Italian Trip - 2011

[Rob 131]

It looks lovely  and sounds like you had a great trip. Switzerland, Germany and Holland are high up on our holiday wish list.

I assume now that after such a long trip you are more impressed with the 520D then when you first purchased  . Where to next year 

[kev131]

Hi Rob - I must admit to being a little underwhelmed at first aquaintance but the car's engineering qualities really came into their own on this trip. The only disappointing thing was that the torque was not as meaty as I had hoped so keeping up with some fast moving traffic was not always just a small squeeze of the big toe. 

It will be nice to get a demo of Si's latest beast in this department when the opportunity arises. 

[Rob 131]

Kev

At one time within any car range there was always the 'right' engine to go for that was usually the mid range one Eg 2.0 Alfa 156 (if you fancied such a Car), with the 2.5 being too big and perhaps the 1.6 a little underpowered. Now I believe the situation has changed whereby the base engine in this case is throughly competent i.e the 520D. If you want more power the best thing to do is a 'Simon' and get the most powerful .

 I did the same for my 30th Birthday; I had a perfectly acceptable 318i, and when I test drove the 320i and 325i, yes they were better  but it wasn't enough. I settled on an Imola Red 330i Sport  .

With regards to 131's I would suggest that the one to go for in the S2 was the 1.6TC Super, as the minimum competent engine. It would be interesting to get some feedback on this as I never drove a S2 1600 CL that would be the other candidate 

[Thotos]

It would be interesting to get some feedback on this as I never drove a S2 1600 CL that would be the other candidate 

I used to have a Series 2 1600CL and the pushrod engine is a different kettle of fish to the twin cam. Also in comparison to the 2000TC Sport, the 1600CL was way too 'soft' with springy seats and presumably softer suspension making the car feel very much like a slow comfortable saloon. Then again I never had a 1600TC S2 Super so my 'comparison' is probably not valid here.

[simon131]

I've had (and indeed still have ) ohv and TC 131s of all sizes as well as petrol and turbo-diesel 5-series and I always seem to the end up falling for the bigger more powerful engined versions - probably because I 'need' a car with a plenty of grunt to give me the 'buzz' I need when driving.

I also tend to go for the 'Sport' models as they generally have firmer suspension and more supportive seats, again things which I prefer at the moment.  For my money the SE version of all 5-series is too soft. Why then did I own a 2004 530i SE for almost 5 years I hear you say - well, because it had Sport suspension and Sport seats!

Kev - next time you're over mate I'll let you loose in my 535d M Sport. Thing is you'll be going straight to your local BMW dealer and asking them for one of your own! So you better get saving matey!

[mirafioriman]

I'm the other way. I much prefer a softer sprung car such as a Supermirafiori. I also own more automatics than manuals

[Rob 131]

I definitely prefer a slightly firmer ride then too soft, with SE Spec BMW being about ideal (current model probably a bit firmer then the model Simon is referring to). My wife complains that her Audi (SE Spec) is too firm and I think it is just about acceptable. Years ago I had a late 90?s SE Spec A4 and that was too firm  . What the Sport Models are like, I don?t know, but they are probably too firm for my taste . They do however look great, like the Sport Spec BMW?s  . I suppose it depends on how important style is to you .

We had a Citroen C5 Estate in France this year, and this was too soft with the inevitable (one of the rear seat passenger) consequences  . How can small children produce so much. Leather interior helped the clean up, although serious further car valeting is not ideal on holiday .

One of the hire cars that I had in England this year was a Vauxhall (Opel to those on the Continent) Insignia 160 Diesel SRI (the semi sporty version). Its ride was spot on not being too firm and it had lovely sports seats. A great car and a real surprise to me. Did many enjoyable miles in this one  .

I always found my 131 Sport, firm but not uncomfortable and a good compromise  . The Noise However. Well that?s a separate subject  .

[sport fan]

Hi Kev looks like a fantastic trip  ,nice to see a blue sky  . Monaco is beautiful we went there for the Grand Prix  one year ( the year schumi decided to park on the circuit) 2006 I think  . loved every minute of it , also got in the Cannes film  festival and a drive along  the coast  .