UUronL

...i still wouldnt believe that, as im sure no one knows this info yet...I see NO reason that they will not bring the 540i to the US, it may take a few more months, but there is too big a gap in the US between the performance of the 530 with 258bhp and the 550 with 367 bhp... the 306bhp fills that gap perfectly, especially when you consider that the 525 and 530 now both have the 3.0 in the US, they can discontinue the 525 at any time now and make the US lineup 530/540/550, it just makes the most business sense, though i conceed that BMW NA is the absolute WORST in terms of marketing decisions

... still holding my breathe
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I hope you get a chance to buy a 540i.



BMW figures:

0-100 kph (0-62mph)

530i - 6.5 seconds
540i - 6.2 seconds
550i - 5.5 seconds

BMW US figures:

0-60 mph

330i - 6.1 seconds
530i - 6.4 seconds
540i - unpublished
550i - unpublished

These are uber-pessimistic. Car and Driver put a 2006 330i Sport through its paces and hit 60 in 5.6 seconds. It is only 24 pounds lighter than the 530i and the 530i actually has a better final drive ratio so I doubt the .3 seconds gap is even accurate between the two. The 330i Sport is also heavier than a normal 3 and BMW is likely quoting the non-sport 330i figure. A 2006 530i should be under 6 seconds 0-60. The 550i should be under 5. How fast is fast enough? A personal question to consider.

530iii

Go for the 550i man, it's like having extra "hardware" with fully loaded high cap-mags /extra manpower at your disposal even if you don't need 'em! Peace through superior firepower!

One would hate to be in a situation where you needed the additional ooomph and didn't have it.

Hence the 360hp vs. 255hp issue.

ktulu

I don't think anybody on here needs a 550i!!! I wouldn't ever even think about it if I were YOU!!! The 550i is a waste for YOU!!!

Sorry..just trying to make it so undesirable that when I get mine they will give it away just to get one out the door! It is true though that even if you were to get the 525i you can have a LOT of fun! I am not looking forward to geting rid of my e39..its just that much fun...even more so than the 4.8is at times!

Good luck...and in case you don't understand sarcasm I think you should get the 550i!

SteveHI

I haven't driven the '06 530, but owned the last generation 3.0L in my 330ci. The performance was impressive, but it doesn't really compare with the 545's V8. The 530's performance will be more than adequate, except for racing Mustangs and the like. I think many of us buy the upgraded engines to know we have it, and not for any particular need; there's really no objective rationale for 300+ hp in a sedan.

That being said, I'm sure I would have regretted not getting the V8. As much as I love my car, a part of me wishes I held out for an E39 M5 for the same irrational reasons I opted for the V8.

alohalc

i'd take the 550 w/o a second thought. when i got mine, the price between 530 and 545 was $10k diff and that's the reason why i got 530 :'(. $5k will get you joy, thrill, fun and more. way worth it . oh, don't worry about the gas too much. i only have around 14 mpg in my 530 but some members have way better reading in their 545 .

pennetta

If you can swing the extra $5K get the 550. If you drive your cars hard then the gas mileage will not be much different. I had a 2002 525 which got 19 miles per gallon and my 2004 545 gets 18 mpg. I think its because when I drove the 525 I brought the revs up much higher in every gear, all the time. With the 545 you don't have to unless you really want to boogie.
I am in the States and I use the power everyday, everyone here drives 80 mph on the Parkways/Expressways so 100-150 mph blasts are not out of the question. I love blowing off Porsche Boxsters and the like on my drive to work, can't do that with the 530. On the twisties you can leave behind almost any other car, the sport package is awesome.

UUronL

Few of us participating in this discussion are actually commenting on the current 530i, let alone basing our comments on the current 530i. I suppose that doesn't take anything away from the 545i - I just think the new 530i isn't being accurately represented by people making comments about E39 525s and M54 530s.

I drive my car fairly hard and the mileage is much different than what people report with their 545s. The new engine makes its torque 750 rpms lower than the old M54. That means I don't have to rev much to boogie either. The absolute worst I ever see is just shy of 24 mpg - and my drive sounds like yours (except no drag racing or 100+ bursts). With that said, I concede that gas mileage alone is a terrible reason to make a decision like this. There are more appropriate cars for gas mileage... just as there are more appropriate cars for all-out speed.

Strange. A Boxter is about the same performance as the 545i - the S a tad more powerful. Perhaps you're just picking good battles. Be safe out there.

Heloha

Don't forget about stopping power people...I test drove both the 06 530 and an 05 545 a while back and the 545 felt like it stopped a lot better! I don't know the exact specs but I have to jump on the 550i band wagon, thats where I'm putting my money in a couple of months.

pennetta

Few of us participating in this discussion are actually commenting on the current 530i, let alone basing our comments on the current 530i. I suppose that doesn't take anything away from the 545i - I just think the new 530i isn't being accurately represented by people making comments about E39 525s and M54 530s.

I drive my car fairly hard and the mileage is much different than what people report with their 545s. The new engine makes its torque 750 rpms lower than the old M54. That means I don't have to rev much to boogie either. The absolute worst I ever see is just shy of 24 mpg - and my drive sounds like yours (except no drag racing or 100+ bursts). With that said, I concede that gas mileage alone is a terrible reason to make a decision like this. There are more appropriate cars for gas mileage... just as there are more appropriate cars for all-out speed.

Strange. A Boxter is about the same performance as the 545i - the S a tad more powerful. Perhaps you're just picking good battles. Be safe out there.
[/quote]
The Boxsters over the years look the same to me and I know the HP/Torque ratings have increased over the years so I might be mostly catching the earlier ones. Some are Tiptronic as well. I am up on the North Shore of Long Island where not many roads are straight so I think confidence plays a big role as well. Also I have an SMG car where the combination of sport mode and aggressive driving yields very fast shifts which is saving some acceleration time.
I read the magazines as well and I know what cars not to race on a straight but I will race anything in the turns.

LuvE60

The two engines are not in the same class. The V8 is just plain fast. The 530 is fine, and if you don't care about the performance than get the 530. If you want a very quick car get the 550. The cost factor is not the issue. What kind of performance do you want. That is the question.