jazzdude

Hi there

I am about to join the ranks of the E60 owners and get myself an m sport. Up to now I was about to go for a 2005 530d msport, get the 19" m172 wheels on it and I thought that was fine. And that I would have alot of car.

Fate brought me across a lovely 2005 535d msport with the 19" rims, its about ?1500.00 more than I budgeted so I decided to look into here to see what the right thing to do is. Now dont get me wrong, I like my fast cars and have had a few, but there are cameras and cops everywhere. Put my foot down and guaranteed theres a kojak with a kodak. So cruise control has saved my license. But what if...?

On here it seems its a no brainer and the 535d is the only car to go for, but do you think the extra power is really worth it, is the 530d a slump? Is it much more thirstier than the 530d? I drive about 800 miles a week so the fuel economy difference would be noticeable. Here in Cyprus where I live the only 5's going around are 520's and I do not have the opportunity to test drive one to see the difference. I will be ordering from abroad and will get to drive it for the first time after I have bought it so any advice would be very much appreciated.

bardel

I haven't driven a 530, but as I understand it's not a slouch by any means. To me, there are extras that come with the 535d as standard compared to a 530d which makes up a good portion of the price difference, but of course this only applies to buying new.

Personally I think the mpg of the 535d is great given the performance, but then so is the 530d (better even)!!! So really a case of how important the mpg is I guess? Since performance was more important to me than mpg I've gone for the 535d (on order now).

Russ1974

I currently have an E60 530d. I have just ordered a new 535d. Not for the speed, but because I didn't really want to buy the same car again. The 535d comes with Auto as standard, on the 530d its an option. Once you add that in, it's not that much more expensive. The 530d is _FAST_. Push your foot down and it pushes you back in to your seat, either from a stand still or from 70 mph. It's a great engine and I really would recommend it.

info@trinityautosport

welcome. same with these guys, 530d as from ive heard and read wouldnt be slow at all. if you get it and speed is a thing for you, you could always go for an ecu remap like many members with diesels have gone with. most common is DMS and chippeduk i believe. you could also go for a remap with a 535d if you like. good luck and enjoy the forums.

dubbers

If I had to choose again, Id go for a 530d manual. I find the autobox in my 5 completely clueless when its in D, and when in sport manual, its just too fas t. This is based on the fact I'd like to hear the engine/exhaust occasionally.

Mike O

Whereas I'd go for the 535d. I guess the grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence

jazzdude

how do they compare as far as reliability, I mean with twin turbos and a higher spec engine is it more likely to go wrong?

Also is the 535d one of those cars that just makes you want to drive fast all the time or is it happy cruising along a motorway on cruise control at 80mph? i have also read a review which suggests that the 535 is not as smooth as the 530. have any of you upgraded from a 530 to a 535 and if so how do you feel about it?

tibby

@Mike O : +1

MacSid

For whatever it's worth, I have been running a 530d since the end of March this year, and have a dirty big grin on my face. It's proved to be everything I expected it to be - refined (the engine's almot inaudible on my 70mph commute, and my wife asks why I'm going so slow until I point out we're going 70), frugal (I've averaged about 36-37mpg) and it's certainly no slouch. It's happy pottering around town or going hells bells on the autobahn, and that combo works for me.

Never driven the 535d, so can't comment. Do I want one? Yes, simply because it's a 535d, but I'll wait until I've actualyl driven one before making a firm decision on that.

BetterMakeWay

Well, if you like manual more,than 530d witrhout a thought. Some members even felt the 530d as delivering the bigger punch. Of course that's just an illusion, because qthe 530d has one big turbo and when it comes, it comes. Also you can remap the 530d and get it to the same specs or even higher than stock 535d. Skaffa here has a mad 530d remaped to 310+ hp and some 600+NM. THat's just insane from a 530d. Bear in mind also that if you get a manual you'll have way better mileage than with a 535d. I average around 17MPG (US) or around 22 MPG (UK) in city drive, which is 95% of the driving time. Either way you can't go wrong.