525d MSport

Hi, I currently have an E60 as per my sig and am thinking about changing to a touring of the same age and mileage for practical reasons (a Golden Retriever).

I would prefer to go for the 530d Msport but depending costs would look at 525d MSport and 520d MSport.

I would consider a 530i but there are very few available on the 2nd hand market.

Can anyone identify any driving differences between saloon and touring and also between the models above compared to the additional costs that exist between them.

Thanks,

abcsworld

Drove 530d vs 530Xd touring, and 300% sure differences I noticed are more from the fact it is now X. X is great for start , and rainy days...Other than that a bit more air noise in touring, but might be due to panoramic roof (which I like a lot in spring summer).

For engine, I tried 525d , 530d and 535d at dealership in France before buying mine, and if 535 would exist in X type I would have go for it. 525d seemed more round at very low rpm (1200 to 2000) not sure why but lost it in >2500rpm to 530d.

Gasoil 530xd: I keep ending up at 7.5l/100km in mix M4 / town traffic. So pretty good. Removing the x would be even better (0.5l) and 525 would probably run a liter lower.

Insurance cost: 525 and 530 were about the same...but X became slightly more expensive in France. 535d is VERY expensive on that chapter...

Overall quite happy with the wagon 530xd.

narvselius

Two things are not as good on the E61 compared to the E60:

1.
It's sligthly more noisy, due to panoramic roof and/or the low frequency rumbling from the back. Not much, but it's noticable.

2.
It's a bit slower round corners; you can feel the E60 has an edge over the E61 here.

If you can live with this, I recommend highly to go for an E61 as you need space for you dog!

xBMWx

525d vs 530d:
As you know, like yourself I'm another very happy LCI 525dA owner With you being in the UK, there is really no need for the 530d. The 525d gives you everything you need up to around 110-120 mph, after that you need the 530d to keep the acceleration going hard -- but its not as if the 525d is "slow" beyond 120mph!

Insurance will no doubt be higher on a 530d. Fuel costs not much difference, certainly nothing that would impact your buying choice. As for tax, not sure how that works in the UK.

525d vs 520d:
Well thats the obvious "economic" choice. I found my 520d was almost as quick, did the job well, and the fuel economy was also fine. It was a good car... BUT I LOVE MY 6CYL 525d !! Its just so effortless and has that deeper sound. I think the way I would sum it up, the 520d is a great car and very sensible choice... and the 525d is the premium version that gives you that extra "feel good factor"

If you are going for a Touring, you will obviously need 19s again ... Rsyed is selling a set from his at the moment that are a straight fit on the E61, i.e. 4 front M5 wheels. (He is selling the Winter rims, but maybe you can do a deal with him to have the ones with the summer rims I'll leave that for you two to sort out!)

Good luck mate and happy shopping...!!

Kell

We test drove a 525d before getting the 530d and neither my wife nor I really felt it was quick enough. We were going from a 225TTC and an A4 2.5 V6 TDi and wanted one car that could do both jobs - carry a lot of stuff, be fun to drive and be quick.

Can't compare the 530i with either, but we also test drove the A6 in 3.0d and 3.2 V6 petrol and while all the figures suggest the petrol would be quicker, it felt slower. Probably due to being NA as opposed to turbo.

I've always gone touring/Avant as I prefer the sahpe, so can't comment on Saloon v Estate.

525d MSport

The funny thing is, that on the 2nd hand market, there is not much difference in cost between a 525d and 530d. In terms of company car tax, the 530d would cost me about ?30 a month more than a 525d.

I understand what you mean about the 520d being the sensible choice - I would pay less tax than I do now, but if anything I want more power not less.

Yes I am giving Rsyed's wheels some thought but wouldn't want to buy just yet just in case I end up not getting the touring.

With the 530d I could get factory SAT and get the paddles, but if not I will put my SAT kit on whatever I get.

I also want to use the opportunity to get some options I should have got on my current car.

Regards,

David.

hondik

I switched recently. It is a great car in Touring indeed. If I had a dog, I wouldn't hesitate a second.

Try search E60 vs E61 here ..

525d MSport

Yes if I had realised that we were going to get a dog this year I would have bought a touring in the first place.

Doing it this way will cost me at least twice what it would if I had gone with touring when I ordered my car last year!

Cheers, will do a search...

littlemouse

This is turning out to be one very expensive dog...

xBMWx

I am also investigating the option to replace my company car with a private car -- basically just doing some number crunching to see if I could still have a similar car and save some money. So I have also seen that 525d and 530d prices are very similar on the second hand market. I was under the impression that the 530d was significantly more expensive to tax & insure, because of engine size and the fact its regarded by many insurance companies as a "sports / high performance" car Have you checked this out yet??

Obviously you want more. Like yourself, I am just trying to work out if the "more" is really worth the extra money and if I would really be able to make the most of it. Its those usual car buying mind games at work

cheers,
Pete