Potential 5 series purchase - some questions
Discussion
Hi folks,
I am looking at buying a 5 series and have some questions if you don't mind.
1 - Touring or Saloon? I need to fit a golf bag and a golf trolley (that folds up) into the boot. Will I be able to do this in the saloon or would the Touring estate be the better option? I don't really keep much else in my boot
2 - Pre or Post Facelift - For my budget I am looking mostly at pre facelifts (20MY), but I do note there are some 21MY examples out there that squeeze into my budget or are slightly over. Is the facelift worth the extra cost? As far as I can tell, the biggest differences seem to be headlights/rear lights and a bigger touchscreen? It's between 3-5k more for the facelift give or take.
3 - Reliability/Long Term use - From what I've read the 520d's are pretty reliable, for insurance purposes I'd have to go with this engine, the 30d costs more and it skyrockets my insurance for some stupid reason. Is there any obvious, common issues or things I should be looking out for with the 520d? In terms of long term use - I plan on keeping this for as long as I can really, until at such time in life I maybe need a bigger size, so we are talking 5 years plus, probably doing about 10-12k miles a year, am I likely to face any long term issues?
4 - Spec - All signs point to the 520d M Sport. In terms of spec, I've noticed the adverts don't seem to list everything which is kind of annoying. Will this spec have Car Play, Cruise, electric and heated seats etc all as standard?
I am looking at buying a 5 series and have some questions if you don't mind.
1 - Touring or Saloon? I need to fit a golf bag and a golf trolley (that folds up) into the boot. Will I be able to do this in the saloon or would the Touring estate be the better option? I don't really keep much else in my boot
2 - Pre or Post Facelift - For my budget I am looking mostly at pre facelifts (20MY), but I do note there are some 21MY examples out there that squeeze into my budget or are slightly over. Is the facelift worth the extra cost? As far as I can tell, the biggest differences seem to be headlights/rear lights and a bigger touchscreen? It's between 3-5k more for the facelift give or take.
3 - Reliability/Long Term use - From what I've read the 520d's are pretty reliable, for insurance purposes I'd have to go with this engine, the 30d costs more and it skyrockets my insurance for some stupid reason. Is there any obvious, common issues or things I should be looking out for with the 520d? In terms of long term use - I plan on keeping this for as long as I can really, until at such time in life I maybe need a bigger size, so we are talking 5 years plus, probably doing about 10-12k miles a year, am I likely to face any long term issues?
4 - Spec - All signs point to the 520d M Sport. In terms of spec, I've noticed the adverts don't seem to list everything which is kind of annoying. Will this spec have Car Play, Cruise, electric and heated seats etc all as standard?
I think the biggest change that'll make the most difference to your every day usage is the move from iDrive 6 to iDrive 7. This actually happened in late 2019 and there are about 6 months worth of cars produced before the facelift which have iDrive 7. There were further improvements at the facelift, including the larger screen, but none of these will make as much difference as the jump from iDrive 6 to iDrive 7 in my opinion.
The problem is that these are quite hard to find as many 2020 registered cars were produced in 2019 prior to the change, so you can't assume that any 2020 car will have the newer version.
I think the facelift introduced mild hybrid though, which is nice to have.
The problem is that these are quite hard to find as many 2020 registered cars were produced in 2019 prior to the change, so you can't assume that any 2020 car will have the newer version.
I think the facelift introduced mild hybrid though, which is nice to have.
Fox- said:
I think the biggest change that'll make the most difference to your every day usage is the move from iDrive 6 to iDrive 7. This actually happened in late 2019 and there are about 6 months worth of cars produced before the facelift which have iDrive 7. There were further improvements at the facelift, including the larger screen, but none of these will make as much difference as the jump from iDrive 6 to iDrive 7 in my opinion.
The problem is that these are quite hard to find as many 2020 registered cars were produced in 2019 prior to the change, so you can't assume that any 2020 car will have the newer version.
I think the facelift introduced mild hybrid though, which is nice to have.
