[stormchaser]

The G60 is dropping to dealers now. I just did a 15-minute drive and currently own a G30. I was in Germany last week and saw it at the BMW forum in Munich. I did not like the looks (Chunky). HOWEVER, today at the dealer here I warmed up to the looks. It's the future generation look. I also don't like screen-based controls versus knobs (More steps involved in changing from Sport to Eco Pro). My G30 makes it easier to perform most functions.

But, when I got back in my G30 it looked dated coming from the modern cockpit of the G60. I think I would warm up to this also but would have preferred some knobs.

Driving: Short drive, but noticed a few things. The seats were more comfortable, went up a bit higher (Better visibility), less harsh ride with non-run flats but don't like the 20-inch wheels. Steering seems a bit more precise (Nimble) but that might be because the wheels were larger. MPG average highway with a bit of city averaged 31 in normal driving. The highway was high 30's in my first 5-8 minutes (Reset it several times). The car is rated higher on the higher than the G30 which seems amazing to me. I assume it's tuned differently of might be a bit lighter with less drag coefficient.

Some of the materials seemed cheaper to me. The plastics around the dash and also the turn signal lever (Very plastic feeling). The dealer said it might be a weight-saving move. He agreed they skimped in some areas.

Overall, I liked the car on my first quick drive. I would consider moving to a G60, but would need more time in it.

[BimmerGuyFL78]

I too have a G30, a 2023 540i and I test drove a 2024 G60 i5 M60. The power was beyond amazing, instant and powerful. I felt the ride in the i5 M60 was top notch, very smooth and the handling felt impressive for its weight of around almost 5,300 lbs, I actually expected the vehicle to feel heavier knowing it weighed that much. BMW has done an excellent job on tuning the suspension for ride quality refinement and an agile feeling vehicle.

I too felt that the interior was a step back in quality compared to my G30. Lower door panels are not as padded/soft touch on the G60, and the interior colors and wood trims leave a lot to be desired.

It’s like history is repeating itself. When the E60 replaced the E39, it felt like a step back in both exterior and interior design, as well as the interior material quality. However, the driving dynamics of the E60 improved over the E39 when it was equipped properly with the active front and rear antiroll bars and the sharp active steering.

The G30 is to what the E39 was, and the G60 is to what the E60 became.

[Scrapula]

There is a Modes button on the center console to go from sport to eco to comfort, etc. No need to dig through screens.

[Jerome10]

Well if you don't mind me also chiming in...

Drove RWD 530i yesterday. I think this car had a $63,000 MSRP so not particularly loaded. I'd say 15 minutes including a few on the expressway. Currently in a 2011 535i RWD. Had shopped the 2023 5 Series a couple months ago but felt that the interior was exceptionally boring, not really much better than the 2011, and the exterior style, while clean, was also pretty boring. Overall the 2023 just seemed rather bland and so I waited for the 2024.

Interior: Definitely a step up from my car and the 2023s. I can see a few things that maybe got a little cheaper as mentioned above in this thread, but overall everything from seat-cushion and up I'd say is a step up in design and feel. The soft dash, the look and style of the various wood or metal trim and the optional crystal strip across the dash are nice. I love the interface for iDrive and radio and transmission. To me it makes sense to have all of that in one location vs moving hand up to dash for radio and volume but down for iDrive. The soft dash looked nice. Headliner is good. The seats are noticeably softer than my 2011 and look and feel very luxurious. Big screen deal.... its fine with me. I actually didn't mind it as much as I thought I would. I still prefer analog dials though. Had the $995 B&O sound system which I though sounded excellent.

Drive: First time in the I4 5 Series. Actually pretty dang good and only could tell a 4 cylinder when pushing the engine. Ride is a step up over the 2011 for sure. More compliant I'd say but not floaty. My 2011 can be a little harsh over sudden bumps. Definitely a plus. Also a tad quieter on the road. Overall I really liked it. Feels like a slight improvement in the important areas over the 2011. However... the steering feel and steering wheel itself (2 spoke one)... yuck. Its funny, had a 2006 330i and when I got the 2011 535i I thought the 5 steering was too light. The 2024 is a joke. Like 1 finger joke. My F150 has heavier steering and more feel than this thing. Almost no feel. I ended up kinda jerking it farther than I expected when I first got in the car and moved the wheel. Highly disappointing for a BMW. And the 2 spoke wheel... I don't know if I'd say deal killer or anything but the oval shape with the flat top and flat bottom just feels like junk. Its fine when going straight but I like to let the wheel rotate back while gently sliding through my hands and that flat top side makes my arm have to go up and down while the wheel unwinds. The flat portion is also very wide/long. I've had some flat-bottom wheels before and those were fine, honestly. But the flat top side is no good in my opinion. I also felt even the standard wheel is maybe too thick. I like a thinner, firmer wheel (again like the older BMWs). I'm not sure I felt much thickness difference between the standard wheel and the M-Sport wheel in the i5 in the showroom. I also felt it didn't travel down enough or extend close enough for my preference either.

Styling: Biggest killer on this car. It isn't bad, but it isn't good either. Other 5's have had the long hood look, pulled back with weight over the rear of the car. This one is just busy and boxy and a little blah. It doesn't have any of the presence of the 7 (which I can understand if some feel is ugly but to me it does have real presence). It doesn't really look expensive, it doesn't have that nice long-hood-short-rear that BMWs generally have. Its just blocky and a bit too tall. It is not elegant. It isn't really sporty either. I'll probably warm up to it but overall to me it looks cheaper than it costs while past 5 series have looked sportier and more expensive than the price.

So overall... very happy with drive and interior, other than the steering situation. Let down by the steering situation and the exterior styling.

On the fence if I will go with this car (well, the 540i version) to replace the 2011. The steering situation really was probably the most shocking to me. I know BMWs have gotten less sporty over the past decade or so but I actually think the Lexus and Audi's I've also looked at feel better. I'd get used to it and come to terms BMWs aren't necessarily particular sporty anymore, but just surprising. Styling is the one that I think could be the dealbreaker.

[stormchaser]

Good feedback and I agree with my short drive. I think I would warm up to the styling. One advantage of the G60 is the availability of Highway Assist versus Driver Assistance Pro. I am interested to see what the feedback is on Highway assist and how finicky is it if your eyes move down for a few seconds.