nbarco

I am torn between getting a 550i and a 530i. I am in the US Army currently stationed in Germany for another year and a half. I just solde a 2002 Volvo S60 AWD and ordered a 2006 530i. I just saw the price on the 550i and it is roughly a $5000 difference for me. I can take advantage of the engine while I am here in Germany, but upon return to the States, do I really need this kind of horsepower? Gas consumption? Below are the figures with both vehicles, what do you guys think?

530i 550i
41400 50300
Cold Weather PKG 750 750
Premium Sound 1800 1800
Comfort Seats 1200 1200
Navigation 1600 1600
PDC 700 700 (maybe included)
Prep 265 265

Total 50,790 56,615 (maybe 55,915)

Which and Why?

joebel

I was in the same position. After looking over the price difference and thinking about the cars, I decided that the 550/545 was a better value. I also suspect the fuel economy won't be greatly in favour of the 530 either. Bottom line, if you really want the 550 go for it. You'll regret saving just a few bucks otherwise.

jlgnyc11

Pricing figures seem odd (I thought 550 almost 10K higher), but assuming they are correct, no question in my opinion you go for the 550i. I tested the 530 and the 545 and no comparison. It has nothing to do with 'top speed' which you can't really reach in the states (unless you are going to live in Montana or somewhere out West). It is the driving experience. The engines have totally different personalities. The 550 (assuming it will feel a lot like the 545) is a V-8 bull - you have all kinds of low end and high end power. Great for city driving, changing lanes, avoiding taxis, etc. Also great for merging onto a busy freeway. The 530 is certainly not sluggish, but it feels that way after driving the 545. I also recommend Sport pack with the speed-sensitive steering, which I personally think is a phenomenal invention. You get so used to it that it is unpleasant driving cars without it. I think at 5 mph lock-to-lock is only about 3/4 of one rotation of the steering wheel.

Good luck. Either way can't lose. If you do go for 530 I would take advantage of X-drive (4 wheel drive), but again that depends on where in the US you will be living. And thanks for your service to the Country! I had family stationed in Heidelberg for years.

MaxBuck

This is just me, but had the 545 not been sold in the US I would not be driving an e60. For me, the 530 lacked the necessary grunt, and it did not provide sufficient performance advantage over competitors such as the new Acura RL. I might even have ended up with the Caddy STS V8.

Of course, the 545 is available (soon to be 550), and the rest of the discussion is moot. Go for the 550; it's well worth the cost premium.

nbarco

The discrepancy in price is because these are the prices for the military sales program.

m630

if you are not in a 'rush', i'd hold out a bit more, now that the 540i is confirmed, i cant see them not offering it to the US market...i too think that the 530i is a bit underpowered and that the 550i may be going overboard, but the 540i would be a perfect fit for the E60, ~306bhp sounds perfect.... the hard part in the more waiting part....

Edlee

Have you not considered the 540?

nbarco

I am being told that the 540i will not be offered in the US market. So that is not a choice. The military sales division here in Germany has information well before the States, so I am going to have to take this as reliable information. The 550i has a base price of 50,300, but includes the premium package and Step which are an 1800 option and 1275 option. With that said I would be paying $5825 for a bigger engine. Anyone have the fuel consumption info on the 550i?

jhav

I've had my 545 since May and have ~3k miles on it. According to the OBC, I am only getting ~15 mpg --- granted, I drive the car pretty hard. I have a 6 speed and regularly push RPM's to 4500+ before shifting and typically cruise between 3k-4k RPM. Perhaps if I were a bit more conservative in my shifting techniques, I could eek out a couple more mpg.

Having said that, the 545 is just an incredible driving machine. I drove the 530 before purchasing, it it was by no means a sluggish drive, the 545 though is in a different league --- the 550 probably even more so. If you are a driving enthusiast, considering the <$10 price difference, I'd go for the 550. Sure you'll pay a bit more in gas, but your enjoyment on the road should more than make up for it ----

....now for about another $20k+, you could get the M5...

DISCLAIMER: I drove an '05 530 - not an '06... if I have heard correctly, the '06 530 (and 525 for that matter) received a performance boost over the '05.

tomwid

I'm getting 14.4 MPG!!