535d buying advice
07-28-2009, 05:50 AM
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Hi - first poster here and appreciate your thoughts.
Wife is losing her company car in a couple of weeks (Golf 1.9 TDi) so on the lookout for a practical replacement.
Looking forward to rejoining the BMW fold (my previous car was a M3 CSL - only car I regret selling!) towards the end of the year as I hear the new 5 series will be launched around September and hoping to take advantage of some knock-on to the current model.
Test drove a facelifted 535d on Sat and was v. impressed with performance and overall package. Interior was good both in terms of materials and particularly build quality. Have missed small details like switchgear and fabulous sports seats with adjustable thigh support!!
Ride was good, not as stiff as I was expecting, steering sharp (although M sport wheel was a bit fat for my liking) and cornered v. well - flat with little body roll. Brakes were v. responsive, sport auto gearbox was good although slightly annoying that it seemed to revert to auto and down change out of sport / manual if you left it in too high a gear and were cruising. And of course that engine and torque!!
Less impressed with economy. On the short A-road test route we did it averaged 23mpg. Admittedly, I was exploring the engines performance so that couldn't have helped but am hoping that on the more typical journeys we will do i.e. motorway slogs between London and Nottingham that I'll see more palatable figures in the late-30s. I guess you can't have your cake and eat it though!
Anyway, hoping you can give me some feedback
On the lookout for a LCI 535d (assume after Mar-07)
Must have:
- Medi pack
- Visibility pack
- Bluetooth
- Front seat heating
- Sport Auto
Nice to have:
- Logic 7 / Prof
- USB (I hear that this can be retro-fitted?)
- Panoramic sunroof (have heard that this has had reliability issues)
Anything else people would recommend spec wise?
Also, what are the running costs like in terms of servicing, brake discs / pads, tyres. Anything else I need to be aware of? Assume BMW warranty is recommended as I have heard some horror stories related to swirl flaps and turbos. What are the warranty costs like?
Car I drove was a Sep 07 with 18K on the clock up for ?32K which I thought was a bit rich - apart from that was pretty much my ideal spec.
Thanks for your feedback in advance.
Wife is losing her company car in a couple of weeks (Golf 1.9 TDi) so on the lookout for a practical replacement.
Looking forward to rejoining the BMW fold (my previous car was a M3 CSL - only car I regret selling!) towards the end of the year as I hear the new 5 series will be launched around September and hoping to take advantage of some knock-on to the current model.
Test drove a facelifted 535d on Sat and was v. impressed with performance and overall package. Interior was good both in terms of materials and particularly build quality. Have missed small details like switchgear and fabulous sports seats with adjustable thigh support!!
Ride was good, not as stiff as I was expecting, steering sharp (although M sport wheel was a bit fat for my liking) and cornered v. well - flat with little body roll. Brakes were v. responsive, sport auto gearbox was good although slightly annoying that it seemed to revert to auto and down change out of sport / manual if you left it in too high a gear and were cruising. And of course that engine and torque!!
Less impressed with economy. On the short A-road test route we did it averaged 23mpg. Admittedly, I was exploring the engines performance so that couldn't have helped but am hoping that on the more typical journeys we will do i.e. motorway slogs between London and Nottingham that I'll see more palatable figures in the late-30s. I guess you can't have your cake and eat it though!
Anyway, hoping you can give me some feedback
On the lookout for a LCI 535d (assume after Mar-07)
Must have:
- Medi pack
- Visibility pack
- Bluetooth
- Front seat heating
- Sport Auto
Nice to have:
- Logic 7 / Prof
- USB (I hear that this can be retro-fitted?)
- Panoramic sunroof (have heard that this has had reliability issues)
Anything else people would recommend spec wise?
Also, what are the running costs like in terms of servicing, brake discs / pads, tyres. Anything else I need to be aware of? Assume BMW warranty is recommended as I have heard some horror stories related to swirl flaps and turbos. What are the warranty costs like?
Car I drove was a Sep 07 with 18K on the clock up for ?32K which I thought was a bit rich - apart from that was pretty much my ideal spec.
Thanks for your feedback in advance.
07-30-2009, 12:57 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2006
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My Ride: Jan 2006 E63 650i Sport
.
Options:
Sport version (includes: sport-seats, sport-suspension, M-Sport steering wheel, Anthracite headliner, Shaddow Line), Saphire Black, Black Dakota Leather, Anthracite Maple Wood trim, Steptronic Auto, Xenons, NAV-Professional with Voice Control, TV, CD-Changer, Bluetooth, Logic7, Head-up Display, Comfort Access, Seat Heating front, Auto Dimming & Folding Mirrors, Extended Auto Air Conditioning, PDC.
.
Mods:
Spacers 5mm front & 15mm rear
.
Wheels:
20" Alpina Softline (Classic) with Dunlop Sport Maxx non-RFT (255/35/20 & 285/30/20)
First off welcome on board and enjoy the forums 
Secondly, to help us help you with more specific (regional) info, please enter your location. You do this by hitting My Controls at the top of the page, then click on Edit Profile Information on the left handside of the page, and then enter the Your Location details.
On to your questions...
With the new 5er Touring not coming out for another year, I'm not sure how much you will benefit from lower prices. If anything you will benefit from the financial crisis in general and dealers needing to hit quarterly or year end sales targets. As for the price you were quoted, maybe some of our UK based members can give you better guidance on how good it is.
