[BimmerGuyFL78]

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Yesterday I had the opportunity to test drive the 2024 G60 540i xDrive for about a good hour and being able to compare it to my 2023 G30 540i.

The 2024 540i model was a standard sport trim with the base 19” all season none runflat tires and my 2023 540i is a standard sport trim with 18” OEM wheels I had installed about 6 months ago so I could have 45” side profile Michelin none runflat tires instead of the 19” runflats the car came with.

I would say this is an Apples to Apples comparison so I could determine the ride quality and refinement the newer G60 provides.

The G60 540i definitely has a slightly more refined ride over imperfections in the rode with less of a connected feeling over Irregularities. The weight gain wasn’t noticeable, it felt agile and responsive, probably mostly due to the variable sport steering now standard in the G60’s. Steering felt lighter than the comfort setting in the G30 yet it was very precise and accurate. The G60 now comes with the same tech that was introduced on the 2019 3-series with the hydraulic-stop dampers and I believe this is what makes the biggest difference in the improvement over the G30. The new B58 engine has more low end power and responds faster.

The G30 is still a great car in areas that the G60 took a step back, such as overall interior materials and quality. However, the G30 has more of a traditional BMW look and feel to it. Steering on the G30 has more heft to it but is slower to react and doesn’t feel as precise on the road. Suspension is still very comfortable but not as absorbent when you encounter certain breaks in the pavement.

I have a feeling that when my lease is over in 2 years that my next move will be into a new 540i.

The new G60 540i xDrive driving wise is impressive. I was quite pleased with the improvements in the ride and handling depart. They always seem to do a good job of improving the refinement yet still making the car drive smaller than it is.

[deutsch100]

Great write up. My last 5 Series was a 2022 G30. There are for sure similarities to both G30 & G60 (as expected).

I was always surprised how amazingly comfortable and smooth my G30 was and it did not have air suspension. I always said it felt like a baby 7 Series. My new G60 has air suspension, and the ride quality is even better!!

The 2024 5 Series feels heavier and slightly more luxurious, and the seats, ambient lighting and center iDrive area is laid out so well and feels very high end.

I will say though some of the materials in the G30, especially sun visors and lower door materials are for sure MUCH better than the all new 2024 model.

[Adler11th]

Could you elaborate on interior a bit more. What felt odd, good cheap vs expensive etc. I had 19 g30 with comfort seats and they were best seats I experienced in a while. Also interior wood trim with ambient lights always felt like nice yacht. I really enjoyed it on far trips. It’s hard to judge by the pictures for g60 your feedback would be great.

[cfm56d7b]

How is the infotainment system in 2024 model?

[G30M]

Originally Posted by BimmerGuyFL78

Yesterday I had the opportunity to test drive the 2024 G60 540i xDrive for about a good hour and being able to compare it to my 2023 G30 540i.

The 2024 540i model was a standard sport trim with the base 19” all season none runflat tires and my 2023 540i is a standard sport trim with 18” OEM wheels I had installed about 6 months ago so I could have 45” side profile Michelin none runflat tires instead of the 19” runflats the car came with.

I would say this is an Apples to Apples comparison so I could determine the ride quality and refinement the newer G60 provides.

The G60 540i definitely has a slightly more refined ride over imperfections in the rode with less of a connected feeling over Irregularities. The weight gain wasn’t noticeable, it felt agile and responsive, probably mostly due to the variable sport steering now standard in the G60’s. Steering felt lighter than the comfort setting in the G30 yet it was very precise and accurate. The G60 now comes with the same tech that was introduced on the 2019 3-series with the hydraulic-stop dampers and I believe this is what makes the biggest difference in the improvement over the G30. The new B58 engine has more low end power and responds faster.

The G30 is still a great car in areas that the G60 took a step back, such as overall interior materials and quality. However, the G30 has more of a traditional BMW look and feel to it. Steering on the G30 has more heft to it but is slower to react and doesn’t feel as precise on the road. Suspension is still very comfortable but not as absorbent when you encounter certain breaks in the pavement.

I have a feeling that when my lease is over in 2 years that my next move will be into a new 540i.

every EV i have tested have near perfect ride quality and little cornering lean

i think it's the heavy battery in the middle and the stiff-as springs to support the heavy battery in the middle that gives this 'quality'

[BimmerGuyFL78]

Originally Posted by Adler11th

Could you elaborate on interior a bit more. What felt odd, good cheap vs expensive etc. I had 19 g30 with comfort seats and they were best seats I experienced in a while. Also interior wood trim with ambient lights always felt like nice yacht. I really enjoyed it on far trips. It’s hard to judge by the pictures for g60 your feedback would be great.

Absolutely. So I am what you would consider a perfectionist so I pay very close attention to the details.

