Has anyone had any experience of these cars by any chance ?

I must say I'm tempted, 255 HP, over 400 ft, 5.7 to 60 and ' 57 MPG '....

I currently own an Alpina D3 MT, and I would miss the Alpina exclusivity, but would I miss it that much with those stats ?!

Any experience/thoughts welcome

 

Well if my current ride is anything to go by then the new 330d should be pretty good. I doubt you'll ever see 57 MPG from it though, you might get 40 if you drive very sensibly

I'm just stunned how good modern diesels are. When I had the Scooby I'd never have thought I'd entertain the idea of buying an oil burner but that was over ten years ago and things have really moved on.

 

Cheers Graz. I take it you rate your 535 ?! That does sound one hell of an engine. I have been advised to look at 335D Xdrives as well....

I hear you the MPG, mid 40's sounds right if they claim 57 MPG

I hear you, when I sold my scooby in 2004, I bought a golf GIT mark 4 TDI 150, it was one of the best diesels out at the time. Then I bought my D3, which was a hugs step on. And now look at them, the stats just get more impressive by the year !

 

Our 335d hasn't put a wheel wrong (?!) in five years. Very quick, not bad on fuel, comfy. I'd say the new 330d hits the sweet spot of performance and mpg; mine is quite thirsty for a derv!

 

I actually love the look of these, they have done well with these and I belive they have had an excellent review, the best 5 series made so far.

Tempted to get an touring myself but Im dubious about finance as I can't afford outright ATM.

Edit-I talking of the 5series here not the 3 series although both good cars but I'd choose the 5

 

I'm not sure how these compare to their big brother. I have a F10 535d MS, 300ish BHP and 0-60 in 5.5 secs.

However large run flat tyres mean the ride is shocking and uncomposed over bumps. Together with inert steering and rubbish brakes this car is without doubt the worst (to drive) I've had in many years.

Hopefully the F30 is better but personally I'd never buy another car with large run flats.

 

My business partner has just collected his (last Friday). Loves it, full of gadgets etc. Says the ride is much better than his old 123d even though it's on 19" Goodyear runflats.
Probably cause it's a new engine and is tight, but he's only getting 30-31mpg out of it.

 

For what I want it to do there was no other car out there that came close. I wanted semi-sensible fuel economy as I do a 40 mile round trip commute, comfort for long journeys, space for all the kids cr*p we have to take on holiday/weekends/etc., and to be fast For motorway cruises it is stunning & just munches up the miles, on A & B roads you can have a bit of fun and for overtaking it is effortless thanks to the relentless acceleration from the twin turbo setup and the automatic box.

I get around 35-37 mpg with a mix of commuting and shorter trips / town driving weekend. On a run it sees nearer 40 mpg. From other reports on the interweb this seems to be pretty normal for this model and is fine for me.

Regarding the run-flats I was dubious at first but IMO they actually don't seem that bad. Apparently the E60 5 series had some tweaks to the suspension during the mid-life update / facelift and mine is one of these. They are firm and you do need to avoid the bigger potholes in the road but aside from that seem okay. You can always change to normal tyres if you really hate them and get a spare wheel kit. The brakes are ok but I think mainly due to the shear size of the car sometimes don't slow you as quickly as you think you should be slowing but press a bit harder and they usually respond. As the 5 series isn't specifically designed for race tracks and back road blasts I'm not that bothered, they are adequate

 

I must say the run flats are a concern. I hear they are better now but I'm still dubious. I'm having an extended test drive soon so I can get a good idea of the ride/handling.

This car has certainly had some great reviews from a lot of different sources.

Thanks for all the input, I'll report back after my test drive !