Cross posted from roadfly.org

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I lurk around this board often and thought I'd share my 1 year observations on my 7000 mi 540iA SP and compare the Bimmer with our 25,000 mi 2001 Volvo V70 T5.

540iA Pros
- Solid build quality, no squeaks, rattles or any other unwanted noises
- Responsive transmission, fast kick-down, easy to hit redline, smooth
under normal driving conditions
- Torquey, never leaves you feeling like there isn't enough power
- Good presence, at least the front-end. The rear is generic and the black unpainted rear diffuser or whatever it is called looks crude(SP only - didn't pay much attention to these details when I bought my car)
- Smooth drive with handling light years ahead of all our previous cars (front drive imports)
- Decent interior, buttoned down and inoffensive


540iA Cons
- Edgy, not the car to drive when you want a relaxing ride, car wants to GO whether you want to or not, if you know what I mean.
- Below average sound system
- Dash buttons feel cheap, not confidence inspiring for the long run
- Seat has good support but not as comfortable as the Volvo for long drives
- Excessive power sometimes encourages juvenile driving behavior. Other traffic on road feels like it is, well, too slow. Difficult to stay within speed limit, making me wonder if one really needs so much power in a family sedan
- I worry about things I don't have patience to worry about, such as dips in driveways (low front overhang). Sports handling doesn't have to mean unnecessary compromises.

Volvo V70 T5 Pros
- Supremely comfortable for long drives, awesome seats
- A very practical car with two small kids and all that stuff that needs schlepping around.
- Nice interior, feels modern and cheerful compared to its Bavarian stablemate.
- Reliable thus far with no problems other than a blown tail light
- High quality switchgear compared to chintzy Bavarian execution
- Great service department at dealer, treats you well, feels upscale compared to my previous import experiences
- Handles surprisingly well,loads of passing power on the highway
- Looks nice from all angles, modern design without going over the top like a certain other highly discussed design

VOlvo V70 T5 Cons
- Build quality not in the league as Bimmer. Not rattles or noises, but car feals more disjointed compared to the monolithic feel of the 540i
- Turning radius of a truck makes the car feel bigger than it is in parking lots
- Nice response in manumatic mode, but silly transmission shift points make car feel sluggish at the get go
- Can't indulge in juvenile behavior when you want to. Car wont take exit ramps at twice the legal limit even if you want to.


In summary, each car is just a machine tuned for different purposes. Having experienced these vehicles, I have come to learn the law of diminishing returns first hand and will go back to Japanese imports the next time around. I dread the frequent mechanic visits after the warranty expires with these European cars, since I just don't have the time for excessive shop floor friendships. My previous Japanese cars have been bullet proof even up to 200k miles, but to be fair, they haven't been as complex as these machines.


HeartFixer