On the G30 5-series you will notice that the lower sections of the door card (interior door panel) is a soft touch material that has some what of padding that when you press with your finger tips, has what what feels like cushion, the G60 feels like they only wrapped a thin vinyl over hard plastic over that same area. The center console/transmission area between the driver and front passenger on the G30 is all soft touch padded material, on the G60 the lower section of that same area is now hard touch plastic.

The dash on the G60 is padded and of high quality but it no longer the stitching that the G30 had standard on the LCI models. Same thing for the upper interior door padding.

The standard seats on the G60 no longer have power adjustable head rests. This has been a standard feather on all types of BMW 5-series seats since the E34 5-series. If you want power headrests for the front seats of the G60, you now have to pay extra for the luxury seating package (which I would get not only for the power headrests but for the ventilated front seats). Also, the Luxury, seating package does not include the upper section of the back rest that articulates front and back.

The front and rear cupholders on the G60 No longer have a cover tray conceals them like the G30 does.

Comfort access now only works using the front door handles on the G60. On the G30 Comfort access was available on all four doors.

The Harmon Kardon stereo in the G60 Is more like the best stereo in the G30. Bower and Wilkins stereo on the G60 sounds extremely good however, it is more to what Harmon Kardon Stereo sounded like in the G30.

The dash looked very cool in the G60 but seems less luxurious to what the G30’s dash does. Plus I like more physical controls, however I’m sure I would get used to the touch sensitive controls on the new G60. Time will tell.

If you have any other questions let me know. I’m more than glad to answer.

[BimmerGuyFL78]

Originally Posted by g21

every EV i have tested have near perfect ride quality and little cornering lean

i think it's the heavy battery in the middle and the stiff-as springs to support the heavy battery in the middle that gives this 'quality'

Yes, but this isn’t an EV I was comparing. These are both Internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Both having similar inline-6 with a 48 mile hybrid.

Only only difference being that the 2024 G60 540i comes standard with AWD (xDrive). My 2023 540i came standard with rear wheel drive (RWD) which I prefer but I found xDrive to be almost as enjoyable since it’s RWD based and I believe it sends about 70% of the torque to the rear wheels under normal driving conditions.

[JMD]

Originally Posted by BimmerGuyFL78

....

The new G60 540i xDrive driving wise is impressive. I was quite pleased with the improvements in the ride and handling depart. They always seem to do a good job of improving the refinement yet still making the car drive smaller than it is.

I often say to folks, don't drive a given model if you like your current car! That said, for the most part, it's not that our current BMWs perform bad,...badly,...worse,...or 'worser' (LOL),...it's just that BMW often makes changes here and there that amounts to the next model performing better in a number of ways over the BMW of same or near same model as one may be driving at the moment. I've had two G30 540 M Sports and I found it, the 540 (G30), to be a well rounded performer. The only thing it really lacked (to me) was the "Real Deal" B58 from the M340! But hey, BMW knew it absolutely could not offer us a G30 "M540" with the 383hp ICE, as they knew it would be too good for many owners to let go! Being one that has given an F90 a spin, I think the M550 is the G30 to have and for those that don't want the V8,...then the 540 is a very safe place to land.

So, given the improvements made to the G60 over the G30, of which, I take your word regarding such since you've experienced a G60 first hand, I can tell that you get it - Change is Good! Embrace it and enjoy the ride!

Thanks for sharing...

[535gtxenon]

Originally Posted by BimmerGuyFL78

Comfort access now only works using the front door handles on the G60. On the G30 Comfort access was available on all four doors.

This is interesting. So you meant if the car is locked, and I need to get something from the back seat, I would have to first touch the front door handle to unlock it, then I would be able to open rear door ? It is hard to believe BMW would do this to a 60K car. It would be a deal breaker for me.

[SpaceSilver.X1]

Originally Posted by BimmerGuyFL78

I could have 45” side profile Michelin none runflat tires.

how were you able to modify your 540i into a monster truck with 45" side profile tires?

[LVBMW]

Originally Posted by 535gtxenon

This is interesting. So you meant if the car is locked, and I need to get something from the back seat, I would have to first touch the front door handle to unlock it, then I would be able to open rear door ? It is hard to believe BMW would do this to a 60K car. It would be a deal breaker for me.

If you have a compatible phone and activate digital key plus and activate the passive entry option, you don't need to touch any door handles at all to unlock. It will unlock as you approach, and you can set through iDrive whether to unlock all the doors or just the driver's door.

[Scrapula]

Originally Posted by LVBMW

If you have a compatible phone and activate digital key plus and activate the passive entry option, you don't need to touch any door handles at all to unlock. It will unlock as you approach, and you can set through iDrive whether to unlock all the doors or just the driver's door.

Right, this is how I have mine set up. All 4 doors unlock as I approach the vehicle. No need to touch a door handle.

[SpaceSilver.X1]

Originally Posted by LVBMW

If you have a compatible phone and activate digital key plus and activate the passive entry option, you don't need to touch any door handles at all to unlock. It will unlock as you approach, and you can set through iDrive whether to unlock all the doors or just the driver's door.

