I have recently had the pleasure of receiving a brand new dark metallic blue BMW 525i. The car that I got had a number of extras including: sat-nav, bluetooth phone and leather seats.
The gear selection is precise and the travel not too extreme. From 1st gear through to 6th it is exceptionally smooth, with the biting point of the clutch very intuitive. Whilst 6th gear is, as you might expect, not that responsive, it is a great motorway gear
The dashboard is uncluttered with most of the additional information (beyond speed…etc) being displayed in a clear manner in the iDrive monitor - an LCD screen in the central console. This monitor is used when controlling the entertainment source, sat-nav and telephone. It also shows all the additional, extra information, including tire puncture warning should the unfortunate occur. At night time with the console lit up and the monitor on, it is like the inside of a commercial plane. Overall, top marks from the "cool" factor.
The sat-nav is an additional option. Although rather pricy, it is well worth the money. The control is intuitive and versatile. The only downside would be that there can be a slight sluggishness when a new destination is selected.
The Bluetooth mobile phoneaccessory is also an additional option. For me, this is an absolute dream. Although it is a little awkward to connect in the first instance, you will only ever need to do it once. After that, you simply walk into the car (your phone could still be in your jacket pocket) and you can then make and receive calls in your car using the iDrive.
Obviously in the UK, we have right-hand-drive cars, which means that the iDrive controller (the little rotary knob in the central console) needs to be used by your left hand. Whilst this was a little annoying for the first few times, you quickly get used to it, although dialing telephone numbers can still be a small challenge.
All in all, this is an excellent car, exuding the class and comfort that you would expect from an executive car from BMW.
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Advantages: Practical, Comfortable, spacious, easy to drive and very reliable Disadvantages: Expensive servicing with main dealer, average MPGs, little legroom in the back if tall
markymark7270 02.03.2005 (02.03.2005)
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Review of BMW 525i
Advantages: Quiet, spacious, large boot, nice look with the front 'ring' lamps, meaty sounding engine, handling Disadvantages: thirsty, unweildy around town,
mproudfoot 28.11.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of BMW 525i
Advantages: Quiet, spacious, large boot, nice look with the front 'ring' lamps, meaty sounding engine, handling Disadvantages: thirsty, unweildy around town,
mproudfoot 28.11.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of BMW 525i
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