5 Series (E60/E61) Goodbye E60 (2003-2009)

[DFresh23]

^
I agree so much.

When the e60 first came out I HATED IT. However, the looks grew on me over time. I almost feel like the e60 was a few years ahead of its time when it came out. There is something about the e60 that makes me when seeing it in motion. I also came to realize that pictures do the car no justice.

 

[K-A]

I've driven an 08 many times. Interior quality and refinement leaves a lot to be desired IMO, but the car drives and handles great, very solid and vault-like IMO.

 

[ree]

Just to complete the list of 5-series models…

…you even offered sporty activity in winter times and make people buy xdrive who live in the alps…









…and for those who fears their life - you also had a solution called Security…





…and just because I will definitely miss you, some Good Bye pictures.







and my absolutely favourite two of you:





Maybe, I wil be able to drive you in few years…although I love your older brother E39 more and your beautiful competitor the W211, you was innovative and a probably you couldn't buy more BMW in the last years…

I really hope, that we will not forget you when the new F10 will launch…

 

[PanterroR]

I really hope, that we will not forget you when the new F10 will launch…

This car does not deserve to be forgotten ever!

I'm so happy i'll continue to drive it...

 

[ree]

This car does not deserve to be forgotten ever!

I'm so happy i'll continue to drive it...

You will? Thought you sold your 535d?!

 

[PanterroR]

Yes i did, but...

 

[ree]

Yes i did, but...

So you get a new one…or you steal your dad's 550i

 

[PanterroR]

So you get a new one…or you steal your dad's 550i

No, my friend, i'm not stealing aynthing...

 

[klier]

Could this be your new car

 

[PanterroR]

Could? No, it is...

 

[Makini]

I always loved the 5 series and would pick it over the E-Class every time. Then the E60 happened. Suddently I fell for the W211. Or was the W211 gorgeous in its own right? I think Merc just happened to design one of the best looking E class models just as BMW dropped the ball with the E60. The A6 has always been a stunning design so I guess BMW could only look to the supa ugly, supa nasty Jag S-type for consolation. No one in their right mind could design something so appaling...

 

[530N52]

E60 is in a class of it's own. BMW was ahead of thier time with this design.

It is an animal.

 

[EMpower]

Nice thread. So when does the production on E60 officially stops?

 

[klier]

It already has.

 

[Anisc]

I love this post and the pertinence of this topic. I remember when the E60 came out. Yes, it got a lot of criticism for what it was, I remember Clarkson running it to the ground and Bangle being the scapegoat of it all....did it matter?...no! BMW sold more of this particular 5 series than before and laughed their way to the bank.

I think the E60 is one of the greats. It doesn't matter whether it was the "perfect" BMW or not, it does not matter whether it lived up to the good and dependable E39. It was evolution for BMW and a radical one at that.

In my BMW book it will rank up with the 328 and the M1 and all the models which have made a difference. I am sure the F10 (staid as it is) will sell a lot..however having the "oomph factor," it certainly does not.

To me that matters.

 

[MBhmjs220]

I'm giving you a standing ovation Kowalski.

lol me too! awesome thread! good job.
as a mb fan i have to admit that the E60 was and still beautiful even when compared to W212(imo), the W211 didn't do it for me at that time . the E60 is one of my favorite and it wont be forgotten.

 

[K-A]

The E60's I see these days are looking so dated, which is very common for a car with such a trendy (in fairness "trend setting"), overly in your face and head-scratching design. It's mostly the over designed headlights and front end, however I can appreciate the relative artistic element of it I guess, in a way, however it's the REAR of it, with that hideous trunk shutline that really send it over the edge.

In a few years this car will look so "dated" it'll hurt, it's the antithesis of timeless.

I say, E60, buh-by, and don't let the door hit you on the arse.

For the record, I drove an E60 for quite a while. It certainly has its good points, but design isn't one of them IMO.

I'm finally happy to have "my" version (the OG version) of BMW back with the F10 (and F01).

Also, for all who are saying the F10 is more boring, true it isn't as controversial, true it is more elegant, easy on the eyes, and timeless, true it isn't as challenging, however when you see the two together side-by-side, it looks far more interesting than the E60.

 

[Osnabrueck]

To my eyeballs - E60s with large wheels look good as ever, and E60s with small wheels look awkward and wrong... like they're running on a set of spares or something.

It's fair to throw barbs at the E60 as a very unbalanced composition. The new-gen BMWs aren't dependent upon wheel-size pyrotechnics to complete the look.

An 10 year old 525i still looks respectable, so long that it's in good condition. I don't think we can say the same about a '05 528i. Still, I give huge marks to the 5er for introducing surface entertainment - both great and not so great - to the design conversation.

 

[K-A]

Good points. Being in good or bad condition is usually what really makes or breaks an old design.

However yeah, an E39 has really stood the test of time, it's looking far more soothing to see than a W210, which by the way I really like, but that's the "M-B enthusiast" side of me speaking.

Some aged designs we can appreciate as enthusiasts, and some, in the "grand-scheme" of things, just reek of non-timeless designing, which IMO the E60 is all about.

It they didn't just have dame horrid trunk shutline, I would probably not be as cruel toward the car. However again, I can't say that's my only beef with the design.

 

[Osnabrueck]

I agree with you about the bootlid. It creates a horrible diagonal line that your eye really follows in lighter colors - If you see the car from the profile, you follow the slope of the C-pillar down along the trunk's shutline... it looks like the rear of the car was tacked-on. Drives me crazy.

On the other hand, the E60 looks amazing from the rear, interesting from the rear 3/4 with the illusion of a really low front, and always neat from the front... a beauty with many, many flaws.

One note about the "timelessness" of cars. I think our perception of what was great and what wasn't so great is distorted by the fact that old cars... get old. They're exposed to the elements - get dinged, paint fades and plastics yellow. It's very hard to objectively gauge how great older cars really were when most of the examples we see on the street are in poor condition.

When's the E24 or R107 on the road in minty condition? Usually they're just junkers.