5 Series (G30) [Official] BMW 5-Series (G30)

[martinbo]

Yip, I have to admit, I feel exactly the same. Very nice and to my middle-aged tastes but no big breath taker in the tin.

 

[Deleted member 1071]

Alas, it's a bit of a pity regarding the somewhat lacking visual appeal of the G30/31.

I quite vividly recall my enthusiasm when its' F10 predecessor was introduced to the public at dealerships in early 2010. An excitingly gorgeous automobile. Of course, it was not a stylistic evolution of the E60.

 

[Mick Briesgau]

Alas, it's a bit of a pity regarding the somewhat lacking visual appeal of the G30/31.

I don't know about you, Jimmy, but I've seen several G30 and everytime I find it's hard to determinate it as the new 5er. On the Autobahn I can only see it, if it's not further away than say 30 metres. Imagine how difficult it must be for the average Joe?

 

[slicknick]

I quite vividly recall my enthusiasm when its' F10 predecessor was introduced to the public at dealerships in early 2010. An excitingly gorgeous automobile.

Interesting...While I absolutely loved the styling when it first came out, the honeymoon period of the F10's looks for my eyes was relatively short-lived...After about 5 years, I have to admit, I even started to find it dated and boring, and looked forward to a replacement. (Ok, now come at me y'all, let the rotten tomatoes rain on me )

 

[klier]

I don't know about you, Jimmy, but I've seen several G30 and everytime I find it's hard to determinate it as the new 5er. On the Autobahn I can only see it, if it's not further away than say 30 metres. Imagine how difficult it must be for the average Joe?

How on earth do you keep the MB sedans apart if I may ask?

Also, you are not the average Joe. You are a regular member of a forum that posts 200 pics of the G30 a day, courtesy of Ali. And you are telling us that you can't keep a 7er and 5er apart?

And I personally think the G30 looks even better IRL than in pics. It's just royal looking on the roads. Supreme and smooth. New gen and fresh. Instantly recognizable.

At least @Betty Swollocks was joking....

 

[martinbo]

The MB sedans are much harder to tell apart from each other. The BMW 5er and 7er have much more obvious differentiators from a styling perspective.

 

[Mick Briesgau]

How on earth do you keep the MB sedans apart if I may ask?

Also, you are not the average Joe. You are a regular member of a forum that posts 200 pics of the G30 a day, courtesy of Ali. And you are telling us that you can't keep a 7er and 5er apart?

And I personally think the G30 looks even better IRL than in pics. It's just royal looking on the roads. Supreme and smooth. New gen and fresh. Instantly recognizable.

At least @Betty Swollocks was joking....

I'm not talking about Mercedes-Benz, I'm talking about BMW. That I am not average Joe is exactly my point.
For the record, the difficulty lies in telling apart from each other the old 5er and the new 5er, especially from the rear. If it drives in front of you, I can honestly hardly tell you immediately if it's G30 or F10. And also for the record, I like the G30, it's a good looking car. So was the F10. Imo it's only a pity the progress in design is so....conservative.

The MB sedans are much harder to tell apart from each other. The BMW 5er and 7er have much more obvious differentiators from a styling perspective.

That's your opinion, not mine.

 

[martinbo]

That's your opinion, not mine.

That's right, everyone's entitled to an opinion - even if yours is strange...

 

[Deleted member 1071]

The MB sedans are much harder to tell apart from each other. The BMW 5er and 7er have much more obvious differentiators from a styling perspective.

Directly from the front and the rear, it is difficult distinguishing the C from the E (and vice versa) Class sedans. Admittedly, BMW sedans are easier to distinguish from one another. My 2 Euro cents, at least.

However, it is also difficult telling the F10 and G30 apart from each other. I certainly takes a keener eye for someone who is not overly passionate about automobiles.

 

[hovabongZA]

The MB sedans are much harder to tell apart from each other. The BMW 5er and 7er have much more obvious differentiators from a styling perspective.

Truer words have not been spoken.

Must say I've had to use restraint, not disagree with some posts , but then again looks are very subjective. To each their own.

