flyingpuck

I find that the SOUND of a V8 is hard to duplicate on a twin turbo I6, and I still prefer an engine that does not have to run at 9/10's all the time to make it's power! There are my 2 cents, spend them however you see fit!

robertm

I'm in the midst of the same decision. There are definite pros and cons to both.

A big pro to the 550 sport is the exclusivity and the shear gorgeousness of the body. Including the M specific models I think its one of the best body and wheel packages BMW has ever put together.

A big pro for the 535 is gas mileage. It will get much better mileage. Right now, who cares. In a year when gas is back up to $4.50 for premium it becomes a big deal again. Note, though the 550 can still get upper 20s on the highway cruising at 70.

One advantage to the 535 is how easy it is to gain more power. For some though this is a disadvantage. If I buy the 535 I will have to mod it, I will have no choice in the matter. Its simply too big a lure when its so easily and cheaply done. Mods are a very slippery slope though and a path I'd rather not go down again. I have way to many other hobbies which eat up money. I don't want another. With the 550 being far less 'mod receptive' I will be far less inclined.

Another pro or con depending on how you look at it is the weight. The 535 is much lighter and with the power mods its a far better candidate for the track. I do NOT want this to become a second track car though. One is enough and if I do take it out on track even once the wife will want to make it her track toy for DEs when I race. So for me, another con towards the 535.

The biggest con in my mind for the 535 though is the motor itself. I plan on buying 1-2 year used model and keep it 4-5 years. I have strong reservations as to the longevity of the TT motor. Already we are seeing lots of fuel pump problems. So many BMW has had to come out with a 100k warranty on the pumps. That's fine and dandy but I don't want a motor that drops fuel pumps and causes me time/frustration. There have also been over heating or limp home mode issues. That's a result of these motors running hot. They shut down before damage is done but consistent hot running is never good for longevity. The 550 motor on the other hand is pretty stout from what I've been able to pick up from the forums. They can occasionally be oil burners but that's not a big deal. Other than that I think it will be an engine you can put 150k on and still have a good reliable motor. I strongly feel the tt inline 6 will not fair as well.

So, add it all up and what does it mean? Comes down to your personal needs/desires/wants/priorities etc. For me, I want a car I can put 100k+ on and keep for 4-5 years without much issue. I want a car that will not tempt me to mod out and will not tempt me to turn into a track rat. The 550 sport is all of those things and its one of the best looking modern BMWs on the road. It is very seldom seen and its a head turner that should still be turning heads in 5 years.

Good luck and regardless both cars are fantastic rides!

boy535i

In the new 2010 model you will be able to get the same gorgeous M-sport body kit as well (so no real 550i exclusivity there) ... the catch ... the //M-sport package wheels for the 535i ARE NOT STAGGERED ... 300 ft/lbs of torque on a rear wheel drive sport sedan and they put 245/40 treads on the rears ... come on .. !!!

+1 ... on the longevity argument. I am looking for something next year (hopefully) and it's really come down to 5-series .. F10/E60 Inline-6 TT or ... the E90 //M3 DCT and I'm leaning to the latter and here's why:

After a lot of research ... I think the new //M3 NA V8 ... will prob. one of the finest (longest lived) motors this company has ever seen ... (it will never hit the top of the charts though ... as it only affords 14/20 mpg). BUT .. from a longevity and reliability standpoint ... it could prob. outlive me ... (35 yr-old).

A lot of you say ... get the M5 ... well .. from an engineering and technology standpoint .. the //M3 is virtually a better engineered //M5 without the alcantara headliner, a larger trunk (legroom/headroom is about the same) ... AT THE PRICE POINT of a 550.

The //M3 V8 engine is an updated version of the already stable //M5 V10 platform .. with shared drive train commonalities (who wouldn't want parts engineered for the torque/hp of strong V-10 in their V8). A relatively simple powerhouse (with the individual throttle bodies and dry sump lubrication) .. no complex HP fuel injection, cooling, turbo plumbing or VALVETRONIC. Just press the throttle on that beast with the DCT on S3/4 ... and see where it takes you.