520d got Mild hybrid at the same time as ID7. So if it has the ID7 instrument binnacle and is a 20d then it will be mild hybrid.The problem is that these are quite hard to find as many 2020 registered cars were produced in 2019 prior to the change, so you can't assume that any 2020 car will have the newer version.
I think the facelift introduced mild hybrid though, which is nice to have.
The Prefacelift cars were also a weird spec, you had to tick certain packs to get things like reverse camera and folding mirrors, which IMO is essential on a car this size. You often find alot of late prefacelift cars have the M Sport Pro/Plus pack or whatever its called, which gives you Harman kardon, the different wheels etc but will have non folding mirrors and no camera.
The facelifts came with camera, folding mirrors and fully electric seats with lumbar in M Sport form, again missing as standard on the prefacelift.
I had a 2017 520d G31 Touring for 5 years and 70,000 miles.
I'm a golfer, if you don't need the Touring for anything else, I'd just put the trolley in the boot and the bag on the back seat if necessary.
Apart from that, nothing went wrong but I never got the impression that it was rock solid, reliability-wise. I always extended the BMW warranty, mainly to cover all the electrical systems which would occasionally go haywire requiring a reset.
Cruise, electric and heated seats all standard on M-Sport
Look out for the packs, which are handy:
Comfort pack, which adds keyless entry, boot closing, folding mirrors. I think memory seats are in this too (Mine had it)
Visibility pack - upgraded dynamic headlights, high beam assist.
Tech pack - display key, HUD, gesture control
I also had a panoramic roof on the Touring, which was good to have.
For me, only the comfort access and dynamic headlights were essential. Rest was nice-to-have.
The only other thing I'd caution is that, in winter, it was a bugger. The doors would freeze shut when it was frosty due to the design of the seals. Same for the door handles. The only way to get in the car was to pour warm water over the door to melt the ice.
I'm told that Gummi Pfledge on the seals cures this but, frankly, life's too short.
BMW were as helpful as a chocolate teapot on this - they just said they needed it in to look at it when the weather was cold. Of course, their lead time was about 4 weeks and there's no way of predicting when a frost would hit so diagnosis was impossible. They knew the fault, just couldn't be arsed to sort it.
If you get a Touring, make sure the rear wiper works as it should. It took BMW 3 attempts to sort mine.
StrawberryBurst said:
Hi folks,
1 - Touring or Saloon? I need to fit a golf bag and a golf trolley (that folds up) into the boot. Will I be able to do this in the saloon or would the Touring estate be the better option? I don't really keep much else in my boot
Depends on your bag and trolley. I had a fold up trolley and could get both in the boot of the touring. Not sure you'd be able to do that in the saloon.1 - Touring or Saloon? I need to fit a golf bag and a golf trolley (that folds up) into the boot. Will I be able to do this in the saloon or would the Touring estate be the better option? I don't really keep much else in my boot
I'm a golfer, if you don't need the Touring for anything else, I'd just put the trolley in the boot and the bag on the back seat if necessary.
StrawberryBurst said:
2 - Pre or Post Facelift - For my budget I am looking mostly at pre facelifts (20MY), but I do note there are some 21MY examples out there that squeeze into my budget or are slightly over. Is the facelift worth the extra cost? As far as I can tell, the biggest differences seem to be headlights/rear lights and a bigger touchscreen? It's between 3-5k more for the facelift give or take.
Post 21 gets you a different set of instruments, headlights/rear lights and updated iDrive IIRC. It's a nice to have, rather than essential IMOStrawberryBurst said:
3 - Reliability/Long Term use - From what I've read the 520d's are pretty reliable, for insurance purposes I'd have to go with this engine, the 30d costs more and it skyrockets my insurance for some stupid reason. Is there any obvious, common issues or things I should be looking out for with the 520d? In terms of long term use - I plan on keeping this for as long as I can really, until at such time in life I maybe need a bigger size, so we are talking 5 years plus, probably doing about 10-12k miles a year, am I likely to face any long term issues?
