M-sport all the way dude! Ive had an SE and it was very much an inferior car in both looks and drivability.

 

I was more intrigued by the comment that a year-for-year MSport is less "noisy". That's really over-egging the pudding.

As for the "ride" it depends on your driving style.

ABC

 

When I drove an SE and an M-Sport back to back the SE had noticeably more road noise and heavier steering. This surprised me as the contrary would have been expected. The tyres on both cars were similarly half worn and I mentioned to the dealer that those on the SE felt under-inflated. He suggested that if that was the case then a warning would have shown up on the dashboard and that they were therefore ok.

To be fair the ride the ride in either the SE or M-Sport is neither particularly harsh nor particularly cosseting (The touring rear suspension is, however, poor). I felt that the ride/ handling balance of the M-Sport was a better compromise for A roads and Motorways than the SE because the extra stability afforded in bends and better turn-in was at the expense of very little extra harshness. The SE was however noticeable superior on B roads at low speed (Less than 50mph). Both can be a little unstable at medium speeds (85-110ish), thereafter they both felt stable.

Agreed that at lower speeds the SE is better at wafting.

 

I had the same problem some weeks ago. I was considering the 520dT with leather sport seats. But I also wanted the ISOFIX in the front passenger seat and this cannot be combined with manual sports seats in the LCI. Because I had already added the lumbar support to the sports seats, adding electric controls would cost as much as the comfort seats. So then I was considering the comfort seats and suddenly realised that I could go with the 525dT with standard seats for almost the same price.

Finally, after I test drove the 525d with the old engine, I realised that I really wanted the 525d with the nice 6 cylinder. So 525dT with standard seats in leather with lumbar support it will be. Plus some other goodies like xenon, PDC, 6FL, Hifi etc.

I will take delivery on June 1st and I am counting every second.

 

Most Motorways I use don't have bends severe enough to notice!

As always, opinions are of interest.

ABC