Figure I'd give some quick thoughts on the car. I have my E90 328I in for the battery recall and some tire related repair. The BMW dealership gave me a 2013 BMW 528I Xdrive for a loaner and after driving the car for about 25-50 miles here are my impressions:
Exterior: The lines are good, but the stock wheels I have (not sure of the size) do not complement the body, and make the car look rather dull. The car is bigger than I'd prefer but I think with the M package this car looks great. 7/10
Interior: Excellent interior. Lots of space compared to my E90 and has the updated Idrive, OBC, and it just feels far better. Abundant storage (E90 has terrible storage space
). 8/10
Powertrain: Not a fan of the shifter. Why can't they just use a simpler automatic shifter instead of this one which doesn't have a gate or a dedicated park? The engine is excellent (Turbocharged 2.0), plenty of power, smooth, and relatively quiet (I guess this is a negative depending on how you look at it). The start stop feature is not great so I immediately turned it off.
The biggest turn off of this car, and the reason why I wouldn't buy it, is the steering. It really is a significant departure from my E90, my E36, and even my Acura. It is very light and lacks feel. Stark difference from my E90 which is on point, with a lot of feedback.
If this car had better steering and a manual, I would consider it. As it is now, I am happy with my E90.
