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“The BMW 528i SE is a fabulous car. I also drive a...”

written by Jagmeet Singh Saggu on 30/06/2005

Good Points
Power, Lack of noise, Soft leather, Excellent driving position, almost everything!

Bad Points
Not enough storage space around the driver, nothing else.

General Comments
The BMW 528i SE is a fabulous car. I also drive a Mercedes Benz E240 on a Y-plate (2001). That has a 2.6 V6 engine, so I didn't expect the performance from this car to be much better. Amazingly, it is a LOT quicker, which is saying something, since the E class is no slouch. I can only imagine what a V8 BMW would be like!

It's hugely practical, with a larger boot than most cars on the road and access to the plush interior is easy thanks to perfectly positioned seats and wide openings of the doors.

The seats on my car are standard grey leather seats. They are very soft and extremely comfortable on long journeys.

You may have heard from people that there's no legroom in the back, but I can say with confidence that there is just a little bit less legroom than in the E class, which is huge. It is, however, a tad narrower.

One thing I find interesting is that the car has an inch less rear legroom than the E class. I put that down to the length being an inch shorter. The interesting thing is that the boot is massively bigger, so I don't know where Mercedes-Benz wasted that space!

The fuel consumption of the car is brilliant, and I often get 35mpg while driving on the motorway (90mph +). In town it's about 28 mpg, which is not bad at all.

The car is quieter than my Merc at any given speed. I find that hard to believe, but it's true. At 60mph in the Merc, you are aware of a little road noise. In the BMW, there is hardly any noise at all. At idle, you can just about hear the E's engine, while me and many friends have thought the engine shut off while at a standstill in the BMW! It really is that quiet.

Residuals are probably slightly better on the E class, but those don't bother me at all. If you get this car (a genuine one) you'll feel the same - I never want to sell this car.

The driving position is brilliant, with all controls falling readily to hand. The sound quality from the standard speaker system is good enough for most people, including me. I find the 6 CD changer very useful.

If you look for one of these cars, try and get one with a 6 CD changer in the boot, and a tape/radio set up at the front. That way, you get the best of both worlds!

My car also has a rear electric blind, which is an ingenious design. I can see out perfectly, but no-one can see in. The xenon headlamps on my car are also amazing for night driving. I am now looking for someone to retrofit xenon's to my E class.

Security is top notch, and this car is fitted with one of, if not the best immobiliser in the World. In case it does get stolen though, I've had my car fitted with Tracker. Security is impressive, because my car has rear side airbags (optional) and a whole array of airbags at the front. The front bumpers will absorb impacts up to 2.5 mph, but I hope I never need to experience that!

Insurance is one thing many people worry about with a big car like this. I also own a VW Golf Mark 3 1.8 for town use. The insurance for this car is a mere £150 more than the Golf's!

One last thing I want to say is the ride and handling far exceed the Merc. It's smoother and it feels glued to the road, whereas the E-class tends to bounce around everywhere in comparison. Don't get me wrong, the E240 is a beautiful car, I just prefer this one :)

I hope I haven't missed anything out in this review, so let me know if I have and I'll tell you anything you need to know.