5 Series (G60/G61/G68) [Official] The New BMW 5 Series (G60)

[AbsoluteUnit]

I went to the garage just to sit in it, when dad came home from work. Was particularly impressive at night with the cabin lights on and the waterfall light in full force.
Yeah absolutely magical. I have a few favorites but the E39 is my defining moment too. Truly the best car ever made.

My family owned a 528i E39 sedan, and after that a facelift 530d Touring (and before that an E34 525i). And after that an E46 330 Ci cabriolet and 318i Touring. Glorious times. All desirable cars worth maybe more than what you paid for them, particularly now in hindsight.....This whole era was magical for BMW. If they can catch a sliver of that in the future they'll be ok.

I have a similar experience with my Granddad's W124 230E - I was obsessed with the single central extending wiper mechanism. My uncle also had an E39 520i as well, when he had a business.
What an age we lived in.

 

[Rolf]

Ahhh… Seeing these kind of posts makes me sad. I grew up inside an E39. It was simply amazing back in the day. I remember my dad used to go to the garage just to look at it from time to time.

A pitty how the Germans have allowed its prestige to diminish with all this cost cutting. BMW interiors used to have no rival to me back in the day. Now they are just plastic, fake (vegan) leather with a huge tactile screen.

I think for overall abilities the E39 is the best 5-series of all the models. In its day it was judged the best saloon in the world by many journalists from its launch in 1995 to end of production in 2003. It has timeless styling and hasnt aged that much, it still looks relatively modern and it is elegant and sporty in one. Its interior is close to perfection with superb build and material quality and an overall cohesiveness in its design with controls that are ergonomically excellent combined with comfortable seats. Its driving abilities are excellent with a chassis that has a near perfect blend of dynamics and comfort and brilliantly smooth inline 6 engines. The cars NVH levels were rivalling the larger 7-series and S-class models at the time.

 

[klier]

Yeah that wiper was really cool. E39 wiper was great too, because it was recessed and came up a bit when used, which I found just typical German perfection 30 years ago. So much useful actual innovation in those cars back then, instead of the fads we see today.

 

[bmwz4coupe]

A pitty how the Germans have allowed its prestige to diminish with all this cost cutting. BMW interiors used to have no rival to me back in the day. Now they are just plastic, fake (vegan) leather with a huge tactile screen.

Yes, it’s sad too see how BMW is going away from their previous individualism and now following the cheap trends, like removal of buttons, big ugly screens, rectangular steering wheel, no-opening panorama roof, etc. It’s only Porsche left now….

 

[SKY]

Yes, it’s sad too see how BMW is going away from their previous individualisme and now following the cheap trends, like removal of buttons, big ugly screens, rectangular steering wheel. It’s only Porsche left now….

Well, don’t think so. Have you seen the latest Panamera or the 992.2? Cost cuts, screens everywhere, cheap plastic…

 

[bmwz4coupe]

Well, don’t think so. Have you seen the latest Panamera or the 992.2? Cost cuts, screens everywhere, cheap plastic…

Yes, they are all victims of cost cutting, the materials are cheaper also in Porsche’s. But they have smaller and perfectly integrated screens, they keep physical buttons, they keep round steering wheel. They are not blindly following Tesla

 

[Gianclaudio]

The wood however (more specifically, THAT wood) looks absolutely horrible though. Like it's trying to be a Jaguar from the '60s.

I know what you mean...the burl figure (not sure if maple or redwood, actually) hasn't aged well.

I used to love all those crazy figured woods like burl, quilted, etc; back in the day, but now I much prefer straight grained timber. I guess that's one of the reasons why the Scandinavian (and even mid century) furniture design has become timeless

 

[SaltkjelenBMW]

Do you specialize in older or newer models? Do you also sell parts, or only retrofit them?

E39 and newer models. I also sell some parts, but it depends on what you are looking for.

@SKY I 100% agree. What a beautiful era 1995-2015 BMWs.

 

[SCOTT27]

A rare G60. The 550e xDrive.

 

[empower77]

A rare G60. The 550e xDrive.

What are the perf #s on this?

 

[Design FIRST]

A rare G60. The 550e xDrive.

Must say that I LOVE that color.

