Ownership Verified: Dino got a big black one

Dino

aka Dins
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
1,845
Location
Zurich
Car(s)
Porsche Boxster S / Audi A4 Avant
Out with the old, in with the new.

Last Friday I took delivery of my 2013 BMW 530d in carbonblack metallic, with just over 8.000kms on the clock.
Pictures first, I suppose:

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Pictures were taken on the way back from Paris, so sorry for the lacking quality. I'll get better ones at some point.

The options list is fairly long, so here is some of the more important stuff:
-Black leather interior
-Comfort seats with heating
-M sport pack with 19" M351 alloys
-Sunroof
-8-speed ZF sport automatic with wheel mounted paddles
-Professional navigation with bluetooth and smartphone music streaming
-Headup display
-4-wheel steering
-BMW Connected Drive
-Innovationpack with adaptive Xenon headlights and cooler instrument panel

I can post the full options list if anyone is really that interested.

Overall, it is a much, much better car than the previous one.
The color is lovely, being black with a hint of dark blue in the sun.
The wheels work a lot better than the 18' ones and finally look proper with a car this large.
The improved driveline with the new 3 liter engine (190kw / 580Nm) and automatic takes the refinement to a whole new level. It's very quick, effortless at speed and has less vibration with 2 additional cylinders.
The 4-wheel steering reduces the turning circle by half a meter and makes the car feel a bit smaller in town and more stable on the Autobahn.
The headup display has become one of my favourite things, displaying speed, speed limit and navigation, meaning you never look anywhere other than straight ahead.
I was never a big leather fan, but the interior feels much more expensive, even if black on black looks a little dark at times.

It is very much a touring car, when thrown around it feels fairly large and heavy, not that enjoyable really. But since I spend most of my time on the Autobahn, it is a great companion.

Put simply, it now feels like a 5 series should: modern, luxurious, comfortable, with a hint of sport.
 
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I didn't know the F10 was available with four-wheel steering. Cool.

And automatic is always the way to go with diesel. What's the difference between a sport automatic and a "normal" 8 speed btw? Software?
 
530d. Nice one. Probably the best engine to go with that car (short of the M5, of course).
 
The only thing better than a 30d in a 5 series is a 35d or 50d. :p

Altough I wouldn't say no to a 535i either.
 
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I didn't know the F10 was available with four-wheel steering. Cool.

And automatic is always the way to go with diesel. What's the difference between a sport automatic and a "normal" 8 speed btw? Software?

As far as I can tell it adds the paddles on the wheel and the Sport+ option with even more anger during shifts. Difference is around 250? I think. Sort of a why not option.
 
Yeah, I'd want paddles for sure. Fiddling with the gear shifter just feels awkward.
 
Since I'm super lucky with my cars, I already got to replace two almost new tires.

After a 400km Autobahn drive to and from a business meeting, hitting 250km/h, the tire pressure lights came on in town, a couple kms from home.
Since the previous car gave me the same message once erroneously, I drove for another 10kms to the next gas station. Since the tires are run-flats, I wasn't too worried and the car felt just fine.
Looked at the tires, all good. Tested the pressure just in case, and of course the last tire I check has 0 pressure. Leave the car at the gas station, call a taxi and go home feeling awesome.
BMW picks the car up next morning. They call me up and tell me I have not one, but two tires with a nail in it. Front left and back right. Great.
Luckily the difference between the tires on each axle was small enough to only warrant 2 tires, not a full set. They also had the correct tires on hand, so I was on the road again pretty quickly.

That left me with a happy feeling and an 850? bill. And asymmetrically worn tires on each axle, which I find really annoying :D

Other than that, the 530d has been excellent so far, returning a solid average of 7l/100kms during normal driving, with a low of 6l/100kms if I go grandfather style.
 
Aren't the tyres the same size front and back? You could have put the fresh rubber on the back. :burnrubber:

Also, I must be terribly lucky to only have a blowout happen once and even that completely expected since a front arm snapped and jammed itself into the tyre. o_O
 
No, they are staggered. 245/40 R19 up front and 275/35 R19 on the rear.

At least it didn't happen while going flat out.
 
Said no manual driver ever.
No. Pointless is the word there, not awkward. :lol:

But picking gears with a tiptronic shifter hasn't ever felt right to me. An unnecessarily big lever that isn't linked to the actual gearchange in any way. Paddles fit much better, imo.
 
There's no real point to the paddles. I use them once in a while for kicks, but the engine has enough power at any point and the transmission is usually in the right gear.

Still better than using the tiptronic shifter.
 
Still better than using the tiptronic shifter.

Exactly. :) If I don't get to move my own cogs, why bother with the lever when you can have switches conveniently placed on the steering wheel?

And bigger and more torque-y an engine is, the less you need to shift it manually. Usually. :)
 
I always felt the tiptronic shift was weird. Don't know why, just never liked the idea of it. In any car. The paddles don't do anything different, they just feel much cooler and more natural to use.

Had a chance to throw the car around some actual corners at interesting speeds. No matter how you see it, especially in comparison to, say, an M3, it's a big, comfy couch. There is no question. A big and heavy cruiser couch.
But it's amazing how the feel changes when you put it in sport mode and apply some force. It shrinks, feels light on its feet and really quick. All the controls are effortless and efficient.

It has a big split personality that's good for a surprise.

Also, I have to say it again, that drivetrain is awesome. Quiet, frugal and absolutely hassle free on the morning commute, makes-the-girlfriend-yell-and-scream-at-me fast with the push of a button. It's so refined no matter what you do with it. The 520d with the manual was a god damn tractor in comparison.
 
Had a little 5er meet with Joe (loose_unit) and Tim (timbit).

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