Fuel Efficiency .. even at 4.50/gallon you'll prob. be down about $90/1000 miles in fuel costs AT THE MOST assuming a difference of 8-10 mpg. Don't forget ... the //Ms were designed for spirted driving .. try driving the 535i like you drive an //M and then watch the mpg figures .. you'll be down to 18 before you can say WTF .

So if you plan on keeping the car for a long long time ... 100K+ I would serious give the //M3 a thought (more expensive than a 535i .. but worth every penny). This will also be the last of the //M NA line of engines after which they prob. will just "tune/modify" their non-M brethren engine designs ... no more unique //M platforms going forward ... just take a look at the X5/X6 M V8 TT engines ... !

Of course ... if you want a bigger trunk .. get the 5-series. Either way what a good prob. to have.

westcoast550

Go drive the 550 and decide for yourself.................there are a few guys here that wish they got the 550 after getting the 535..........they are both great, BUT different...........I'm a big V8 fan personally and really did not give the 535 a lot of thought..

porsche911targa

Power is so overrated. Get a 518i and spend the extra money on your wife and/or g/f. I bet you'll get wilder rides that way.

Seriously though, I have an intense fear of turbos, so for me it would be a 550i, if power was what I was looking for.

sdg1871

There's never enough power.

BickUW89

Just gotta chime in (it's what we do, right?) I think these "yeah but if you did this to one but not the other..." are sorta crazy.

How much could one "easily and reliably up the bhp" on a 550? Chip the 550 the same as you chip a 535 and you negate the supposed advantage that the 535 gains. Another way to put it: If you have to add bells and whistles to one half of a comparison to try to show equality, then you already know which comparator has the advantage.

It comes down to power to weight ratio. The 550 power to weight ratio is 1:11, vs 1:12.3 for the 535. Ergo, 550 has more power hands down, even given its additional 265 lbs of weight. In fact, the marginal power-to-weight ratio of that added 60 bhp vs the 265 extra pounds is a mighty 1:4. That is a drastic marginal increase.

The 550 weighs only 6.6% more than a 535, but develops 20% more horsepower, and better torque. 550's suspension and footprint is tuned for the added heft, as well, so if you track the two side by side (given even driving skills), the 550 will take the 535.

That V8 has more torque across a wider speed range than the V6, and you don't have to wait (however short a time) for a turbo to add it's $0.02 worth to the equation when you want to get on it to pass someone on the freeway at 70 mph.

So, why waste the time, money, and effort trying to force a 535 to equal a 550, when you can just go get a 550 and have it all? You'll be into the car for about the same amount of skin, and you'll have a car that's different from everyone else's. Also, for all that $ you throw at the mods on a 535, you'll never get it back as resale value on the back end. Used car buyers will have their pick of 30 other 535s for a lower price than you'll ask because you want to get the value back out of all your modifications. That rare buyer that understands the mods you did and is looking for them will have their pick of 550s to chose from.

Just get a 550.

DD_545i

I'm obviously in the "just get a V8" camp, because I did, but your post isn't taking into account that (a) the 535 is considerably cheaper, and (b) it can very easily and cheaply made to develop a bucketload more power because it's lightly turbocharged. A "chipping" of it (remap) and turning up the boost will release a lot of power for very little money. I've done this myself on a few cars. I had one (Nissan 300ZX TT) that developed 300bhp from the factory and for only about $1,000 was soon developing 450bhp and got me all the way up to 186mph. Chipping a 545 or a 550 will only release an extra 20-30bhp. Chipping/boosting a 535 is going to release more like 100bhp I expect (not that I've looked into the figures in either example, they're just guesses). Despite all that, I still went for the torquey unstressed V8

pennetta

I never saw any 535 guys that we sorry for getting it and not getting the 550. This debate will all go away next year with the TT Eight anyway. My 535 is up July 2010, hope the new F10 TT V8 is available by then. The TT V8 will be more scalable via software because its crankshaft is almost half the lenght of the Straight 6, so less flex under high loads.

exx1976

There's no replacement for displacement.


That said, I am a fan of boost, too. My toy car is still a V8 (4.6L), but, it's also boosted (~7psi). 4.6L is little, but with the boost, it makes > 500BHP.

So my vote? If money's no object, get the V8, and then slap a blower on it. Nothing better. :-)