Test drove e60 today, my thoughts...

mohan · 23rd May 2005, 22:24

Hi all, got to test drive the e60 today,

for about 30-40 minutes, mainly motorway and A roads. Now I have read most articles about it in car, autocar, bmw car, evo and bmw magazine, and threads on this forum, so maybe my expectations were too high, but though impressed, I wasn’t overwhelmed. Maybe this was more due to the fact that being on paternity leave, I have been driving the e39 daily, and using all 400hp. Maybe the articles have been written by people who don’t have an e39 to compare…

Yes, the e60 is fast, very fast… the speed with which the tacho needle

whizzes to the red line is amazing, the smoothness of the engine near it’s red line is unbelievable, the acceleration after 100mph is phenomenal,

the steering is weighted beautifully, and the small chunky steering wheel is great to hold, I even thought edc on sport was okay (except on one road) but…

the engine noise within the car is no more soul stirring then the V8, in fact, you don’t hear it that much with the windows closed…

p400 = limp mode, it really does feel slow in this mode, and figures for the car in p400 are 5.4ish for 0-60, 18.8ish for 0-125mph… I started the test drive in this mode and the lack of umph really showed… why have it at all I say…

I know we had a lot of discussion about torque when engine details and stats first came out, I know what the curves look like, but ‘torque at the wheel’ in the e60 is poor even in p500 mode… throttle response results from the fact the engine spins so freely around the dial into the zone… and I think this is the biggest let down for me…. With the e39, acceleration begins with an urge, you get thrown, it scares kids..

I know, I make mine cry often enough,,,, but with the e60, there is no umph, it’s smooth acceleration, you look at the speedo to scare yourself, you do not feel the speed…. Even the dealer with me felt the same…

SMG – great gizmo, as a gizmo, but the only way to have a smooth change is to lift slightly before changing… manual please… and I think the gearing and transmission are affecting the torque at the wheel also…

DO NOT spec the M multifunction front seats… they poke you in the side very unnecessarily, even with the least setting with a gentle curve, save your pennies… the seats are supportive enough…

To conclude, has this test drive made me want an e60 asap, no, I’m happy to wait til it’s a second hand bargain, in fact, it has made me more content with my e39…. Which by the way IMHO looks better .. I parked both side by side… e60 looks modern, but e39 looks better.... names still on the list though!!

Gustav · 23rd May 2005, 22:33

Wow, itnerestimg thoughts. Very different

Did you try it in P500S with S6 mode with DSC off? With "BANG" when changing gears?

mohan · 23rd May 2005, 22:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gustav

Wow, itnerestimg thoughts. Very different

Did you try it in P500S with S6 mode with DSC off? With "BANG" when changing gears?

Hi Gustav, i started the test in the morning having fun in the e39, so i could get a direct comparison, and i think thats why my thoughts seem different... it's like having a hot wife and good s*x, the e60 is like a super-model, and well, in bed it's good but not mind-blowing!!!!!

i started the e60 in p400, comfort edc, and auto SMG S5, then went to manual change when it really didn't pull as i wanted joining the motorway and changed too early... then i engaged edc in sport, and drove over cats eyes on the motorway diliberately... felt okay... then i engaged p500 mode, edc sport, manual SMG S1, playing through to fastest mode s6... i played with the gear modes, and not ever having driven SMG hit the red line once to often.... no clunks, mates e46 m3 has clunked more... maybe should have used lever and not paddles... dealer told me to lift during changes and it made a huge difference...

never disengaged DSC..

though i did notice that DSC light only came on twice during the whole test... and i did keep going around roundabouts again and again to find limits of traction (dealer must have thought i was nuts first time i did it).. this i am sure reflected the fact that when i was turning vigoursly, revs were too low and hence torque to induce wheel spin, and the fact that the chassis is very good also...

don't get me wrong, the e60 is one heck of a car, and i hope to own an m5 (or m6) one day, but i do not think it makes the e39 any less special a car than we all know it is... the torque think really is an issue in my opinion...

Gustav · 23rd May 2005, 23:00

Then you never tried S6. Drive it one more time

mohan · 23rd May 2005, 23:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gustav

Then you never tried S6. Drive it one more time

thanks, i am back there for work on the e39 wednesday, i'll drive it again then

edc sport, p500, SMG manual s6 right, dsc off??? anything alse i need to set??

MRichmond · 23rd May 2005, 23:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by mohan

SMG – great gizmo, as a gizmo, but the only way to have a smooth change is to lift slightly before changing… manual please…

I don't get it. You mean you don't lift off the gas while changing gears using a traditional manual transmission? I'm quite sure that is not the way to smooth shifts.

mohan · 23rd May 2005, 23:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRichmond

I don't get it. You mean you don't lift off the gas while changing gears using a traditional manual transmission? I'm quite sure that is not the way to smooth shifts.

if you keep your foot hard on the gas and change, it is not smooth... if you lift off the gas slightly as you flick the paddles... remember the shift is so fast you have to lift as it changes, then go back hard on gas, it shifts smoothly. tiff did the same in fifth gear tonight!!!!!!!!!!! it's a very quick lift.

Mardeth · 24th May 2005, 09:45

Yea, I dont get it either. Why does having to lift off the gas while changing gears make the SMG bad? Youll have to do the same for the manual and much more...

JohnH · 24th May 2005, 10:27

Standard practice if you have driven SMG before is to use some of your driving skills to make the shifts as smooth as possible by slightly lifting off the loud pedal when you change gear. Alternatively if you want the full on experience then just keep your foot full to the floor and get the full brutal change.

Remember guys this is not an automatic gearbox and you cant treat it like one and I think it is great that the driver can still have some input with SMG regarding the smoothness of the changes. To master it fully takes time and once to have got used to it you will not want a manual again. This is part of the problem when the press test drive an SMG car they never get the chance to learn the nuances and so always come out of the experience preferring manual.

EKAN · 24th May 2005, 11:21

Hi Mohan,

Thanks for the write up, I agree with most of what you write except
for your experience of SMG which I think is amazing!

But as I have wrote before, I do not like the "automatic" mode which is too jerky and in some strange way reduces the torque.

Looking forward to your opinion after testing the S6 mode. And do not wait,
buy one and enjoy beeing one of the first out there before it gets mainstream...