* Based on the reports about the same platform as the '7'..maybe! But 90% of the time, when u look at your car in the morning and when u see others on the road, U gotta tell yourself continuously that its based on the '7', based on the '7'. Its not the 7! BMW has always had its unique image for all its series' and when the drain flow valves are opened for equalization, you can see that the styling automatically becomes a disaster.
* Headlamps are considerably different from the 7 and similar only by a miniscule percentage. They are different. The ones on the 7 are not the best looking too along with its giant ugly grille but the 7 somehow carries it well and you cannot stop staring at it. The LED's are a nice touch but they are far from anything that would grab your attention these days ever since the Audis have hit the roads and nevertheless, some Honda Civics and Innovas with aftermarket LED's all over their vehicle fronts.
* These taillights are only half similar to the 7's with the fat tubes running down the aisle. Otherwise, the 7's taillights are L shaped but with a big bend at the corner which somehow magically accentuates the look tenfold. The F10's taillights are not bad but please stop comparing it to the '7'. It is not the '7'. If the car does not get its stars without being compared to the '7', it is a downer (period)! I am seeing '7' more times in its reviews than '5' itself!
There is truly nothing wrong in bringing down some classy elements from a higher more expensive series but it has effectively destroyed the uniqueness of this series. I still see it as a bigger '3' than a scaled down '7'. It has lot more design cues from the 3 especially from the side. Believe me, time runs fast and it does not take much time for a 100 of these to hit the roads, especially in Hyderabad. I, then, wonder at a signal if a cute looking girl at the wheel of a new Honda Accord would even take a glance. Not even the rims are worth a glance. After, invariably, seeing the larger electronic memo display under the instrument cluster on the 7, this one looked small and not great as per 7's standards. So did the center pedestal housing the gear lever and the iDrive controller. The whole pedestal feels way too large in flesh in the '7'. It was of normal dimensions in the F10. But i guess, comparing it to the 7 would always make it feel smaller and less expensive. Its got to get its market space straight.
I'm sure it will be a pain to operate the iDrive being on the other side of the gear lever when you are alone at the wheel. And what happened to the Temperature adjustment roller for the rear seaters? Anyways,…,
In flesh, i felt cramped around my shoulders at the rear due to the shape. I felt exactly like in my '3'. After opening the doors to step out, the door trims were comparably smaller and more in line with the '3'. Nothing to complain of but i prefer the 3's image to be its own.
The 3's ride quality is very stiff and firm. I, personally, love it. The E60's delivered over the last few months have also gone smooth on their ride quality. They even came with the new generation iDrives. What more to complain and miss! By the way, exceptionally smooth compared to the older rides and i hardly feel the roughness on our typical roads. It still packs the BMW feel when you kick it hard!
All said and done, some new goodies and things like ambient lighting, Lumbar support, 6 DVD changer, suspension settings for different rides etc., are a breath of fresh air. At least the interior is of very high quality and up to BMW's image.
I bought the E60 recently after numerous reviews of the F10 and have been following up the Zurich launch also. Bimmerpost.com had everyone glued to their seats including me. I sure went back to my company mail after the unveil. I thought i should see it in flesh and take my pick and finally caught one in London. I do not remember not smiling every time I look at the E60. One of my best buys alongside the '3'. The Z4, X6 or the M3 next time is not a bad idea!
All in all, your review is very good GTO and the pictures are a boon. A lot of inputs from a lot of variants has only made a khichidi, IMHO, of the '5'. Thank god, its not the worst looking car. No head turner but i guess will be lost in some corner amidst tens of other cars at a busy crossroad at any given time of the day!
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