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I had an e39 (2001 525i) for 15 years. I miss that car!
I think the e39 was the high water mark for BMW. Best driving, best looking five series ever. Of the new BMW's I have driven, none even come close to the road feel of the e39. I'm afraid the engineers that designed that car have left the building.
Modern BMW's have lost that locked to the road, on rails feeling. There are a lot of BMW's these days; maybe the M cars have more road feel. I don't have any experience with those. The only "new" BMW's that I have experience with are current generation, X3, X5, X7, 330ix, 540ix, 530ix, 740ix. Maybe someone with experience with M cars can share their experience.
The new cars have a much improved drive train compared to the e39. The turbo engines mated to the 8 speed ZF are amazing! It's like warp drive compared to my e39. So, what the new cars lack in road feel, they more than make up with horsepower.
The G20 3 series is essentially the same size as the e39. So... if you like the size, that's going to be the one. It's no e39, but it is much faster (even the 330i), has great brakes and is better in every way... except road feel.
See if you can get some seat time in the cars you are interested in. A quick road test is probably not enough time... although sometimes that first impression is pretty accurate.
Best of luck, and have fun checking out the new cars. They've made a few changes since the e39.
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