Having seen the new 5 series on a couple of occasions now . I have to , not only agree with Autocar when they said its better looking than Jaguar but that it's the best looking sedan in its class inside and outside.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

I saw one today for the first time! The exterior was very much 'meh'. I had difficulty spotting it in the dealership. Despite being an absolutely loaded example of a 530d, which the the dealer ticked absolutely every option box from exterior to interior, exterior wise it made no great impression on me just like the E-class didn't. Maybe like the E it's one of those designs you have to appreciate over time and see it in motion. But first impressions where very underwhelming which is a disappointing given it looked so appealing in photos. I found the double shoulder line detailing and how the top crease wraps up the c pillar a bit silly and unnecessary to be honest, like they were trying too hard as Mercedes was back in 2010. The front was neither imposing, nor sporty, nor overly pretty. It was very middle of the road in my opinion. Maybe that's how this market wants it and that's why both the 5 and E are a bit ho hum. After the 5 I actually appreciated the 7 a lot more.

The interior on the other hand I adored in the car I saw. I won't comment on finish, because as I mentioned the example I saw had absolutely everything thrown at it including self closing doors. Is that even available on an E?!? But it was in a light beige/almost white nappa leather which I am a HUGE sucker for. I haven't sat in an E class this highly specified in terms of finish, but to me it felt better put together than the E. While the doors did sound hollow when you knocked on them they closed with a hearty thunk and nothing creaked, crackled or groaned when pressed and prodded. It all felt substantial and solid to the touch. Whether or not the snaps and crackles appear as the Kms tick over in our heat is another story. But I think I would most likely pick it over the E interior. It's style and general feel was much more me and it's user friendliness seemed thoroughly resolved and well thought out. The technical sheen from the climate control interface to the dials, to the idrive interface etc was hugely impressive. Finally BMW have moved the interior game on enough to notice. I did spot a few nasty cost cutting elements but overall I found it stellar.

On a final point which is very much in the 5s favor, whereas you might mistake a 5 for a 7 or a 7 for a 5, you mistake an E for a C, definitely not an S. This works for the S and 5, not so much for the E and 7!

 

[W201]

Soft close doors are available on the E Class as well (and on the Coupe).

 

[m-power]

I have noticed that there are two versions of the HVAC system in the G30 - one with touch panel and high definition screen ala the 7 series and the other with physical buttons and low resolution screen.
All the G30s I have seen at the BMW dealers in the US are with the physical buttons
What is the difference between the systems except for the interface and what do you need in order to get the fancier one, since it looks so much better??

Touch screen version

Low res, physical buttons version

 

[Mick Briesgau]

I have noticed that there are two versions of the HVAC system in the G30 - one with touch panel and high definition screen ala the 7 series and the other with physical buttons and low resolution screen.
All the G30s I have seen at the BMW dealers in the US are with the physical buttons
What is the difference between the systems except for the interface and what do you need in order to get the fancier one, since it looks so much better??

Touch screen version

Low res, physical buttons version

4 way airconditioning to get the fancier one.

 

[hovabongZA]

I don't know why I'm only thinking about this now the G30's interior is not an exception. The F10 did the same to the W212.

Just look at the E39's interior compared to the W210? The 5er has always had the edge over the E class's interior.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Now that's reaching mate. The style of the new E interior is undeniable. Which one prefers is now simply a matter of taste.

 

[Rolf]

I was at my local BMW dealer yesterday and saw two versions of the new G30 one was a luxury line 530d and the other was a M-sport 540i. The 530d was parked outside next to the previous F10 with a F30 3-series parked in the opposite parking bay. The new front light styling makes the new 5 seem wider and more imposing than the F10 but in my opinion the previous model seems more elegant with its simpler details and front light design. At first glance the new 5-series could be a 7-series from the front but you do notice the slight differences in the front light shape even from some angles it has 3-series in it. At the rear the new model lights are quite large, I don't know why but I am not sure if I like them, the lights on the 7-series and 3- series look better in my opinion as they slimmer and smaller. Even the back lights of the F10 look better.

The luxury line version with muliple spoke wheels looks quite elegant and looks better from the back with the standard bumper and round exhaust tips than the M-sport version which has too much black plastic on the lower back bumper and the squared off tailpipes don't look as great as the round pipes. The M-sport front looks great with the enlarged lower air intakes, much more aggressive looking.

