Bmw 525d

motorguy

TradePro wrote: »

And for anyone that didn't notice, Honest John also has a 'what's bad' page, here's the link (get a nice cup of tea and make yourself comfortable )

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/bmw/5-series-e60-2003/?section=bad

Yes, you're quite right. Everyone should just go and buy a japanese shitbox instead, like an Avensis.

Oh look, it has faults too...

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/toyota/avensis-2003/?section=bad

BugsyBrowne

If you buy a 525d after 6 weeks you'll want a 530d then after 6 weeks with the 530d you'll want a 535d.

motorguy

BugsyBrowne wrote: »

If you buy a 525d after 6 weeks you'll want a 530d then after 6 weeks with the 530d you'll want a 535d.

Then you'll want the 535d remapped to 350BHP, 500lb/ft torque and 0-60 in around 5.5 seconds.

Been there, done that. :beer:

steve-L

BugsyBrowne wrote: »

If you buy a 525d after 6 weeks you'll want a 530d then after 6 weeks with the 530d you'll want a 535d.

Depends on the person...
The 525D is still silky smooth ...
The main question I'd have is the 3L or 2.5L versions..... and why they have discontinued the 2.5... is it just cheaper to have a single engine for 3 models or was the 2.5 dropped in favour of a 'better' engine.. (obviously not just in terms of power)

Personally I found the remapped 330 with 280BHP is quite sufficient but I'm glad I didn't get a 325D instead... or I would have probably felt I wished I had got a 330....

I suffer No real angst over not going for the considerably more expensive 335 .... as the remapped 330 is about the same as a non remapped 335...

motorguy

steve-L wrote: »

Depends on the person...
The 525D is still silky smooth ...
The main question I'd have is the 3L or 2.5L versions..... and why they have discontinued the 2.5... is it just cheaper to have a single engine for 3 models or was the 2.5 dropped in favour of a 'better' engine.. (obviously not just in terms of power)

Personally I found the remapped 330 with 280BHP is quite sufficient but I'm glad I didn't get a 325D instead... or I would have probably felt I wished I had got a 330....

I suffer No real angst over not going for the considerably more expensive 335 .... as the remapped 330 is about the same as a non remapped 335...

BMW have been rationalising their engine range for some time now, and i think it made sense to offer a detuned 3.0 than develop another 2.5. Apparently the six cylinder 525d and 325d have been very popular in their home market - presumably some tax band change at a particular CO output.

The main advantage of a 35d over a 'standard' 30d is the way it picks up on power as theres a smaller turbo that comes in at very low revs and then effectively 'hands over' to a bigger one as the revs increase. I would imagine a lot of the lag (relatively speaking) can be dialled out of a 30d by a good remapper.

I didnt initially set out to buy a 535d, but the way the finance deal worked out i was able to get a 535d for the same deposit and monthly payments as a 530d, because of the higher residual. Also at the time, the 535d came with digital climate as standard, which was maybe a £600 upgrade on the 530d.

I would most likely go for a 520d these days because of the economy and power output that you get (even though it is a 4 pot)

Probably the nicest one is the 530i - i'd an 03 530i SE with sports suspension, proper BMW SE 18's, black leather, NAV, etc. Bought it for buttons - £2600 - made a comfortable £1,000 when it sold, which was nice.

steve-L

motorguy wrote: »

The main advantage of a 35d over a 'standard' 30d is the way it picks up on power as theres a smaller turbo that comes in at very low revs and then effectively 'hands over' to a bigger one as the revs increase. I would imagine a lot of the lag (relatively speaking) can be dialled out of a 30d by a good remapper.

I'd say mostly.... I didn't get the remap myself as I bought the car with a remap so I didn't shop around as much as I would have done. You do notice the turbo lag but for me its not unpleasant... and its consistent and once your in the band it keeps in it.

I would most likely go for a 520d these days because of the economy and power output that you get (even though it is a 4 pot)

Didn't try one... however the 4 pot will need to really be smooth

The main difference for me would be if I had to do a lot of rush hour urban driving. The 330 is economic enough once moving but it does drop drastically in stop-go-stop heavy traffic.

motorguy

steve-L wrote: »

I'd say mostly.... I didn't get the remap myself as I bought the car with a remap so I didn't shop around as much as I would have done. You do notice the turbo lag but for me its not unpleasant... and its consistent and once your in the band it keeps in it.

No its certainly not a massive problem on even a standard 30d, let alone a mapped one.

steve-L wrote: »

Didn't try one... however the 4 pot will need to really be smooth

Its smooth but its no 6 cylinder.

steve-L wrote: »

The main difference for me would be if I had to do a lot of rush hour urban driving. The 330 is economic enough once moving but it does drop drastically in stop-go-stop heavy traffic.

Yes, thats a problem.

Apples2

steve-L wrote: »

The main difference for me would be if I had to do a lot of rush hour urban driving. The 330 is economic enough once moving but it does drop drastically in stop-go-stop heavy traffic.

My best ever in my 530D was 47.8mpg. That was onthe M4 from Bristol to T3 junction for Heathrow.

I will never do that again though, I set off too early in case of traffic but was going to arrive too early, I drove it like an absolute granny feathering the throttle.

Normal Motorways - 39/40mpg
Spirited Motorways - 36mpg
Around town -29mpg

My last 42 Full tanks (15k miles) are charted here

http://www.fuelly.com/driver/chr15gb/530d

Motorways keep a reasonable average but a full tank around town is dismal.

to be fair though, economy isn't why I bought a 3ltr V6.

steve-L

Apples2 wrote: »

My best ever in my 530D was 47.8mpg. That was onthe M4 from Bristol to T3 junction for Heathrow.

I will never do that again though, I set off too early in case of traffic but was going to arrive too early, I drove it like an absolute granny feathering the throttle.

Normal Motorways - 39/40mpg
Spirited Motorways - 36mpg
Around town -29mpg

My last 42 Full tanks (15k miles) are charted here

http://www.fuelly.com/driver/chr15gb/530d

Motorways keep a reasonable average but a full tank around town is dismal.

My best in a remapped 06 plate 330 is
68MPG from Poole to end of M3

I probably get similar spirited motorways but then I differentiate between 'normal' and 'economy'.

I get 50MPG easily and often on a decent motorway/A road run.
I could quite easily get 45 MPG on the same run if I drove less economically.
At least on my car the extra 5MPG is in my hands....

to be fair though, economy isn't why I bought a 3ltr V6.

I sort of do both.....

When I save on my commute I can enjoy the 3L 6 pot at weekends....

Trebor16

steve-L wrote: »

My best in a remapped 06 plate 330 is
68MPG from Poole to end of M3

But that wasn't over a full tank, it was a snapshot in time and doesn't really mean much. What would be of more use is the best average you have managed over a full tank.