[IanS100]

Time has come to trade in the e90 and this time I’ve decided to go for an F10 which is arriving Wednesday morning. My weekend was therefore spent removing most of the mods from the 320d as it’s going when the F10 is delivered. Thanks as ever to Sam (makkan00) whose advice proved invaluable when I replaced the Pro Nav with my old Business Nav only to find I had suddenly been relocated to London

The F10 is a 2015 M Sport Plus 520d (B47 190 bhp) with 8 speed auto and flappy paddles, in Carbon Black with Oyster Leather, Anthracite Woodgrain, High gloss shadow line, Sunshade Glazing and 19” M Double Spoke 351 wheels. Toys and optional extras include:
Navigation system Professional / DAB-Tuner
Instrument cluster, expanded equipment
Xenon headlights with LED Fogs
Harman Kardon
Electric Folding Mirrors
Electric, heated Sports Seats
Front and Rear PDC
Tyre pressure control
Reversing camera
TeleServices; Connected Drive; Real Time Traffic Information; Concierge service; Remote Services.

It’s a shame it doesn’t have extended Bluetooth and Office but they can probably be coded in later.

The only photos I have are the from the dealer but still better than nothing:

[Rory]

I've driven the f10 quite a bit and it's a superb all rounder. Hope you enjoy it!

[makkan00]

That is one lovely motor and really well spec'd Ian.
Glad you found well spec'd car. I am sure that you will enjoy it.

[old grey steve]

Does look a life,y colour combo, the F series 5 drives so much better then the model it replaced overall I think, they're a cracking csr to drive they look smart, yet understated and offer a great drive too, haven't sampled the latest B spec engines at all so cannot comment but the gearbox youve got is a real gem and in the previous generation 2.0 diesel guise it provided a real decent turn of speed.

Enjoy

[The0pportunist]

Did the520d always have the double exhaust? Reminds me of the e46 days 2.0 and above get the sweetly proportioned double exhaust.

The inside looks like a great place to be, perfect for the long trips. Enjoy

[Mani59]

Great colour combination!

Originally Posted by The0pportunist

Did the520d always have the double exhaust? Reminds me of the e46 days 2.0 and above get the sweetly proportioned double exhaust.

The inside looks like a great place to be, perfect for the long trips. Enjoy

Yeah it's always had a twin exhaust. Bit of a shame really as it makes it harder to spot a 4 or 6 cylinder engine if it's de-badged.

[IanS100]

Thanks for all the comments, yes I love the colour combination, BMW still seem to favour black leather with hex or brushed aluminium as the standard trim colours, and while they look ok in the e90, that combo seems to cheapen the 5 series - I'll just have to buy a supply of white cover-alls and insists that all passengers don them before sitting on the oyster leather

[holmefield]

that looks so nice.I'm really tempted with one of these as my next car, but i think i'll be going for a higher mileage 530 D msport prob a 2012 model..Now that i have the 330 D i dont think i could give up the 3.0 litre D sound....

I love the colour comb on yours and the nice spec...

[djgandy]

How does the B47 drive and compare the the previous engines?

Lovely car though and nice to see you didn't go for boring black interior.

[IanS100]

Originally Posted by djgandy

How does the B47 drive and compare the the previous engines?

Lovely car though and nice to see you didn't go for boring black interior.

It arrives at lunchtime tomorrow and I have to go straight off on appointments, by the time I get home I will have covered about 150 miles of 50/50 motorways and A roads, so I should have a good idea of how it drives by the time I get back and will report

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by IanS100

It arrives at lunchtime tomorrow and I have to go straight off on appointments, by the time I get home I will have covered about 150 miles of 50/50 motorways and A roads, so I should have a good idea of how it drives by the time I get back and will report

Will be following your experiences with the B47 engine with interest. Some users are reporting poor mpg, compared to previous F10/11 models with the N47 engine.

HighlandPete

PS. Commented on your car in the F10 forum, re changing from an E91 to F11 in my case.

