Why doesn't BMW do this?

rp911t

rp911t

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Personally i feel that BMW Should increase the amount of horsepower in the 5series sedans, honestly now. You pay more for the vehicle, why not get more power out of it? Anyone agree with me on this? Instead of 225 hp for the 525 try maybe 250? 260? And for the 530 why not 270 or 290? Spend more for comfort and technology, why not more power?
 
codex57

codex57

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The 525 doesn't quite have 225 hp I'm pretty sure. I have the same engine and I only have 187 hp. They should have more horsepower, but it doesn't necessarily mean we should be comparing numbers to other companies. 235 BMW horsepower is equivalent to about 273 hp from Nissan.

BMW needs to make standard a lot of options it has. Kinda like leather or power seats or some other stuff they charge for. They need to add some of that stuff in addition to more power.
 
tool fan

tool fan

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codex57 said:
The 525 doesn't quite have 225 hp I'm pretty sure. I have the same engine and I only have 187 hp. They should have more horsepower, but it doesn't necessarily mean we should be comparing numbers to other companies. 235 BMW horsepower is equivalent to about 273 hp from Nissan.

BMW needs to make standard a lot of options it has. Kinda like leather or power seats or some other stuff they charge for. They need to add some of that stuff in addition to more power.
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The 525 only has 187hp....WEAK for that size of a vehicle. My 530i has 225hp which at times I find also weak. Car is fast no doubt...but I want more. I am waiting for the AC Schnitzer chip upgrade for 270 hp. Then it should be zoomin a little better.

Second...if you buy the standard top of the line 545i EVERTHING is pretty much standard aside from the sport package and such other amenities.
 
Section_8

Section_8

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rp911t said:
Personally i feel that BMW Should increase the amount of horsepower in the 5series sedans, honestly now. You pay more for the vehicle, why not get more power out of it? Anyone agree with me on this? Instead of 225 hp for the 525 try maybe 250? 260? And for the 530 why not 270 or 290? Spend more for comfort and technology, why not more power?
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BMW is a german company, thus efficiently is their middle name. They do not have the luxury of having a large # of factories, like say a GM, Ford, etc etc. They also do not sell near as many vehicles as aformentioned companies. They share engines among many of their models (3 series, 5 series, Z series), that 525 means that is the same engine as a 325, or a Z3 2.5. It's not going to get more HP being in a 5 series, that would involve a different badging, and a different engine. (Which is what I think you mean - why not a 540/550/560 instead of a 525/530/545, or something to that effect?)

Which at that point I say - the 5 series does have more HP, check out the 545 V8, or the M5 monster. You just have to fork over more money for the engine you want. You won't get more HP for the same price from BMW, their engines are very pricey in comparison to the majority of car manufacturers.

I do agree - the 525 is poorly powered, I feel sorry for 525 owners when I see them, as they own the slowest BMW (even slower than mine!) made in recent years.. (heavy, and underpowered).. [:(]
 
codex57

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From the performance numbers. BMW horses seem to perform far better than the actual amount seems to indicate. A BMW 330 ZHP is barely outrun in the 0-60 by a G35 Coupe. One has 235 hp, the other has 280. The G35 should theoretically kill the BMW. That's not the case.

Horsepower is horsepower, but cars differ in how they get it to the ground and what's useable. BMWs seem to have very low drivetrain losses. Other cars have higher ones. Differences like that. BMW has somehow optimized their horsepower. So, even though they're down on hp in paper, the actual performance doesn't show as much a deficit as you might expect. If it's a competitor with closer numbers (say Audi A4 3.0 or Mercedes C320), the competitor gets roasted.
 
Average Jae

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manufacturer figures can be misleading, esp when it comes to horsepower. the important number is the hp @ the wheels, which no manfacturer will mention, because it'll somehow lessen the appeal.

bmw seems conservative w/ their hp/ torque figures, and maybe nissan is more liberal w/ it, thus the huge disparity in stats, but similar performance numbers.

that said, getting a 525 is like getting a 5er for the sake of getting a 5er. and you get what you pay for (in that catagory) i doubt the owners of 525 look at hard accel numbers to determine their purchase.

do you get the best of 3er in the 40s or least of 5er in the 40s? different options for different people.
 
Chesty Bonds

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I think we should remember that all of us here are driving enthusiasts and, as such, we place a fairly high emphasis on power/torque/speed etc. For many people who buy a 525i, they do so probably more for the fact that it's a sizeable BMW that is comfortable, refined, and dynamically very well sorted.

I think we also must remember that there is no point in asking for more and more power because where will it end up? I personally believe that the current power-war between the German motor cos. is utterly unnecesary. I mean the AMG CL 65 is a case in point. Nobody can legally use that much power and the car can't even use it all efficiently anyway. This is why i get depressed when i see the new M5 will have a 500BHP V10 and the M3 a 400BHP V8. I mean, what is the point? There is a limit to the amount of power that can be used to its full effect and i thought the previous 400BHP M5 was about perfect. Once power figures skyrocket then the driving dynamics (feedback, fluidity, feel etc) go out the window and 'driver aids' are used increasingly just to protect drivers who are unable to control such ludicrous amounts of ponies. And an SMG-only M5? C'mon BMW, that's just lame.
 
A

Aeson

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Chesty Bonds and Average Jae are right on the money. My wife has had a 325, 318 and now has the 525. An additional 25hp wouldn't mean a darn thing to her. Which is probably the profile of the people driving this model. She could have purchased any car (literally) she wanted, but thats the one she is happy with.

Comparing HP is really elementary. Codex57 touched on it eariler when he said it matters how much HP is getting to the wheels. You would have also have to take into account the tranny, gear ratios, torque and weight of the vehicle. There are lots of cars with under 300 HP that are fast.

I think BMW's answer to this tread would be to buy and M5.
 
E

epj3

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One thing to keep in mind - even though there are competing japanese cars with more horsepower for less money - bmw engines have always had a great power curve - meaning more power more often...

This is why the 333hp M3 can keep up in a straight line with a 400 HP C5 vette (which weighs less).
 
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