 

[Big Sam]

A pitty how the Germans have allowed its prestige to diminish with all this cost cutting. BMW interiors used to have no rival to me back in the day. Now they are just plastic, fake (vegan) leather with a huge tactile screen.

I've been living with my new i5 eDrive40 M Sport Pro since June, and I have every intention of making a post about it when I get the time, but the level of cost cutting in some areas is absolutely shocking.

Well, don’t think so. Have you seen the latest Panamera or the 992.2? Cost cuts, screens everywhere, cheap plastic…

As an owner of a Taycan also, I really don't get the issues with Porsche build quality. The Taycan has fabric lining the inside of the door pockets, for example. It's a great place to be.

 

[empower77]

I've been living with my new i5 eDrive40 M Sport Pro since June, and I have every intention of making a post about it when I get the time, but the level of cost cutting in some areas is absolutely shocking.



As an owner of a Taycan also, I really don't get the issues with Porsche build quality. The Taycan has fabric lining the inside of the door pockets, for example. It's a great place to be.

Which do you prefer? I understand that they do not necessarily compete (size wise at least) but which one do you veer towards when you just want to drive?

 

[SCOTT27]

What are the perf #s on this?

 

[SCOTT27]

Must say that I LOVE that color.

San Remo Green.

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

A rare G60. The 550e xDrive.

Been awhile since I've seen a G60 where I go "not bad."

 

[Big Sam]

Which do you prefer? I understand that they do not necessarily compete (size wise at least) but which one do you veer towards when you just want to drive?

The Porsche is head and shoulders above the BMW in pretty much every area, but then that isn't a surprise, and nor is it a failure on the part of the BMW. After all, the i5 is half the price of the Taycan GTS Sport Turismo.

Size-wise, there isn't much difference either. The Taycan actually has more luggage space than the i5. The boot in the i5 is slightly bigger than the Taycan's, but the Taycan has the useful front boot also. The i5 has more space in the rear seats, but I only have small children so that's not an issue in the Taycan.

The i5 really excels in its comfortable drive when not pushing on. It's just a great way to waft around. That's what I like about it. Quality-wise the interior is truly awful.

The i5 is more efficient than the Taycan, and interestingly, after I did one of my consumption tests last week, the slower charging speed compared to the Taycan (205 kW max versus 270 kW max) is made up by the fact it's more efficient, and my test showed that the i5 over a long journey is actually quicker than the Taycan. I will start a new consumption thread soon too. I wanted to build up enough data from the start, but now I have five cars done in my new and improved test route. I tested the Audi A3 sedan on it last week.

The Taycan is just superb, though. I'd have that over my R8 V10.

 

[SKY]

I've been living with my new i5 eDrive40 M Sport Pro since June, and I have every intention of making a post about it when I get the time, but the level of cost cutting in some areas is absolutely shocking.

As an owner of a Taycan also, I really don't get the issues with Porsche build quality. The Taycan has fabric lining the inside of the door pockets, for example. It's a great place to be.

Very curious to read about the G60. When I was inside one it did not seem dramatic. But surely a long-term review is way more valid.

Regarding Porsche, my point was that, if you look at the pre-FL versions of the Panamera and 911 seemed to have better details. That does not mean the current versions have a poor interior. Just worse than the preceeding ones.

 

[Big Sam]

Very curious to read about the G60. When I was inside one it did not seem dramatic. But surely a long-term review is way more valid.

I mean, it doesn't even have kick plates on the door sills. The seat belts rattle against the plastic on the B-pillar. The charging socket doesn't even have anywhere to put the cover for the CCS openings, so it just dangles there in the wind. I'm not even fussy when it comes to interiors, but what makes it really noticeable is that it stands out compared to my previous BMWs.

 

[SKY]

I mean, it doesn't even have kick plates on the door sills. The seat belts rattle against the plastic on the B-pillar. The charging socket doesn't even have anywhere to put the cover for the CCS openings, so it just dangles there in the wind. I'm not even fussy when it comes to interiors, but what makes it really noticeable is that it stands out compared to my previous BMWs.

Well, certainly. Cause for sure the G30 5er was an example of well crafted interior. And I believe F10 was too back in the day.

Are you familiar with those? Just to read your views about how the G60 compares.