I placed an order for a 535xi - platinum gray, natural brown with anthracite HL, PP, SP with 18" wheels, CWP, Nav, FD rear seats and Logic7. This forum was great for sorting out the options - thanks all. I did make the mistake of driving the 550i too - finally decided to go the xi route...another $6K+ is a lot more so I came to my senses - and I figure you always need something better to look forward to!

Now the wait - ordered July 13 - my dealer said they "had a slot" so it went immediately into production and I could see it in as early as 4 weeks...I'm guessing more like 6 weeks (I'm in NYS). The owners' circle finally showed it "scheduled for production" when I checked today; the dealer said they have access to more accurate info than shown on the website. Anyone know the rough time frames for production, waiting for shipment, etc.?

Well - after driving a '99 323i and '02 530i, I tried the SUV route with an LR3 for a couple years - fine SUV, but can't wait to have fun driving again!

Thanks again.

 

FWIW, we ordered our 535Xi on 26 May, and picked it up on 2 July. It actually arrived at the dealer the afternoon of 30 June, but that was a Saturday, and the salesman said they didn't have anyone to clean it up, so pick up was Monday.

Thanks
Bruce

 

Thanks Bruce - by the way what are your impressions of the xi so far? Any surprises, option regrets, etc.?

 

Congrats! I pick mine up in Munich next month!

 

Good luck, your going to love the car.

 

Jim O'B,

I traded in an '06 330Xi for the 535Xi. The catalyst for doing that was the occasional ride harshness in the 330Xi, with RFTs, over larger road irregularities. I like firm, but not harsh. That wasn't the only reason I traded, but it got me started on looking for another car. The 535Xi is much smoother riding and doesn't suffer the periodic "hard hits" of the 330Xi, so I am very happy about that.

What I like about the 535Xi is: smoothness and quietness; handling; great combination of ride and handling; power; responsiveness of the engine and transmission (I don't feel the need to use SD like I did in the 330Xi); roomier all around; the multi-contour seats; a rear seat usable by adults even when the driver's seat is back far enough for my long legs; higher seating position; and easier ingress and egress. So far, I like iDrive, at least for the audio system. I like the colors and every option I picked- space gray, gray leather interior, sport package, premium package, cold weather package, folding rear seats, heated rear seats, Logic7 premium audio, Sirius, and HD radio.

The only option I wasn't sure of was the 18" wheels and tires. I like the looks of the wheels, but did not like the idea of what lower profile RFTs might do to the ride quality. I also did not want to drive in the winter with summer performance tires, so I felt I would have to either change the summer performance tires to all seasons, or buy a second set of wheels and tires for the winter. Given all this, I decided against the 18" wheel option.

I'm still adapting to the car being larger than the 3 series in terms of around town maneuvering and parking. On the open road, the 535Xi is very stable and secure feeling. The steering is different, it has a heavier feel than the 330Xi I traded and a heavier feel than my wife's '06 X3. I'm starting to adjust to the steering, but was wondering at first if it was an issue.

Thanks
Bruce

 

Thanks Bruce - very informative. Along with color combination, I struggled too with the 18" wheels and RFT's decision...I decided to go with them because to me the wheels added so much to its look. I'll runs snows from Tirerack in the winter - I just hope I'm not disappointed with the ride/noise and wear of the RFt's; if they are really bad I guess I could always put all-seasons on the 18's and run them year-round and skip the snows. The dealer told me the RFT's have gotten better - I'm not even sure what brand they use...we'll see.

 

We took the first road trip in our 535Xi this past weekend, about 250 miles each way. Just for grins, I ran a test to check highway gas mileage. After I got up to speed on Interstate I-81 in the Shenandoah Valley, I reset the avg mph and avg mpg on the car?s computer, and tried to drive at a constant 75 mph while not being heavy-footed with the gas.

At the end of a 90 mile stretch on the first day, the display read an avg mph of 73.4, and an avg mpg of 27.6. On the second day, at the end of a 40 mile stretch, I averaged 73.8 mph and 30.1 mpg.

Thanks
Bruce

 

That's good to hear...I'm getting about 14mpg with my LR3 now! The dealer explained that I should see better mileage than what is published due to some change in EPA guidelines.