e53 F15 musings - am i missing something

[Russianblue]

So the time has come to bequeath my beloved 2003 e53 with 176k to my teenager who is getting her license.

So I have begun shopping for a new X. Today a girl at work let me drive her 2015 F15 with M Sport package. I drove it around town. and it was nice. i think.

But after driving an 88 528e (w massive mods), a 97 328is and my e53 over the past 19 years, i have come the conclusion that I must be missing something.

What happened to the BMW I came to know and love? is it gone forever, awash in a storm of technical 'advances' ? the first time i ever drove a BMW was my old salvage title 528. i was shopping that car as a sort of joke, and wondering if i really could get a 65k mile bmw for $4k. but they did a decent job rebuilding it and the FIRST time i drove that car, i was in love. it was the brakes and steering that did it. and that has continued, with a very similar driving experience through my past 3 models.

but WTF is going on with the NEW BMWs? was this an anomaly? are all the BMW models like this now? what happened to the FEEL? where are my heavy brakes and steering? are they no longer my direct connection to the road? extensions of my hands and feet?

the F15 felt like my wife's 2015 Buick Enclave she just sold. and wasn't even connected as her e350 wagon. Seriously. Very similar. In fact, I may have even liked the Enclave better.

is it possible to have the BMW driving FEEL again with any of these newer models or is it time to look for another brand?

i have heard the e70s FEEL better. I'm test driving a nice used one this weekend. i'll find out. but what does that mean for the future? are we all destined to drive by wire from now on?

[x5Alpine]

I would just keep the E53. Teenage girls are super abusive on cars as ive seen and it would be sad to see an E53 be put through that like so many are. The price point of them is enabling people with hardly the means to take care of their family buy them and drive it into the ground. Get her an old Lexus RX or something you don't really care about when she runs over curbs or blows up.

[Crowz]

My wife and I have both the E53 and E70.

Both have been super reliable. After having both for awhile now I think the E70 is the better vehicle of the two we have for the most part. Im not crazy about the electric water pump on the E70's motor but it hasn't given any problems so far.

Gas mileage and power on the 2013 turbo 6 is better than the E53 but the E53 feels like it has more pep around town driving. The E70 will walk off and leave the E53 when floor though.

Driving wise the E70 feels a bit more refined but not as connected to the road as the E53. But these days at my age I think I like the smoother feel of the E70. If I was younger the E53 might be the better choice there.

I haven't driven a F15 model so I cant comment on that part.

Ease of working on it will probably go to the E53. Its simpler in design and has been easy to work on. I haven't had to do anything to the E70 so I cant comment on that part.

[Russianblue]

Thanks for the input CrowZ. In the past two days I have had the chance to drive another F15 MSport and an E70 MSport. Here's the verdict.

On the F15 I was shown the SPORT button. Well, that made a HUGE difference. Heavier steering, better shifting, better all around. Arguably a suitable "BMW Experience". Still somewhat more 'disconnected' from the road than the e53. Lots more room in the front though.

Today I drove a 2012 MSport e70. It was WAY more similar to the e53. It has the same Sports Sedan feel to it. I think some of that is because of the size - a little smaller than the F15.

If I didn't know what I was driving, I liked the way the e70 drove better.

One thing I noticed on BOTH cars (which had 20-inch M-Sport wheels) was that the ride was a little more harsh than I liked. I am coming from 16 inch balloon tires, mind you. I discovered back with my e28, that there is a point of diminishing returns with low profile large tires compared to the stock fat tires. you have to consider unsprung weight and all kinds of things.

Seemed to be some tram lining or whatever you call it (a sort of sideways wheel hop) going over bumps. at the end of the day I am looking for a good mix of performance, handling and SILENCE over bumps, lol! I will keep looking and see what all the different options have to offer.

Thanks again for your input though!