SHIFTING OPINION; Making the World Go Roundel.(News)

Byline: ROGER HART

Debating our test vehicles' merits is one of the hot discussions around the AutoWeek water cooler, and our long-term BMW 545i has been a common subject in its third quarter here.

Now, while we don't actually have a water cooler, we do have an electronic logbook where comments are recorded, and differences of opinion are common. A recent note had one editor saying the BMW's manual transmission, specifically the clutch and shifter, is among the best in the business. Another disagreed, saying he found trying to drive the 545 smoothly is a challenge, specifically because the car's clutch take-up is too high in the pedal travel and the shifter has a rubbery feel to it.

"Changing gears smoothly in most of these cars [BMWs] is a slow and deliberate task for me,'' wrote one staffer. "I know, the 3 and 5 Series are not little sports cars, and I bow to BMW for even offering manual gearboxes now, especially in the 5 Series. But I really don't care for its feel and operation.''

One thing not under debate is an increasing annoyance with squeaks and rattles coming from the car's door panels.

"The interior squeaking/flexing/whatever you want to call it is an abomination in any car, let alone one costing $61,000,'' noted an editor. A scheduled service appointment should cure the problem.

Another negative is of our own doing: locking the keys in the vehicle when it was running. The car was, naturally, not near the office when this happened, and a call to ...