vkhong

I have an F10 2011 535i on loan for a few days (long weekend) while my E60 530i is in the shop. My E60 has 6MT, Sport, Cold Weather, Navigation, iPod, Active Roll and Active Steering.

The F10 with 2,200 miles has an 8-speed Auto, Cold Weather, Premium and Premium II, Navigation, Black Panel Display and more.

It rides very well for non-Sport suspension, and the all-season 245/43 18-inch run-flat tires feels harsh. The car feels a little heavy around town, but is great on the highway. On the highway, any speed at the speed limit feels slow for this vehicle - it wants to go faster. The Electric Power Steering with variable effort and variable ratio is accurate and responsive. The throttle tip-in is responsive. It is definitely an upmarket update to the E60. Although the E60 button-less iDrive system allows for the visual simplicity, the new F10 iDrive system is quicker to operate via its multitude of menu buttons and soft-touch presets.

The driving experience is different from the E60, but not negatively so. It is more roomy, comfortable and heavier, but the experience is still BMW-like: responsive, taut and capable. I like it. Previously, I drove the F10 528i but did not really care for it. The F10 is best experienced in a 535i or 550i.

My likes:
Driving experience
LED Corona headlight-rings, rear light and side marker
Cornering light
Heated rear seats (Cold Weather Package)
Premium II / Enhanced sound system
Navigation infotainment system
Interior ambiance lighting
Black Panel Display

Dislikes:
Black Panel Display at night, the rectangular information area is lighted differently from the rest of the panel, perhaps by design.

My E60 530i returns 25.5 MPG (US). The same driving behavior in the F10 535i returns 23.5 MPG.

I left my BMW iPod cable in the E60. The Apple cable and the iPod do not do much in this vehicle, other then playing MP3 files. What do you F10 owners use to connect your iPods?

enelrojo

All I need in my F10 535i to fully operate my iPod is the white Apple iPod cable inserted in the USB/iPod connection in the center console, not the USB connection in the glove box.

v_therussian

Dude, you cite "driving experience" - can you expand on that, please? Have you tried taking the car through hard cornering and really maxing out it's handling to see if it has a higher limit than the E60? If yes, please tell us (or at least me through PM ) how that went; and please mention what tires are on the F10.

Thanks for sharing and enjoy the long weekend!

vkhong

The tires on my loaner are:
Goodyear Eagle LS2 245/45R18 100V, front and rear, inflated to 35 and 38 psi respectively.

I also like the welcome light and the pathway lighting (also enabled via key fob).

The BMW engineers took the E60 upmarket with the F10, with its features, design and powertrain. The Electric Power Steering isn't bad for me at all, since I like the Active Steering on my E60. The supply of relatively new pre-owned E60s will still be around for another 3 years, so E60 enthusiasts will still have choices in the market. When sweet incentives present themselves, I could see myself doing an European Delivery for an F10 535i, or acquiring a pre-owned F10 550i with the right options. This would be in addition to the E60 and E90 already in my garage.

The engineers at Car and Driver magazine produced results for the 2011 and the 2009 535i, 6 speed manual. They are as follows:

2011 BMW 535i [2009 BMW 535i]

PERFORMANCE: NEW [NEW]
Transmissions: 6-speed manual [6-speed manual]
Tires: Goodyear Excellence RSC [Bridgestone Potenza RE050A RFT]
Tires, F: 245/40R19 94Y [245/40R-18 93Y]
Tires, R: 275/35R19 96Y [275/35R-18 95Y]

lbs per bhp: 13.6 lb [12.9 lb]
Zero to 60 mph: 5.8 sec [5.2 sec]
Zero to 100 mph: 14.3 sec [13.0 sec]
Zero to 120 mph: 21.5 sec [19.5 sec]
Street start, 5?60 mph: 6.4 sec [6.2 sec]
Standing 1/4-mile: 14.3 sec @ 100 mph [13.8 sec @ 102 mph]
Braking, 70?0 mph: 171 ft [165 ft]
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.86 g [0.89 g]

2009 Audi A6 3.0T vs. 2009 BMW 535i, 2009 Infiniti M45, 2009 Jaguar XF, 2010 M-B E350 - Comparison Tests

2011 BMW 535i - Long-Term Road Test Intro

Initial Test Sheet

v_therussian

Thanks for the write-up, bro I'm still iffy. I think the LCI F10 will have better numbers than the E60. I hope, rather...

baloo588

vkhong

The 535 xdrive has a hydraulic steering and feels much tighter and heavier than the RWD. Please tell me how the ride comfort was on the highway with the goodyear rfts? Was it transmitting road irregularities on the highway through the cabin and the front seats?

vkhong

Minor irregularities were smoothed out, but larger bumps and expansion joints are transmitted in a muted fashion to the cabin and front seats. It is not an uncomfortable or noisy ride, however. The cabin is well insulated, which makes road imperfections a little more noticeable. One should test the F10 over a variety of city and highway road surfaces. My wife usually drives conservatively. She kept creeping over the highway speed limit because the ride was smooth, like our Lexus LS, and speed feels effortless in the F10 535i. Whatever highway vibration that makes it into the cabin, you'll find the standard 10-way power adjustable seat to be very comfortable.

v_therussian

Hold on, guys, is the F10 535i X-Drive equipped with hydraulic steering?

baloo588

There is a difference in steering feel for the xdrive. It is heavier and more linear and you could not tell much difference from the outgoing 5 series.

BigMouthWomen

I had a very similar loaner as the OP.
Unfortunately my run with the 5 series will probably be ending with my current 08 e60 550

Frankly, it's a boat. I couldn't tell I was driving a BMW. Driving response was slow and sloppy and I completely disagree with the OP about the handling of the car. Throttle response was lagging from standstill and felt disconnected from the throttle during city/suburb driving. On the highway though, i agree with the OP that it felt smooth, solid and very comfortable. THrottle response was better at HW speeds but still not impressed.

And yes, I did test the F10 550 sport. It was just a faster version of what i stated above and not impressed. Handling was def tighter in the 550 sprt but just had a tough time keeping up with the inputs. I know the size of the F10 is not that much bigger than the E60, but MAN it FEELS so much bigger.

This is the reason I've decided to put my current E60 on the ole school maintenance schedule. So I can hold onto it longer as a daily driver and take a ED on a 2014 M3, instead of getting into a CPO 2011 later on.