Mr 5er

I also have the 05 525i and have no complaints about it, I find it does have some get up and go, especially when your on a super highway criusing about 60-70, just step on the gas and its leaps away.

When buying a car its alway a matter of personal choice and what you can afford. You won't go wrong with the 525i........good luck.

youyou

Well all your positive advice is putting my mind at ease.
I mean don't get me wrong I know that a 530i will be quicker but my real issue here was if i will be satisfied with my 525i.
Now with the budget I have I can afford the 525i with every single option available or I can get a 530i with no option whatsoever not even leather but leatherette...
So I personally think I'll be much happier in a 525i with nav/sport/premium/xenons/hk logic 7/active steering/sport seats.... Then in a 530i with nothing... Now yes the 530i is quicker but do I really want to give up all those options just to get the faster engines.... I don't think sooo. and if anybody has any opinions on this please let me know what you think

amigo525

I did the same. Just ordered my 525/2006 with almost everything. But I will do the same i did with my current 525 04. I like to de-badge them

rob525i

I absolutely agree! I ordered my 525i in order to get Nav., had to wait almost three months, but it was worth it. The nav system is excellent.

youyou

Ok so you had to wait 3 months as well... Then it is true it is almost impossible to find a 525i with nav in Canada...
And how do you like it? Does it add any other features besides the actual navigation "program" ?

rob525i

I think it's great. I wouldn't get one without it. Besides Nav, I believe it also adds voice recognition, which is very handy to navigate around iDrive.

BTW, in an earlier post you mentioned that you could either get a fully loaded 525i, or a stripped down 530i without leather. I believe leather is standard on the 530i in Canada, and optional on the 525i.

youyou

Ya i'm sorry about that...
I actually went on the bmw Canada website right after and realized that it's standard on the 530i
So basically a 530i with leather and that's it or a fully fully loaded 525i.
And even at that the 530i is still a bit more expensive.
And i'm reffereing to leasing by the way because i will be leasing the car.

Vitacura

You are making the right decision going with the loaded 525i. The nav is great, takes a little getting used to the voice commands and shortcuts, but once you do it will be awesome!

pipper

im surprised no one has mentioned this...youre in canada, wouldnt the XI model be mandatory up there with all the snow u get????

TB CD

Go with the loaded 525.

I had an 05 530, loaded except for winter package and HUD, the speed was enough for me to move like I wanted to on the roads, moving around slower traffic with relative ease, never having to rev the bejesus out of the motor to get up and get going.

Traded it in and got a 645 Cic, it's in the shop right now and I have an 06 525 loaner. The power difference between it and the 530 is noticeable if you are in the gas all the time. If you don't drive in a "spirited" fashion, you really won't notice the difference.

If it were me, I'd get the 530 with sport package and nothing else. I'm the type of guy who would remove the AC and power steering from an engine just to gain some horsepower for one night's worth of racing.... That's how much of a speed freak I am. But for most folks, I'd say they'd be happier with a loaded 525.

However, if you ever think you will use the car as a "poor man's race car" on Sunday mornings on your favorite deserted country roads, get the 530i. The 525i forces you to keep the go-pedal down and the revs up to get any sort of "pull" from the motor. The 530 has enough grunt that you can ride the midrange from 3000 to 4500 rpm, shift, and not feel like the cylinder head is going to vibrate off the block as it would if you had to keep the 525 on full boil at 4500+ rpm all the time. If you have another car that you can take out to flog, then go with the 525.

My $.02