Richard in NC

If you read the C&D articles on the e60, it's always the best in class except for 2 possible reasons, price & iDrive. C&D votes the 3 in because it doesn't usually have iDrive. Frankly I'm tired of the press dissing iDrive. An hour to know it and its as good or better than most control systems.

craigm1841

i love i-drive. it took me a minute to get used to, but now i love it. it is easy to use and i couldnt imagine reaching to control stuff now

DrLev99

+1

swajames

Not the case here at all. The 3 gets the nod as it is the better drivers car. I don't doubt the E60 is more practical, and that's why I bought two myself, but the 3 is on the list in place of the 5 as it is the better overall package. C&D is the most pro-BMW magazine in the US, and there's little to suggest that it's iDrive alone keeping the E60 off the list. C&D has in fact included the 5 series six times - but never as an E60, with the E39 being a pretty regular winner. The 3, on the other hand, is a perennial with eighteen wins (and ten straight in the last ten years). Simple fact is that from a C&D 10 Best perspective, the 3 survived the transition from E46 to E90, but the 5er didn't fare as well with the E39 to E60 transition.

craigm1841

all that shit is subjective. jesus christ himself could come back to earth and say the pontiac sunfire is the greatest car in accordance with some prophecy, and i could give a shit. if i like the razr scooter, thats what i am going to get and kick my way around town with a helmet and a reflective vest on and nobody could tell me that my awesome ride isnt the shit. and cost to value would be insane. i would get infinite miles to the thimble and it would have a sticker price of $14.99

sdg1871

First of all, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes offer very different experiences.

To me, if you value the best handling and steering, go with BMW. I did.

But if you are looking for the faster car in a straight line, the E550, with its 382 bhp big V8 motor, is a bit faster than either BMW 550 or 535. But the suspension and steering in the MB are numb. It is just not a fun ride in the twisties. And MB has a horrible mechanical reliability rating.

The Lexis GS460 has a beautiful, luxurious sound system and an easier to use nav system/driver interface. But it is not nearly as fast as BMW 550 or 535. And its steering and suspension stink. This is the ride if you value luxury and not sport. That is why GS460 comes in last in just about every mid-sized luxury sedan comparison.

Another car to look at is the Jaguar XF Supercharged. It really is a terrific car. Fast and great handling. It has won most of the recent comparison tests. But Jaguars tend to have poor reliability ratings, resale values and, to me, it just did not drive as well as the BMW 550. But there is no harm in checking it out.

If you are looking for all out power, the Caddy CTS-V, at 556 bhp, is something to look at. It is no rental car and anyone who claims that it is is just being silly. It is an incredible value, especially if you can get a GM employee to give you a GMS code for pricing (an employee discount that reduces the car's price by many many thousands and there are GM employees on the Caddy forums discussing CTS-V who will give you a GMS code. the But I just could never bring myself to spend so much on a GM product. And I love BMWs and their handling and suspensions too much.

Between BMW 535 and 550, you can't go wrong. The 550 is a bit faster than the 535, especially at highway speeds. I went with the 550 as, for me, there is just no substitute for cubic inches. Also, I lease my cars and, as a result, cannot mod them. And the 550 has a lot of stuff standard that is optional in the 535. The 535 is a little lighter on its feet due to its smaller engine. But both handle well.

Good luck and happy hunting.

inuwashi

It really depends on what you want. But the CTS-V is a really nice car and gives the M a run for its money.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?se...article_id=7113
http://www.roadandtrack.com/video/index.ht...ctid=1753274258

sdg1871

You are right. The CTS-V is faster 0-60 than the M5 and faster around the racetrack. And it is priced more like a 550. To get an M5 to be as powerful as a CTS-V takes expensive mods which add to the price of almost $100K. So, if bhp per dollar is your game, the CTS-V is your car. But to me, there is just something special about BMWs that GM cars will never have. I'd get a M5 if I could afford one. I have a 550i Sport as that's the best 5 that is within my budget.

Of course, when the F10 M5 comes out, I have no doubt that it will blow the CTS-V away. But that is at least 2 years away I think. And it will certainly be many tens of thousands of dollars more than the CTS-V. But it will be better.

swajames

BMW's risk is that it is the engine that really defines the M5 (its suspension isn't radically different to the 550i M-Sport) and introducing turbocharging into the mix creates a whole new dynamic in terms of how competitors respond. The engine in the CTS-V is closely related to the plant in the Corvette ZR-1, and it will not be at all difficult for GM to undo the restrictions that limit the CTS-V unit to "just" 556bhp compared to the 638 in the ZR-1. Not many people realize that GM has been using electro-magnetically controlled shocks from Delphi on the CTS-V - these are the same ones Ferrari is using in the 599 and Audi is using in the R8. By the time the F10 M5 is with us, the CTS-V will have evolved too, and it is likely have a powerplant and a ride/handling balance capable of matching whatever BMW throw at the F10.

So in a nutshell, I'm not so sure that the position is as clear as you think.

monacobmw

I went into the dealership today.
I am leaning to the 550i for the following reasons.

(1) When you add the Aero package to the 535i, the price difference is smaller.
(2) The 550i is more abundant than the 535i with Aero to get a 2009 model with discounts
(3) I want the Carbon Black color which does not come with the 535i.
(4) Some of you have reported that the fuel economy of the 550i is not that bad compared to the 535i.
(5) Every single 535i that we have seen with Aero comes loaded, and I don't want to pay for all of the other stuff. The 550i mostly comes with what I want, and you can no longer order a 2009 to get the discounts.

I still like the 535i idea, as I am more interested in the overall package, and both cars have their pros and cons.
Perhaps the 550i will survive longer as a prestige car when the new design comes out.