hinckley

I bought my first BMW, a 528e, in 1984. I've been driving BMWs and Porsches (with a couple of Audis thrown in the mix) ever since. Now I'm 65, and as is said in the BMW world, I'm old enough to buy a Benz (although I'll be keeping my M4 vert).

Joking aside, I tried to convince myself to like the new 5, but it just doesn't compare to the W214. The new 5 is badly compromised trying to support both ICE and EV powertrains. That concept is a big FAIL for BMW imo. So today, I ordered an E350 with a 05/01 production date. Hopefully I'll get the car late-June/early-July. I paid sticker. No dealers in my area are discounting.

My specs:
Alpine Grey
Night Package
20" Black AMG Wheels
Tonka Brown/Black Nappa Leather
Leather Package
Piano Black Flowing Lines Interior Trim
Pinnacle Trim Package
AIRMATIC Package
Dashcam
Soft-Close Doors
Rear Spoiler in Black
Animated LED Logo Projector
Wheel Locking Bolts

I'm looking forward to learning more from you all over the next couple months of waiting!

dtd

How much does it cost for all the listed options, may I ask?

hinckley

Base price for the E350 is $62,300. With my options and destination, the total price is $81,950. Fwiw, that's about $6k more than a similarly spec'd 530i. The paint and AIRMATIC alone are almost $5k. Worth the money imo, but let's not kid ourselves, that's a pretty heady number for a 4-pot. Nice car, though.

dtd

@hinckley,
Thank you sir. I'm sure it's worth every penny. Enjoy.

Povitica3

I configured a similar spec for a W214 450 and it came to about same price. If I were you, I’d swap to the 450 for about same price maybe a slight less feature. I’d get rid of the Zoom camera and Super screen and put that money on the i6 motor on a 450. Trust me, the two cars are not comparable. If you wanted a 5-er, then get a 450 instead of the 350. I should know bcos I do have a 300 (turbo-4), a 350 (v6 NA) and a 450 (turbo-v6)

hinckley

Hmmm . . . no Superscreen on my build. Silly option imo.

As you've alluded to in other posts, everyone has different priorities and different circumstances. The only difference between the E214 4 and 6 bangers is the engine and I'm over the hp thing. I moved to South Florida from New England about four years ago (another cliche) and there's nothing here but suburban traffic lights, wide straight roads and highway traffic jams. I don't think there's a fun-to-drive road in the state (at least my part). A while ago, I got rid of a 625 hp M8 after a year of ownership because it wasn't the right car for me here in Florida. It was a pig (weight-wise) and I had zero use for all that power. So for the first time in my life, I'm choosing the luxury end of the sport-luxury continuum. And frankly, I could have afforded the extra coin for the E450, but I just don't see the point in my circumstances. YMMV.

Povitica3

That’s pretty good, sir. Hear ya! Welcome to MB ownership.

I am only a few years behind you, and recently moved from New England to the mid Atlantic. Unfortunately still an adrenaline junkie… it may be a disease I have yet to cure so gotta get my fix, so to speak.…

hinckley

Lol. I'm not sure I can help. Still driving the M4, top down, every day.

MB2timer

Going topless.
Another cliche.
But one I adhere to and the reason I have a SLK, and SL.
Wouldn’t have it any other way.
Is that another cliche?

300SE1993

Congrats! I test drove the new 5 and absolutely hated it. The W214 is hands down a much better experience.

Povitica3

Cliche or not, I second that emotive. In fact, I have been quoted as saying that someone will have to pry the keys of my SLK from my cold dead fingers...

Amen to that!

fju2112

First off - congratulations and I hope you'll post your impressions of your new, gorgeous ride once you take delivery.

As a middle-aged Benz guy possibly looking to move to BMW, what do you think of the prior 5-series generation that ended in '23 compared to the E-class Benzes of 2014-2016 (which is what I currently drive)? I drove an M550i and would only jump to BMW to get that ridiculous power train in a similar sized vehicle as I drive now. It's a bit rougher even with the dynamic handling package (the one I drove had that), but it's making me think. So, you're the old guy ready for a Benz, I'm the longtime Benz owner ready for a mid life crisis BMW, maybe...

fju2112

Good to know. I've only seen a couple by me (Boston suburbs). I thought it looked better in person than any of the photos I've seen online, so I had some hope, but not as pretty as the '21-'23 update from the last generation. What was the driving like in comparison to the prior generation 5-series?

fju2112

Interesting - I'm in New England and hoping to move to FL in the next few years with the family. I know FL has a lot more traffic these days than in years past, but surprised to hear that you can't let 'er rip and it's at the point that it affects your engine choice! Where in New England did you move from?

