schnellmb

<center><img src="http://www.bmwusa.com/NR/rdonlyres/18C9150F-1726-4250-9DAE-F62D8B1EDA08/0/0657_05.jpg"></center><p>A few of you guys asked for an update after I logged some miles on my 525xi. I have about 1,500 miles on it now (most of my trips are short distance).

I haven't had any problems with the car. The dealer had a welcome for new buyers last night. I was able to spend about 30 minutes with the SA and one of the techs...pretty nice guys.

The car is pretty comfortable. Comparing to my other C5 or my past C230, I call it the Buick-MW. The ride is compliant, and it absorbs bumps without a kick through the pass compartment. There isn't alot of body lean, but more than my Avant. The car has 17" 55 series tires that seem to be a good comprimise between ride and handling. The roads have gotten very, very bad this winter. The ride is pretty quiet.

The exterior styling, you either like or hate it. Paint and construction is good--it doesn't feel like a cheap car.

The interior takes a little bit of time to get used to. The seats are supportive, but the upper part of the seat along with the headrest needs more articulation--the comfort seats would address this.

The seats heat very quickly and stay warm. The heated steering wheel has a button and works very well, and gets very warm (great for cold mornings).

Interior quality is good and has a quality feel. Some of the plastics aren't up to C5 level (neither is the C6). The C5 as we know is one hefty car with impressive build. Leather seems to be of good quality. HVAC is excellent in filtering out diesel crap and smoke. The xenons in their active mode are good--the C5's xenons are brighter and you can see more of the road.

Engine...I6, 215 hp. As the car breaks in, the engine is loosening up. The engine is good enough for around town and highway driving. More hp would be more fun. When the MT 535xi comes out (300hp twin turbos), that will be more fun. Around town on 93, I'm getting ~18mpg.

I think that will improve without snowy conditions. I've taken brief runs on the interstate, and the car handles well and seems to be geared just right. Without the auto's good mating to the car, i do agree with some posters that it needs more power. Brakes are fine and have very good stopping power.

xdrive has worked well in heavy snow and ice (15-20" snows). i did not change to winters and am running the all season goodyears. the car tracked well in all the conditions i've taken it. there might be a faint lag in terms of traction compared to quattro when starting off, but it's barely noticeable.

idrive...that's another thing you either like or hate. it takes about 5 minutes to get the hang of it. after you get used to it, it's quite easy to use. using the tele settings, it's very easy to sync with bluetooth. handsfree works very well.

there is no dipstick--you have to use idrive's menu for the oil display (not good). i'd rather have a dipstick to check.

so far, it's a comfortable and well built car. my version isn't the speed machine (more power i agree makes things more fun). for all around use, i'm happy with my B(uick)MW...LOL.

Kris Hansen

Nice. But I'd sure hope you don't have any problems in the first 1500 miles..