I sat inside the M-sport 540i, it was a diamond white colour with black leather interior with some white pattern squares on the seats. The seats are supremely comfortable front and back. Plenty of space in front more than enough width but although headroom is not great in the back for tall people and legroom is good.

Before I sat in the 5-series I managed to sit inside a G11 750iL and also a M-sport 320d to compare. In terms of build and material quality the 5-series is in the middle for sure although tending to lean more to the 7-series but I reckon the next G20 3-series will be more like the 5 inside so then the 5 will need to be upgraded.

The 5 shared the same kind of cockpit and center console design as the 7 but it's more driver focused and the 7 has better quality switch gear and materials used for the HVAC surrounds. The 5 had some shiny piano finished plastic around the HVAC and radio controls and vents as well as between the gear lever and rhis will collect scratches and dirt and fingerprints very easily and cheapens the interior in my opinion. The door grab handles also didn't feel that perfect as they covered in hard plastic on one half and leather on other half. The top dash and doors had fantastic feeling real rippled aluminium trim which looked really classy. The I-drive screen has great clarity and graphics but the 7 series has a better looking screen surround.

One thing I don't like is the digital instruments, maybe cause they had some peal off plastic covering it made the instruments look really cheap and the graphics at start up didn't look clear and realistic like proper analogue gauges, maybe it's also cause they use a bright orange colour for the needle surrounds.

I like the new 5 series but am not blown away by it. The styling is a bit too safe in my opinion it looks too similar to the 7 series from some angles at the front but overall it is a really good car that will be appreciated and loved by most people.

Next week I will also go and visit a Mercedes dealer to give my opinion and review of the E-class as I have only seen it a few times on the road and want to sit inside and examine it in detail.

 

[Rolf]

I don't know why I'm only thinking about this now the G30's interior is not an exception. The F10 did the same to the W212.

Just look at the E39's interior compared to the W210? The 5er has always had the edge over the E class's interior.

I agree about the W210 been inferior to the E39 inside but it was way inferior to the W124 also. I have friends that owned a E34 as well as W124 and evaluating each car you realize that the E34 was not built as well as the W124 its center console, top dash and door panels use inferior materials. The problem with E34 was the top dash would crack over a number of years while W124 always stayed fresh looking. Although E39 was a huge leap forward compared to E34 it still did not have the solidity of the W124. The W210 is the worst Mercedes model in many years for interior quality; I actually don't like them at all as they also very unrealiable with loads of electrical problems.

The F10 been superior to W212 its subjective as both cars have really wonderful build and material quality and nice design touches. The BMW has the better looking infotainment system but the FL W212 changed that slightly with much better graphics. The FL W212 has a really classy looking wood trim and clock. The F10 has nice feel IDrive control and gear lever. Both interiors are great.

Watch this space about my evaluation on the W213 interior.

 

[hovabongZA]

All I was highlighting is that the interior of the 5er being superior to the E class isn't a new thing especially with build quality.

BMW might not be as visually arresting as the competitors interiors but their build quality especially if late is very good. Beginning with the 7 series , X1 and 5 series. While its undeniable that MB have good looking interiors their build quality have tanked and are inferior to the new BMW products or Audi for that matter, only exception being the S class.

 

[Rolf]

You need to sit in the new Mercedes models and compare as well to the latest Audi models. The 3 series is not as well built as the A4 or C-class, nor is the 1-series when compared to A-class and A3, but they are still classy and look great inside no doubt. As for the 5-series having a superior interior to the E-class is subjective as maybe you prefer the layout and look of the BMW but some other people might think the same of the Mercedes. I have yet to sit inside the E-class but I have sat inside both the C-class and the S-class and both cars are built with really great materials, the S-class feels richer inside than the 7-series, the BMW is more technical in its layout and design although it also uses great materials. The C-class has the best design and feeling door panels in the compact class, metal look switches which no rival has, not even a 5-series. Ok that is also subjective if you like black plastic or metallic look switches.

If you go into details with 5-series against E-class and A6 you will find that each car is built more or less on the same level but each car has some unique design touches that make them special and stand out from each other without been superior to each other.