Test drove 01 540i 6-spd

[Kobe Diesel]

Want to replace my 98 A4 2.8Q with a nice upgrade. I like it but I do not love it anymore. What I have been considering are E36 M3 and E39 5-series. Found a local 540i, emailed seller, met, test drive, etc.

This car had 55k miles, M package, 17" M wheels, sport suspension, M steering wheel, M shift knob, factory HID and angel eyes, black ext. with camel int. Stock performance, no upgrades at all.
The following are my impressions...

Pros:
-The torque, in any gear this car is a mover, hauls ass in any gear.
-The shifter feel is nice, good spacing between 3 and 5, 4 and 6 gears, not bad for non short-shift
-Excellent seats and steering wheel
-Handles nice
-The big wheels and wide tires, the lower ride, this car looks intimidating, much more so than the average E39 you see on a daily basis.

Cons:
-Not in love with the feel of the clutch - it felt quirky, the clutch in my Audi is much better.
-Too quiet, the cabin is well insulated from noise, although you can hear the engine roar when hitting the gas, but I like to hear the engine and exhaust noise all the time.
-The most noticeable thing is the weight of the car, you can feel it in the handling and the overall ride. Of course, the engine is well sized for this vehicle, but it's just heavy. Although I thought it handled nice, it wasnt excellent, even with sport suspension package. I wonder how much more pronounced the weight of the car is with 2.5L, 2.8L, and 3.0L engines?
-This one is purely cosmetic, but you cannot see the exhaust on this car as it's hidden by the bumper. If Im driving a no-******** car, I want those tips making a statement.

Overall, this car is not my first choice. Im sure there are better tuned stock 540s out there and Im sure many upgrades can be made to make this car a real driving pleasure and more pleasing to the eye. It has been done and it's called the M5, but I dont have $40k to drop, esp. on a used car.

Tomorrow, am going to test drive friend's stock '95 E36 M3 with 3.0 DOHC non-vanos engine. I'll post my thoughts ASAP.

[Kalevera]

I think you will find that the most noticeable con, that being the weight of the car, is even more of a liability on the E39 M5.


best, whit

[ra_pro]

For a guy coming off a A4 2.8Q with its wooden steering, family car handling, engine that feels 4 cylinders short of a V6 your criticism of 54Oi seems a bit overboard. If you were coming from M5 that would make sense but from A4...?

I am not saying that you criticism is not justfied I am just puzzled that someone with you expectations would settle for an A4 2.8 Quattro previously. I once drove that car and it wasn't a memorable experience.

[misfortune]

I drove bimmerd00d's 540i6 and I feel teh same way. The clutch just feels funny. The car is heavy, and too detached. Its fast...SO much p;ower.

[Kobe Diesel]

For a guy coming off a A4 2.8Q with its wooden steering, family car handling, engine that feels 4 cylinders short of a V6 your criticism of 54Oi seems a bit overboard. If you were coming from M5 that would make sense but from A4...?

I am not saying that you criticism is not justfied I am just puzzled that someone with you expectations would settle for an A4 2.8 Quattro previously. I once drove that car and it wasn't a memorable experience.

Im looking to upgrade from the A4. The only thing I compared between the A4and 540i is the clutch, so it's not a real comparison. But to truly reply to your post, the A4 has never let me down, and have plenty fun driving it, and I like its technolog, but I like BMWs more.

[ra_pro]

Fair enough.

The clutch is a well-known issue with the 540i. In fact most of the car magazines were recommending auto instead of the 6-speed which is very unusual. But I think there is a solution to it. I believe there is a valve that needs to be taken out/replaced for the clutch to work normally. I think this applies to e34 and e39 if I am not mistaken. It's not a big deal and most bimmer mechanics can do it easily.

I never drove e39 540i, I did drive e39 528i and it seemed to me to be too "light" as in unsubstantial. I think your feeling of heaviness comes from the fact that you're coming from a lighter car. If you came the opposite way, from a heavier car, like I did, you might feel what I felt. In general the weight of e39 is not considered a problem as the car drives smaller and lighter than it is and is in fact hundreds of pounds lighter than e34. I am saying there is a fine balance in the weight of the car. On the one hand I want the car to be nimble and light but also I want to feel that it's substantial like a proverbial German vault. I think in this the 5 strikes very good balance.

[DueyT]

Is the cluth much different on an E39 6-speed and an E34 6-speed? I though they were the same...I have absolutely no problem with my clutch...it's heavier but fairly progressive and nice take-up from the friction point onwards.

Cheers,
Duey

[liquidtiger720]

If I am not mistaken, the e39 has a CDV (clutch delay valve)? Which is why it might feel funny?

Its a popular mod, to delete the said valve (as ra_pro said).

[Kobe Diesel]

Been following up on some E39 details. Found that more drivers like the balance of the 530 and as Ra Pro mentioned, prefer auto over manual. For as long as I am a BMW owner, I would prefer to stay with the inline engines, and always a manual transmission. On another note, drove the E36 M3 today and this car is the **** - enough said. Researching what engine features/options are best/worst, modifications, etc. Search begins this summer...

[SRR2]

The E39 3.0 is most comparable to the E34 535 and believe it or not, the E39 is lighter by a few pounds. The E39 540 has more equipment (like four catalytic converters) and the difference is a bit more, though in the range of a passenger or so.

____________Man________Auto
E34 535 ---- 3362 ------- 3406 lb
E34 540 ---- ???? -------- ???? lb
E39 530 ---- 3319 ------- 3374 lb
E39 540 ---- 3573 ------- 3628 lb.

(Can someone with an E34 540 look in their owner's manual for their car's weights and post it?)

M30 ---- 315 lb
M60 ---- 322 lb
M62TU-- 308 lb

I owned an E34 535 for 16 years and now own an E39 540/6, and don't sense any significant weight difference.

The problem with the clutch is the CDV (clutch delay valve). It was used for the first time in the E39 and everyone who drives one hates it. Everyone (everyone who's not brain-dead, that is) who owns one wants to remove it. Mine is gone and the clutch action is exactly the same as on the E34 535. Not a bit of difference. Well one thing, the dual mass flywheel doesn't make the famous M30-turn-off-rattle.

I was surprised to find two things -- the cost of insurance on the 540 is lower than on the 535 and it delivers consistently about two more MPG with the same style of driving. I have detailed data on both cars. Long term average of 23.21 MPG on the 535 and so far 25.33 MPG from the 540. Most of the miles on the 540 have been in cold weather so I expect the difference to be a bit more than it is now.

I guarantee you that the stock 540/6 sport will run rings around a stock E34 535. I've never driven an E34 540, but would expect that it's very similar to the E39 540 in performance and handling.