercedes, drives like a BMW and lasts like a Lexus. The Mercedes was the best compromise although if the interior of the BMW wasn't such a disaster I might have gotten past the ugly exterior.

I will also say that if I had it to do over again, I would not have bought the E320 nor any other new car. I'd keep on driving the 300E until Mercedes dropped the SBC brakes, got rid of that coarse V6 sound and fixed the drive-by-wire isolation or BMW fixed the 5-er's cut and paste dash and changed the exterior to look more like the new 3'er.

wobbles

Hehe... we Mercedes owners sure think alike in many ways... I test drove the 5'er and loved the handling, but simply could NOT imagine being seen getting in and out of a car that looked like that for the next 5 years or so.

That and the fact that my wife promised me a lifetime of nagging hell if I brought anything that ugly home to the garage...

e350

I drove the 545i and it was a rocket. I took it up to over 150MPH on the autobahn and it was rock solid. But I just couldn't drop the bucks a car that I can't fall in love with. If my new E350 comes even close to the performance, then I'm in for a treat, both physically (performance) and emotionally (looks)!

RJC

Well said. Might I add customer service, repairs and factory backed loaners like LEXUS...Mercedes, are you listening????

esport

Well I have lexus GX 470 04' and LX 470 99' they are great quality cars but mercedes benz has more class but lexus last longer and handles tougher driving. But I would never trade my mercedes benz for a bimmer.

Omegaonne

Ithought about getting the 5 also, but then I remembered the problems my wife had with her 328is and mybrother-in-law had with his 540i. I guess marrying into a family of mercedes also influenced my decision. Bottom line is, I wouldn't trade my E500 for anything other than a better mercedes. Maybe a lexus though.

lpolo

I love 545i exterior. First, I thought it's the weirdest car in the world, but the more I see it, the more I like it. Looks very sporty IMO. However, things that I can't handle is the interior. I can't believe that 50k+++ car has that cheap interior. This is part of the reason I didn't buy 545. BMW has a great job arranges the ride height so that the car looks sporty. They make the gap between chasis and tires close enough (thing i like about bmw).

E500, love the interior a lot. Exterior is great as well. However, lately I feel that the exterior is a little outdated. The headlights resemble the old W210. Is it because I owned it and see same car everyday in my garage or something else? Love CLK and SL headlights.

I don't mind with the engine performance. You won't see significant difference between 545 and E500. It's hard to notice 0.XX-1 seconds. For me The most important things are ride quality, smooth, and comfort, which I found the best on E-Class.

Any comments? Please share.

sacguy

The E exterior is definitely not cutting edge, but it is IMHO not outdated, but classically attractive and a timeless design . The front lights have been around for a while, so they look more common place than when they first came out, but they are beautiful. Also, the more you look at and live with a car, the more it looks like an older design because you are used to it and the new cars coming out look more unique because they are new to you.

BudC

If the public loves the new E60 styling so much, why have BMW *fixed* it on the new E90 3'er?

As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I dislike the chrome used on Mercedes sports model interiors but younger people apparently like it.

It's not the rear of the E60 that I dislike so much as it it the flat sides. Of course the dash looks like it was still in the styling lab with bits and pieces stuck here and there. The interior door handles are tacky as well.

The old E39 BMW had a timeless beauty (at least on the outside) and that's how I feel about the current W211 Mercedes.

Bangle and BMW have pushed the envelope too far with the current E60 as they did with the 745. I wouldn't be surprised to see them *fix* it.

wobbles

I think the 7 series is due for "fix" with regards to the rabbit hutch trunk/boot lid - it's down right fugly, IMVHO, although, of course, YMMV.

The present W211 and her predecessor the W210 have a timeless, classic look about them ... it sure isn't cutting edge as some of the forum users have rightly pointed out, but it sure goes easy on the eye (of this beholder anyway) .

xraymd

One thing that really bugged me about a 545i with sport package I drove was the new variable ratio steering. Maybe I'd get used to it over time, but maybe I wouldn't. I don't like dropping that kind of dough on a car that is "an acquired taste." I love my 540, but I can't stomach the 545 exterior. I still look at the tail lights and think of an old Toyota Celica.

BudC

If my wife could have driven it and my knees weren't shot, I would have loved to have had a 540I six-speed.

It might not have had some of the amenities that my E320 has but then most of those don't work anyway