BMW540i - w. comparison to Mercedes

See also my review of the new 745i (2002).

Through 8 months of driving the BMW 540i, I've come to love the car.

I bought the car because of its sportiness, luxurious feel, and safety features and record. Because I like the sportiness, I would never buy the 528 (6 cylinders), but would rather shell out a little more to get the extra power of the 8 cylinders, even if the highway patrol may not agree....

Feel:
The seats are made of soft leather which folds around your body. Sitting down in the seats is like coming home - a nice and cozy feeling. The controls to operate the seat positions are easy to use and allow you to find the right position.
The dashboard and controls are very informative, even if slightly over-engineering.

Ease of use:
The BMW540i is just as much a computer on wheels, as it is a car. After watching the instruction video, listening to the instruction tape, and reading considerable parts of the instruction manual, I still need to pull out the manual occasionally just to operate the sound, not to speak of the built-in cell phone.
The sound system has many settings but it is too complicated to switch between the settings.

Safety:
The only safety feature which I know I have used so far is the stability control. Going fast around a corner on a slippery street, I had the control kick in and effectively drive the car, a scary feeling; I also felt that the car would not have skidded out with me at the controls(!) - but at least now I know that the feature works.

My main gripes:
The cup holders are terrible. I broke the first one within two weeks, and the second one within 3-4 months. Even when not broken, they do not hold anything comfortably. Your drink will just pop out of the holder. This creates very dangerous situations. (to make things worse, the instruction manual tells you to no put fluids close to the radio, but the cup holders are literally on the radio).

The remote entry system is not 100% reliable - it does not always accept your commands.

Comparison:
My husband's car is a Mercedes E420. The E420 drives very smoothly, but it lacks the sporty feel of the 540i. Passengers are more comfortable in the Mercedes, while the BMW is more of a driver's car. The Mercedes is easier to get in and out of. It also clearly has more snob value (people do look to see who you are), while the BMW is more anonymous. But for fun and safety, it is hard to beat the BMW.