Options feedback:
You already have listed it, but don't change it... Sports Auto is a must have!
I have always opted for Logic7. Its down to personal taste of course, but if you are into your music then in my mind its a bit of a no brainer and anything else, including the HiFi option, will simply be a compromise. The others are not necessarily bad, but for something that I personally use and savour every time I get in the car, I wasn't going to compromise on sound. The USB is ideal; I had it in my last car and am now really missing it in my current car. You could do an iPod or Dension Gateway retro fit, but its the hassle of fitting it or it'll cost you some.
Panorama roof is great and is undoubtidly one of the highlights of the Touring; it floods the interior with light and when fully open has a targa/cabrio feel to it. Like all BMW E60/E61 sunroofs, over time the wind noise creeps up, but realignment or replaced/treated seals sorts this. I personally have got used to the wind noise and it doesn't phase me anymore. If you close the inner headliner then it blocks out all wind noise, e.g. when travelling over 80mph.
As for other options, many claim you need to the Comfort Seats, however I have had Sports Seats in all 3 of my cars and used to do 60000km per year... without back ache! The LCI Sports Seats have new headrests, so I think that's all you need, however Comfort Seats are going to be great if you can get them.
I have Active Steering on my current 5er and think its fantastic. You can live without it, however it makes the car so much more agile IMHO, and closer to the steering response of a 3er, i.e. more direct and sports car like.
The (M-)Sport version is great IMHO, but again a matter of taste.
Leather and the colour combos are again down to personal taste, and of course influence re-sale value.
As standard you get the Run Flat Tyres (RFT), which may have good safety benefits, however do impact ride comfort and performance. A set of non-RFTs will give improved comfort and handling. You will simply need to have a spare wheel put under the boot floor or go for the BMW Mobility kit (the gunk spray!).
Economy will be better on the motorway, but you're still talking about a 270+ BHP car here, so lets not get carried away here on the fuel efficiency! Seeing as you had an M3 CSL and are now looking at the 535d, I doubt this really that high on your priority list
On the Warranty front, if you purchase from BMW (in Germany) they will correct/replace everything that the Board Computer states needs doing within the next 10000km. Worth checking if thats the same in the UK. I did a remap and successfully voided my warranty
, and I had to pay about EUR 2300 for a new manifold and turbo... so yes, get the BMW Warranty, because their service does not come cheap!
Hope that helps, happy shopping!
Secondly, to help us help you with more specific (regional) info, please enter your location. You do this by hitting My Controls at the top of the page, then click on Edit Profile Information on the left handside of the page, and then enter the Your Location details.
On to your questions...
With the new 5er Touring not coming out for another year, I'm not sure how much you will benefit from lower prices. If anything you will benefit from the financial crisis in general and dealers needing to hit quarterly or year end sales targets. As for the price you were quoted, maybe some of our UK based members can give you better guidance on how good it is.
Options feedback:
You already have listed it, but don't change it... Sports Auto is a must have!
I have always opted for Logic7. Its down to personal taste of course, but if you are into your music then in my mind its a bit of a no brainer and anything else, including the HiFi option, will simply be a compromise. The others are not necessarily bad, but for something that I personally use and savour every time I get in the car, I wasn't going to compromise on sound. The USB is ideal; I had it in my last car and am now really missing it in my current car. You could do an iPod or Dension Gateway retro fit, but its the hassle of fitting it or it'll cost you some.
Panorama roof is great and is undoubtidly one of the highlights of the Touring; it floods the interior with light and when fully open has a targa/cabrio feel to it. Like all BMW E60/E61 sunroofs, over time the wind noise creeps up, but realignment or replaced/treated seals sorts this. I personally have got used to the wind noise and it doesn't phase me anymore. If you close the inner headliner then it blocks out all wind noise, e.g. when travelling over 80mph.
As for other options, many claim you need to the Comfort Seats, however I have had Sports Seats in all 3 of my cars and used to do 60000km per year... without back ache! The LCI Sports Seats have new headrests, so I think that's all you need, however Comfort Seats are going to be great if you can get them.
I have Active Steering on my current 5er and think its fantastic. You can live without it, however it makes the car so much more agile IMHO, and closer to the steering response of a 3er, i.e. more direct and sports car like.
The (M-)Sport version is great IMHO, but again a matter of taste.
Leather and the colour combos are again down to personal taste, and of course influence re-sale value.
As standard you get the Run Flat Tyres (RFT), which may have good safety benefits, however do impact ride comfort and performance. A set of non-RFTs will give improved comfort and handling. You will simply need to have a spare wheel put under the boot floor or go for the BMW Mobility kit (the gunk spray!).
Economy will be better on the motorway, but you're still talking about a 270+ BHP car here, so lets not get carried away here on the fuel efficiency! Seeing as you had an M3 CSL and are now looking at the 535d, I doubt this really that high on your priority list
On the Warranty front, if you purchase from BMW (in Germany) they will correct/replace everything that the Board Computer states needs doing within the next 10000km. Worth checking if thats the same in the UK. I did a remap and successfully voided my warranty
, and I had to pay about EUR 2300 for a new manifold and turbo... so yes, get the BMW Warranty, because their service does not come cheap!Hope that helps, happy shopping!
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