Make sure the EGR valve recall(s) has been done. Mine went through about 3 recalls for this IIRC. Apart from that, nothing went wrong but I never got the impression that it was rock solid, reliability-wise. I always extended the BMW warranty, mainly to cover all the electrical systems which would occasionally go haywire requiring a reset.
StrawberryBurst said:
4 - Spec - All signs point to the 520d M Sport. In terms of spec, I've noticed the adverts don't seem to list everything which is kind of annoying. Will this spec have Car Play, Cruise, electric and heated seats etc all as standard?
Car Play is only standard after the facelift, I think.Cruise, electric and heated seats all standard on M-Sport
Look out for the packs, which are handy:
Comfort pack, which adds keyless entry, boot closing, folding mirrors. I think memory seats are in this too (Mine had it)
Visibility pack - upgraded dynamic headlights, high beam assist.
Tech pack - display key, HUD, gesture control
I also had a panoramic roof on the Touring, which was good to have.
For me, only the comfort access and dynamic headlights were essential. Rest was nice-to-have.
The only other thing I'd caution is that, in winter, it was a bugger. The doors would freeze shut when it was frosty due to the design of the seals. Same for the door handles. The only way to get in the car was to pour warm water over the door to melt the ice.
I'm told that Gummi Pfledge on the seals cures this but, frankly, life's too short.
BMW were as helpful as a chocolate teapot on this - they just said they needed it in to look at it when the weather was cold. Of course, their lead time was about 4 weeks and there's no way of predicting when a frost would hit so diagnosis was impossible. They knew the fault, just couldn't be arsed to sort it.
If you get a Touring, make sure the rear wiper works as it should. It took BMW 3 attempts to sort mine.
I've had a G31 530d for just over a year now. Mine is very late pre-LCI. My budget allowed for this, or an early LCI but 520d. I decided I'd prefer the 30 over the LCI look.
Mine is one of those weird late versions - has ID7, HK but doesn't have folding mirrors or reverse camera.
I actually just bought the retrofit kit for the reverse camera (about £150).
I had android auto enabled in coded everything else on bimmercode.
Reliability has been fine, thankfully. Had the external temperature sensor fail (very common), but very easy to replace.
B57 is great, quiet and refined with pretty much effortless for normal driving and I had an F31 330d before it, mapped. Never felt the need to in the G31, it's different type of drive compared to the F31. You can feel the weight, but the size shrinks around you - although by objective measurement it is a big car.
Mine is one of those weird late versions - has ID7, HK but doesn't have folding mirrors or reverse camera.
I actually just bought the retrofit kit for the reverse camera (about £150).
I had android auto enabled in coded everything else on bimmercode.
Reliability has been fine, thankfully. Had the external temperature sensor fail (very common), but very easy to replace.
B57 is great, quiet and refined with pretty much effortless for normal driving and I had an F31 330d before it, mapped. Never felt the need to in the G31, it's different type of drive compared to the F31. You can feel the weight, but the size shrinks around you - although by objective measurement it is a big car.
Edited by Stillstand on Friday 16th August 17:03
My 2018 G30 520d
The clubs fit in fine on the diagonal but are a tight fit straight. If it's just clubs you need in the back not a problem. Clubs, pram, shopping etc. bit of a faff.
Recently did a 442 mile round trip which was faultless and it's a joy to drive but it is bloody big which can be a pain for parking. It sits well at 80 on the motorway and returns 50-60mpg according to the trip computer.
I always wanted a 5 series and it's a nice place to be but I'm regretting not getting it in Msport as aesthetically they just look better.
The clubs fit in fine on the diagonal but are a tight fit straight. If it's just clubs you need in the back not a problem. Clubs, pram, shopping etc. bit of a faff.
Recently did a 442 mile round trip which was faultless and it's a joy to drive but it is bloody big which can be a pain for parking. It sits well at 80 on the motorway and returns 50-60mpg according to the trip computer.