Re: Superscreen - kinda agree, but I do have relatively young kids who would be in the car often enough that I would consider adding it for them, haha.

streborx

I bought my first BMW in 1985, and it was also a 528e. It was fine in the mid-west where I lived at the time, but after moving to Colorado, the high altitude was killing it. I did everything I could to improve its sluggish performance, including changing out its rear differential. In the end, I had to sell it because its hesitation on acceleration made it hazardous to drive. I regret not going with the 533i. I now have an X7M50i, and it's a rocket ship.

fju2112

Nice. I drove a GLS580 recently and thought I'd love it but it was too much car for me. I know the X7's drive better/"smaller", but even still. I'd love to get into an X6 M50i if I could have anything within reason right now, as it comes with the more modern features the previous gen 5 series lacked and I could get a factory tow hitch. (I don't know why BMW didn't offer pano roof as an option in the previous 5-er.)

streborx

What I especially like about my '22 X7 is that BMW couldn't cram the mild hybrid into the engine compartment. In '23 when the Gen 2 MH was integrated into the transmission, both the V8 and IL6 versions became MHs.

fju2112

Gotcha. I have never owned a car with that 48V mild hybrid tech. Obviously it's more complex and therefore just another electrical gizmo that can break, but what about it specifically do you not like otherwise?

streborx

IMHO, it's just overly complicated for the small efficiency improvement it delivers, which is purportedly 10% in fuel economy. Even if the system performs flawlessly, I'm guessing it adds $2K to the production cost. 10% fuel savings for me would be 1 tankful each year (I drive only about 4K miles/year), so my payback would be 20 years, assuming nothing fails after the warranty expires. As you say, just another gizmo that can (and probably will) break.

Povitica3

I have a MY22 C300 which is a MH. For the amount of driving I do per year (15-20K miles) the improved efficiencies work out well for my needs. The 48V battery gives the car a much quicker time to speed, and helps get the turbo-4 off the ground and moving at pace effortlessly. I love the MH in the new C-class. Besides, the car is small and nimble and quite a satisfying drive... And then I get into the larger E which offers comfort and luxury appointments galore... mine came with almost all creature comforts at MSRP ~$82K.

Regarding BMWs, I am at a stage and age of life (early 60s) that I am moving as rapidly away from BMWs as I can. I have had 3 5-ers, and all have suffered similar fates... head gasket issues/oil leak as early at 40K miles, CV boot failures, A/C not working, premature battery failure, several nicks&nacks way too numerous to list... and at this point, I have said my final goodbye. In fact, I donated my last BMW, an F10 to Salvation Army just last month... and I bid it goodbye when the tow truck arrived to pick it up.

Good luck to anyone moving from MB to BMW. That's all I am gonna wish you - luck.

hinckley

I love the last gen 5 (and all the previous gens for that matter). And the M550 is a beast. But I talk about the sport-luxury continuum, and although I love (love, love) the luxury side of life, when it came to put my money down, I always went for a sportier ride. That's what's changed for me. I'm kinda holding my nose and going all in for the most luxurious ride I can find. I've even thrown in the towel on power and decided it just doesn't matter.

But you may be in exactly the opposite place. It sounds like you've opted for more a luxury ride in the past, and something like a BMW may be a great change of pace for you. The ride will absolutely be firmer, but that'll be made up for with much better handling. Is that a good trade-off for you?

And one other thing related to my situation - as I've side before, I still own an M4, so in many respects, I'll have the best of both worlds now.

hinckley

I think the new 5 is great looking in person. Better than in the pics. And BMW has done a great job hiding its size (which is closer to the last-gen 7). But its weight is felt in every turn and that's ruined its traditional sporty ride. And because the new 5 is trying to serve both the ICE and EV worlds, its packaging is for ****. Smaller back seat and smaller trunk in a much bigger car. Finally, BMW is skimping on the luxury side of things (much cheaper materials), whereas Merc is bringing more of the S down to the E. So I've just lost any reason to remain interested in the 5.

There are plenty of wide, straight roads to "let 'er rip." But there's not a curve within 200 miles of where I live. If you're just into zero to sixty, Florida can be great.

I grew up on the North Shore but lived in the Back Bay for the 25 years before moving south.

fju2112

That's a good point. As an everyday driver, to me, not much beats the E-class. I throw it in sport mode and it handles spirited driving pretty well given its heft and purpose. When driving the M550i the other day, it has all the modern gadgets, but I really feel I want to get into a V8 monster engine like that because it'll become harder and harder to do so. Whatever I get, I plan to hang onto for the long haul, as it won't get a ton of miles and will be in the garage every night. I also thought, I need to put some money into my car to get it up to snuff cosmetically, and will need new tires by the fall - before investing all that money, I wanted to be sure there isn't a car out there for me I'd rather own.

The other option is to simply hang onto my daily driver, since I work remotely and only put 5K miles/ year on it, and get something fun down the road as a summer car. Will I be able to find that "something fun" as I define it in a few years, is the question? I'm not a convertible guy but could see myself in a car like the new CLE-coupe. Even that is close enough to an E-class that I may go for something different. We'll see. For now, still pondering on that M550i I drove. It DOES ride a bit rough but that doesn't bother me as much as the idea of damaging wheels and tires on Massachusetts pot holes. My Michelin all seasons and the 19" AMG rims handle them pretty well, but will the low profile BMW run flats on 20" rims do the same - likely not!

fju2112

Nice. I grew up in the northwest 'burbs (think 128 just north of the 93/95 split), went to Boston University for four years, and here I sit in the same area (now just SOUTH of that split) But Florida looks better and better each winter!

hinckley

These things can be a toss of the dice. My many years of owning BMWs have been relatively uneventful. If you ask the guys on the BMW boards, they'll tell you their Merc horror stories and point to the brand's pretty low reliability ratings (much lower rankings than BMW, btw).