[IanS100]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Will be following your experiences with the B47 engine with interest. Some users are reporting poor mpg, compared to previous F10/11 models with the N47 engine.

HighlandPete

PS. Commented on your car in the F10 forum, re changing from an E91 to F11 in my case.

Hi Pete, yes, I saw your reply and commented - I've read the mpg complaints with interest (& trepidation ), it'll be a bit of a bummer if poor mpg is the norm but I've also read quite a few posts where people are getting very good mpg, so it will be interesting to see the results first hand.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by IanS100

Hi Pete, yes, I saw your reply and commented - I've read the mpg complaints with interest (& trepidation ), it'll be a bit of a bummer if poor mpg is the norm but I've also read quite a few posts where people are getting very good mpg, so it will be interesting to see the results first hand.

I'm not up to date with whether any of the users who bought last autumn and reported poor mpg have seen decent improvement over the warmer months. I suspect part of the poor averages were to do with new engines going into winter, but may not be the complete story. The headline figures are way off, no doubt about it, and EU6 compliance may be making a bit more of a hit in real world driving than the NEDC test is indicating.

Hope your motor proves to be a "good 'un".

HighlandPete

[ethanjoon]

LOVE the color combo. I had a Carbon Black 650xi msport. Looked amazing in the night.

[IanS100]

For anyone interested in my first impressions of the F10 520d, it was delivered yesterday & I had to go straight out on appointments and did about 150 miles on a mix of motorway and A/B roads, by the time I got home the mpg was in the high 40s and not far short of that I’d been getting out of the 320d.

Whilst cruising around the legal limit, it easily returns well over 50 mpg but drive up hills or in stop/start in traffic, and the extra weight translates into a big dip in mpg, but that is to be expected on a big heavy car like the 5 series. I suspect that many of the complaints of poor mpg may well be down to too much start stop motoring.

As for the rest of the car, to say I am pleased with it would be a huge understatement. For a a 2 litre engine in such a big car it certainly is no slouch and, for a big heavy car, it handles very well, although I’d prefer slightly heavier steering with a bit more feel to it, but that is a minor niggle.

The M Sport suspension / 19” runflats give a firm but not harsh ride which is a huge improvement over the e90 which could knock fillings out at times.
The subdued noise levels are a joy (the e90 could give a good impression of the inside of a washing machine) and the F10 is generally a fairly quiet place to be, and the excellent Harmon Kardon setup can be appreciated at much lower volumes, yet still deliver decent bass. I’m not an expert but IMO the Harmon Kardon knocks spots off the Gladen / Mosconi I had in the e90, although some of that could be down to the numpty in Liverpool that installed it

The NBT is exactly what it says on the tin, the graphics are superb and it’s much faster and easier to use, particularly with the touchpad on top of the iController, which makes searches a breeze.

My only niggles are the very light steering as mentioned, there is NO adjustable lumbar support on the M Sport seats and there are no LEDs on the door handles (only with ambient lighting), the latter 2 were on the e90 so I’m a bit miffed that they’ve been omitted from the F10

For those of a sensitive nature, I’m sorry for the comparisons to an e90, which I know is largely unfair, but it’s the only yardstick I have.

So far so good, the car is a pleasure to drive and no regrets about the change!

[Banners24b]

Thats a really nice looking car, I prefer the new 5 series to the 3 series atm.

The only thing I am not liking about the current BMW F line up is the alloys, sounds petty I know but they all look the same, BMW used to fit some really standout alloys to their cars.

[IanS100]

Originally Posted by Banners24b

The only thing I am not liking about the current BMW F line up is the alloys, sounds petty I know but they all look the same, BMW used to fit some really standout alloys to their cars.

I thought the same at first but they've grown n me, and on the bright side they should be fairly easy to clean. I quite fancy a set of CSL replicas for winter but, from my experience having them on the e90, they get really dirty, muck accumulated and just sits in the rebate that runs round them, after a few miles in the wet they look as though they've been mud plugging, so an 18" with minimal spokes!