I always wanted a 5 series and it's a nice place to be but I'm regretting not getting it in Msport as aesthetically they just look better.
I have a December '21 530e touring
I prefer 'estates/ hatch backs' to saloons (look better, more practical and useful for the odd occasions you need to carry mountain bike, pram, move kids into and out of university etc). The separate opening glass hatch means you dent get teh normal downside of having to fully open the tailgate to get stuff in and out.
Mines a M Sport plus, and also comes with adaptive suspension, which means it is one of the best riding most comfortable cars i'v ever been in.
Plus a few bits such as blue callipers , M sport belts and a fancy steering wheel.
After decades of diesels I went hybrid, although I tend to use it on petrol only, the xtra power boost function is useful (280 bhp for about 10 seconds), and the fuel economy is amazing for a petrol (did a 100 mile+ journey yesterday at avg 47 mpg).
In 33k miles and nearly 3 years - zero has gone wrong with it.
The tech is also on parr with the best I've used (car play, voice control, ADAS, etc) better than the Porsche Taycan it replaced.
I prefer 'estates/ hatch backs' to saloons (look better, more practical and useful for the odd occasions you need to carry mountain bike, pram, move kids into and out of university etc). The separate opening glass hatch means you dent get teh normal downside of having to fully open the tailgate to get stuff in and out.
Mines a M Sport plus, and also comes with adaptive suspension, which means it is one of the best riding most comfortable cars i'v ever been in.
Plus a few bits such as blue callipers , M sport belts and a fancy steering wheel.
After decades of diesels I went hybrid, although I tend to use it on petrol only, the xtra power boost function is useful (280 bhp for about 10 seconds), and the fuel economy is amazing for a petrol (did a 100 mile+ journey yesterday at avg 47 mpg).
In 33k miles and nearly 3 years - zero has gone wrong with it.
The tech is also on parr with the best I've used (car play, voice control, ADAS, etc) better than the Porsche Taycan it replaced.
Thanks guys,
Really helpful advice and good to know clubs can fit!
I'm kinda torn between the touring and normal saloon. I went to a dealership to look at both in person (granted newer models as they had none of the year I want) and I still can't decide. I think I'll settle for the saloon in the end most likely. Just a case of finding one with the 'must haves' now, folding mirrors, carplay, heated seats, rear folding seats, electric seats etc.
Really helpful advice and good to know clubs can fit!
I'm kinda torn between the touring and normal saloon. I went to a dealership to look at both in person (granted newer models as they had none of the year I want) and I still can't decide. I think I'll settle for the saloon in the end most likely. Just a case of finding one with the 'must haves' now, folding mirrors, carplay, heated seats, rear folding seats, electric seats etc.
StrawberryBurst said:
Thanks guys,
Really helpful advice and good to know clubs can fit!
I'm kinda torn between the touring and normal saloon. I went to a dealership to look at both in person (granted newer models as they had none of the year I want) and I still can't decide. I think I'll settle for the saloon in the end most likely. Just a case of finding one with the 'must haves' now, folding mirrors, carplay, heated seats, rear folding seats, electric seats etc.
I'm looking for a AUC Touring at the moment, and there's certainly a lot more choice in Saloons, about 3:1 ratio on BMW UK's site. From what I understand, the facelift cars got some additional equipment as standard, so I'm now looking more at LCI cars.Really helpful advice and good to know clubs can fit!
I'm kinda torn between the touring and normal saloon. I went to a dealership to look at both in person (granted newer models as they had none of the year I want) and I still can't decide. I think I'll settle for the saloon in the end most likely. Just a case of finding one with the 'must haves' now, folding mirrors, carplay, heated seats, rear folding seats, electric seats etc.
Can't comment on the 5 Series, but if it helps I have an old 1 Series Coupé and I can fit a power trolley, battery and my clubs in the boot at the same time with just a little careful packing - don't even need to take the woods out - so I suspect with a 5 Series saloon you'll be absolutely fine.
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