a friend of mine just got a 335i and he is convinced his car is better than mine. i'm really not the douchebag type to brag to others or even argue when other people are convinced their dick is bigger than mine. BUT, i figured it did pose an interesting question, on why people chose the 5 series over the 3 series or even the 1 series. for speed, the 3 and 1 series offer cheaper solutions, that's for sure. a 335i or a 135i i could have picked up for cheaper than my E60 and it would have been quicker. but personally, i chose the 5 because i'm 6'6" tall and the 3 series was just way too cramped for me. i just feel like overall the 5 series is more luxurious, and the 3 series is like what rich daddy buys his spoiled 18-year old daughter to take to college. what about you guys?

 

for me, it was the V8

 

I chose the 5 because it is classier, bigger, sleek lines, and just more luxurious than any 1 or 3 could hope to be. Mercedes Benz has a great commercial going right now about "what makes a car the best? 0 to 60 or 60 to 0? The joy of driving? The feel of the road?" etc etc.

I think the 5 series takes all of those wonderful elements of driving and puts it into a single package. Red light / Green light speed is a very small and unimportant aspect of everyday driving.

 

+1 on that Mercedes commercial, it's a good one.
+1 on size. A 3 series was just too small.

 

I chose the 5 series for the same reason you did, I am 6'4" and a 3 was too small for me, the 7 was too big for my tastes - the 5er is just right

 

I drive an E90 and an E60.. both 525i.
The 3 is more agile, but as far as fun goes, they are peers. As far as comfort goes without losing sportivity.. it is the e60 hands down.
The 3 is so much smaller. I am 6'6" as well and have still comfortable headroom.. even better.. I am not the smallest guy in the world (and definitely do not have the measurements of an 18yo college girl ), but
I have plenty of room in that car.. Only both my kids who are taller than I am cannot sit comfortably in the back of the 3.

 

I agree with Bad Debt. The 3 Series is too cramped. I had a E39 that got totaled by a tree last week. Loved that car. Drove an '08 328xi manual at a dealer. Thought it felt cheap and the comfort difference was noticeable from my 528i. Saw an '07 530xi on Auto Trader, drove it, and thought to myself, THIS is what I'm talkin' about! Bought it the next day.

I think BMW is trying to reach a larger audience with the 3 Series, so they had to lower the price a bit to make it more affordable. Therefore, I don't think you can compare a 3 with a 5. Just my humble opinion...

 

I have a family of 4 and own a 10 yr old local business, so I use my car equally for everyday business and grocery getting. Good size front/rear seats and trunk were a must for me, and it needed to have decent fuel consumption or comparible to my last car,
a vq35 Maxima.

Ride comfort, build quality and handling in stock trim were what sold me upon test drive. The just about perfect 50/50 weigh distribution was felt immediately as something very few mid sized vehicles i had driven compared to.

The smoothness, linearity, and bulletproof lineage of inline 6 was the cherry on top. Many cars in its class do not feel as refined top to bottom as the E60.

As mentioned above in relation to the MB benz C300 commercial, the 'message' struck a cord with me as well and I felt very happy happy with my recent purchase. As the satisfaction of being a 5 series owner is due as a result of the sum of its parts.

Did i mention its dead sexy?

The 3series may be more performance oriented and practical for city living , but its too small a car for me at 33. If it struck me, i would go coupe. Never understood the 4 door trim on either the A4/3series/or C class...The rear seats are for midgets and its equally as uncomfortable to enter the vehicle through a door as it is squeezing through a folded seat-the end result is a clausterphobic, sore knees to your chest ride regardless. I'm only 5'10" and i can barely survive a short ride back there.

 

I'm 6 foot and roughly 230 lbs - Stocky. I test drove a 3 series before getting my 550i. While I think the 3 series coupe is very sexy\sporty it was way too small for me. I like the extra room provided in the 5 series when I have to reluctantly throw stuff in the car. I wish the back seats went down sometimes, but I guess that adds to the rigidity of the car.

Besides, it seems like everybody in South Florida drive a 3.

 

Of course it is. I absolutely love the 335 but it's just a bit too small... hehehhehe