I gotta agree with BobbyD. A friend of mine has a 2002 540i 6 speed and it's a demon. It's sub 5 sec 0-60.

 

so..is the 540i quicker than the m3 and m5? cuz m3 0-60 around 4.8sec and m5 in 5.4sec....and 540i is sub 5?? i am so confused

 

My friend's is sub 5's. Can't speak for all 540i's. His has a chip a a few other goodies.

 

Here's some advice. Don't race any 540's, auto or manuals, for pink slips.

Case closed!!!!

 

a stock 540 is nowhere near sub 5 second 0-60. It is at best 5.8, and the autos are about a 6.1. Still will take a G in the 1/4 though

 

No, both the e46 M3 and the E39 M5 are sub 5sec cars (4.8~4.6 depending who you ask) While the E39 540i 6 speed and the G35 coupe is a sub 6 sec car. Both have very similar acceleration #s, 0 to 60 in ~5.5sec and the 1/4 miles in 14@100MPH. But on the highway there is no way that a stock G35 coupe can keep up with a stock 540i 6 speed at high speed.

 

exactly what he said

 

I',m going to comment on this thread because I own a G and a 540.

This discussion is going all over the place 330, 540, M3, M5.......
These are all very different cars.
For starters, a 330 certainly would not be a better race for the G. Any 540 will beat any 330 any day any time. 540's have V8's with 280 horse power. So the 540 is similar to the G in the hp dept., but otherwise the cars are not comparable at all. The 540 is a luxury 4 door car that, like most 5 bmw's, will perfrom when called upon. The G is pretty much a straight sports car and not at all in the same luxury class as a 540. A 540 will perform close to a sports car without braking a sweat and keep the occupants in quiet luxury. The G is just simply a high fun factor sports car all of the time and the fact it can hang with cars with V8's says a lot for the G.

 

well put

 

We are comparing speed of the car, not the car its self right? 540i is a very fast car. Can't compare the two with just the HP, displacement etc. What's very important in straight run is a right gear ratio. No wonder the new Acura RL is slow despite its 300hp engine. The gears are almost like a 4 speed auto + overdrive.

 

Our last car was a 2001 540i 6-speed. 282 HP, loooong shift throws, and old recirc ball steering (they couldn't fit the rack in with the V8 until the re-design). Tons of torque in the low gears and it was there quick (head-snapping), and though it handled Ok for a heavy sedan, there is no comparison with how our car handles. Too bad your race didn't have some curves to navigate...

 

Anyone notice how old this thread is? I wonder what the original poster thinks of gas prices these days.

As always, if car specs are close, 0-60, 1/4 mi, etc... it's a driver's race, perhaps even a passenger's race, or what's in your trunk race, or how much gas in your tank race. Even still, it always turns into, "What, you can't compare those, you should be comparing to this," which then turns into the original car being compared to (540), being compared to the next car suggested for comparison, i.e. 330 vs 540. Then, invariably, if BMW is even related to the topic, someone has to jump in with the M3 or M5 because 'Their friend's dad used to have one that they would roll when he was away on business.'

The bottom line is as always, we bought the G35 because it offers a very good combination or performance, luxury, and class distinction, at a price we are comfortable paying at this stage of our lives. BMW has a similar combination of elements, generally heavier weighting on the luxury and class distinction categories (M's excluded), but also at a higher price point. Note these are all relative terms. For me, the 3 is too "Rich girl," and the 5 is too "I really wish I could afford a 7," probably because I wish I could. I'm not saying the G is the perfect car, just that I don't ask questions like, "Should I have beat this 540," because after a year, I have no regrets on my purchase and enjoy every bit every day. My next car will be a step up in absolute terms, but I hope to maintain the ratios .