Real world does indeed rule, and here on the forum we have all the evidence we could reasonably require at our fingertips. The 545's fastest magazine test for 0-60 was 5.2 despite an official spec of 5.6, and a number of members here have reported times close to or just under 5. These times and the differences have been consistently reported, there is enough data available to treat the results as reliable and repeatable. Whether BMW gets, or chooses to report, the lower times tht we see is a matter for them though I suspect most (auto only) 535d owners would also (correctly) claim that their car is somewhat quicker than the official 6.5 or 6.6!

 

Sorry to hear about your back problem. I bet most people who buy BMWs not because BMWs' seat are uniquely good for their backs and a lot of BMWs don't even have 20-way seats. AND most people with back problems can't afford BMWs.

Sometimes it's hard to draw the line between what one needs and what one wants, especially when one has the means to turn what he/she wants into what he/she needs. Do I want to drive a nice BMW? of course, I have a 330 convertible, do I need to drive BMW? No, I didn't drive BMW before and may not always drive a BMW in the future. Heck, the othe two vehicles in my household currently are a Lexus RX330 and a Toyota Sienna! To me, a BMW is more "want" than "need", at least that's in my case.

We just have to agree to disagree.

Cheers.

 

Actually, I don't have lower back problem . But it is uncomfortable to drive in 4-way seats and with time one will get a problem. So if you can afford 20-way seat, you should have one.

Now, want and need are very relative terms. For some reason "need" is typically considered to be food, clothing and shelter and some reasonable transportation (usually a bus). Well, we are not in a stone age anymore and we are not living in a communist society where country and its future is always more important than a human being. If one wants to live a longer live, is a gym pass or availablity of an area to jog in a need or is it fussy yuppie want? Now willing to have lower back problems by 40 - is it need or want? Ability to get clean, nutritional, healthy food - need or want? Who defines that need anyway?

And don't let me started on psychological issues. If one is an alpha person, beating yourself to submission like in "I must do it because it is good for future generations" is not healthy for your brain.

 

 

0-60 times aside, I'm sure that a 535d could keep up, if not better my 545i in 'real world' driving.
I'm talking about cornering, and short blips away from the lights etc.

The reason I drive a big displacement V8 is...
... it was a good 2nd hand purchase
... its nice to have a V8 (in the UK especially!)
... the power is effortless, even my M3 needed to be thrashed - the 545 is just relaxed
... oh, its an auto, this I like (well most of the time)

 

I do have a lower back problem - when it's bad the car is the best place to be!

 

Just curious, what have I done or said than would make me "rude" and "ignorant"?

 

I think I'd ignore all the other variants and stick with my Alpina B5, thanks. It's just so unique, fast, comfy, etc...

 

Individual M5 ...

 

Unfortunatelly we have a local assembly factory which only produce
523i - I6 2.5 - 177 HP
525i - I6 2.5 - 218 HP
530i - I6 3.3 - 258 HP
after 9/2007 they will go to LCI with new engines.

otherwise my choice will be 535i