I loved that for about a week... then it became annoying because my study is next to the garage. whenever I walk around that part of the house, I can hear the car lock and unlock. ended up turning off that option completely.

[LVBMW]

Originally Posted by SpaceSilver.X1

I loved that for about a week... then it became annoying because my study is next to the garage. whenever I walk around that part of the house, I can hear the car lock and unlock. ended up turning off that option completely.

So, this happens for me too. However, I notice that after it does it a few times it stops doing it. Then the next morning I have to touch the handle in the garage to unlock it. I wonder if this is expected behavior to cope with the situation (i.e. after a few lock/unlock cycles without being opened it just stops listening).

[deutsch100]

Originally Posted by 535gtxenon

This is interesting. So you meant if the car is locked, and I need to get something from the back seat, I would have to first touch the front door handle to unlock it, then I would be able to open rear door ? It is hard to believe BMW would do this to a 60K car. It would be a deal breaker for me.

They did this to the $100,000+ iX too. iX only has comfort access buttons/sensors on the two front doors. Our son's 2024 3 Series has comfort access on all 4 doors!

The iX does not even get the door lock button next to the trunk close button (that almost every BMW with power trunk close has) :-O

Penny pinching like this with BMW drives me nuts!!

[LVBMW]

Originally Posted by deutsch100

They did this to the $100,000+ iX too. iX only has comfort access buttons/sensors on the two front doors. Our son's 2024 3 Series has comfort access on all 4 doors!

The iX does not even get the door lock button next to the trunk close button (that almost every BMW with power trunk close has) :-O

Penny pinching like this with BMW drives me nuts!!

Isn't this because the introduction of digital key plus makes much of this obsolete since you don't need to touch a handle or a button to lock/unlock? I'm not sure; I was just thinking maybe this is the rationale?

[Turfer]

Originally Posted by SpaceSilver.X1

I loved that for about a week... then it became annoying because my study is next to the garage. whenever I walk around that part of the house, I can hear the car lock and unlock. ended up turning off that option completely.

I also found this annoying since I like to mess around with projects in my garage all the time. But I found if you open the digital key card in the wallet you can turn off passive entry and then turn it back on when you want it.

[SkykingUSA]

Originally Posted by SpaceSilver.X1

I loved that for about a week... then it became annoying because my study is next to the garage. whenever I walk around that part of the house, I can hear the car lock and unlock. ended up turning off that option completely.

How far away do you think it activates? I may have the same problem as you because the office where I work is directly above the garage where the car will be sitting.

[AP]

I would suggest putting your key in a faraday pouch to stop that and also address any relay attacks on the car .
(Assuming the car is stil vunerable to this type of attack although I know the key should sleep after a while if not moving but if it’s in your pocket it might still be alive while you move around)

[Blue Angel]

So for someone like me who commutes to work and who’s car only has me in it 99% of the time, I set CA to unlock the driver’s door only. With CA on all four doors if I want to unlock the passenger side door for my wife, I just touch the rear door handle and then all four doors unlock.

Is there a workaround for this with the 2 door system on the G60? Agreed that penny pinching on a 5 Series is not a good look for BMW, and I’m afraid we have no choice but to blame the i5 for this and other cost cutting regression.

My F10 has four door CA and the optional soft close doors. The G30 that replaced it had the same and in Canada had standard 4 zone climate control (very cool) and an even nicer interior with more soft touch surfaces and even better finishes.

It seems the G60 is a step backwards in many ways that the customer will definitely notice. Can you even get soft close doors? Not that they’re a clutch feature, far from it, but when uber premium options start disappearing from the list there’s less and less to make a car feel special and to justify its higher price over lesser cars.

[8GranCouper]

How is the turning radius (impressions-wise, not numerical) compared to the G30 with the inline 6? I know this version not having the rear steer of the i5 despite being a bigger car than its predecessor was a blow for some people.

Also wondering if you've ever driven the 840i GC and could comment on how the driving experience compares to that, especially since the G60 is now essentially the same size as the 8er. I've heard impressions from folks with the i5 but I want to hear how it feels with the engine being equal.

[SpaceSilver.X1]

Originally Posted by SkykingUSA

How far away do you think it activates? I may have the same problem as you because the office where I work is directly above the garage where the car will be sitting.

one side of my study share the wall with the back wall of the garage. I estimate the distance from the desk to front door of the car to be about 28 feet.

actually, I just remembered the other reason that I disabled automatic lock/unlock. I was unloading stuff from a Costco haul. The stuff were in my other car parked in the driveway.

It took me a dozen trips from the driveway to the garage to the kitchen to unload everything. Each time I walked past the car in the garage, it unlocks then locks over and over again.

It was raining really hard that day and the stuff from Costco was melting, so I just ignored it. Later I remembered that it was my phone inside my pocket that was doing that.