You got it Peter, if I remember corectly you have another 7 or 8 years to go before you get to join this Elite Club

 

Would be 7 years then, I just had my 43rd B-Day last week.

 

Yeah... but it also depends on the grey hair factor.
I'd say you're a 1.2 factor ...= OF

 

I always say, I'd rather go grey than lose it.

 

maybe I'm there then.

 

Never noticed much grey...
& Going bald by pulling out hair doesn't count... sorry.

 

only main problems ive seen with the N54 motor is the HDP (high pressure fuel pump) going bad, other than that nothing is really that common with that motor, but for the e90 body the driver door lock actuator tends to blow out fuses on the JBE on a few, e92 coupes the stupid seat belt retractor is just bad design and tends to breaks easily. If you get the Nav option, the CCC aka the iDrive will have a slow response but thats a easy fix with a program update

 

I'm here. I will do a review later today. Just a couple points. The interior *is* bland, some people like it some don't. That said, the "workmanship" (as in quality of materials and construction) is better than anything in the class. Reliability has been good outside the HPFP as mentioned, but that issue has been resolved.

I have to run out right now, but more later.

 

Hey, so I am back. I am not sure how to go about writing my impressions with the car in detail, but I will try.

I will start by saying that, so far, it's the best car I've owned. Some highlights.

The engine is the star of this car, everyone knows it but you never get tired of it, or at least I haven't. I have 22,000km on it now over a year of driving and I still love the engine, everything about it. It's ridiculously smooth, the torque comes in so low it's always available, there is virtually no lag, it pulls hard, it's quick. The only downside is un-tuned it runs lean and the power drops off around 5500rpm, which is ok because it comes in so low. With a tune you can fix that (more on that later). Another upside to the engine is the fuel efficiency. I kid you not (I'll take a pic if anyone cares), my overall consumption over 22,000km is 9.3L/100km. Yes, I do a lot of highway driving, but still, that's darn good for a car with 300hp/300tq. My 2003 G35 got ~12.5L/100km. The transmissions are great too; the manual pretty much requires the cdv delete (clutch delay valve), but otherwise it's nice. The auto (god forbid) is incredibly fast, I actually really love it (gasp again).

The steering and suspension are good, not sure what I can say about these really because a test drive will explain it. Steering is heavy and precise (some people think too heavy), suspension is good stock, but it has some roll especially on the track. Comfort level is good, but is more effected by the run flat tires, which I did not like and got rid of (I found them uncomfortable and loud).

Daily driving is very good; the car *is* more of a cruiser than a sports car for sure. The power is always on, it's quiet on the highway, comfortable even on my coilovers and 19" wheels. No, it isn't as comfortable as a G35 sedan or IS350, but the tradeoff is the handling of course.

The build quality is good, fitment of everything is good, interior material quality is good. My reliability has been great, no issues, 4 oil changes (I did one after break in, one at 8k, 14k, and 21k). The interior *design* is spartan, and a lot of people don't like it. The gauges are orange which a lot of people hate. I personally like the design and don't mind the gauges, but the ergonomics aren't good. The cupholder placement is bad, the window control placement is bad, the HVAC controls sort of suck. That said, you learn it quickly and it's an easy car to live with. The sport seats are sublime and like I said, material quality is good; believe it or not I abuse my cars interior and it's holding up very well.

Interior space is great up front, it has way better visibility than any coupe I've ever been in, as well as more headroom. I was just in an IS350 and it had less headroom, worse visibility, and less leg, shoulder, hip room. The rear of the coupe is small, but not too bad. Getting in is easy, out is tough but easier than a lot of coupes. The seat belt butler is a novelty, but you get used to it and I find I actually like it now. Trunk room is awesome for a coupe, I detail out of the car, so that sort os says it all. Only downside is the trunk opening is small. Seats fold down; I would say the trunk is as large as my G35 sedan (srsly), and with the seats down I can actually get more in the coupe.

Paint quality on the metallics is good, nice and hard, but a lot of orange peel. The flat colors are really soft, so beware.

Anything else I am missing? I don't know.. Oh iDrive, skip it imo. I have it, it's ok, reliable, not nearly as complex as people make out, but it is slow and most aftermarket navs are flat out better.

Anyway, let me know if you have any specific questions.

 

You're too kind. The light brown helps camouflage it.

LOL, about pulling it out. I had a lot of years of that. I've been dedicated to staying out of that scene now. You'll have to trust me it's pretty thin on top now however.

 

Nice review Kevin. What you're saying seems consistent with any other objective owner review I've seen. It's just plain and simple a great car.

 

I did forget one thing, I mentioned tuning but never got back to it. I know not everyone will tune this engine, and like the G or IS you don't need to to enjoy it, but the beauty is you *can* tune it easily and reap good benefits. There are a number of piggybacks, all under $1500 which will get you between 40-80rwhp and 60-100tq, they can also *improve* mpg under normal driving conditions (or at least leave it static), and the oil/engine in general run cooler since it's running more rich. You also get rid of the dropoff in power above 5500rpm.

I have the Active Autowerk Xede and am enjoying it. You don't feel a lot of difference below 4000rpm since the car picks up so quickly down low normally, but above 4000 it pulls a lot harder. Your gearing actually tends to change (2nd is the new 1st, 4th is the new 3rd, etc...). Passing strongly in 6th is fun.

 

Thanks Kevin. Nice review on the Bimmer.

Took a look at Audi S5 yesterday and immediately fell in love with the car. How can you not like it? Particularly in the winter with AWD and 350 HP. Let me stand in line and save enough money to put a deposit down for next year.

 

Very good and thorough review Kevin.