Hey Peoples, I drove the new F10 535i yesterday here in Atlanta with BMW Ultimate Driving Experience. They had a head to head comparison with the MB E350 and the Lexus GS300. The guys told me they were the first 30 to hit North American shores. It was an autocross course set up the Atlanta Braves parking lot. You did 3 laps in the MB E-class then 3 laps in the 535. Then 3 laps in the Lexus then 3 laps in the 535. Then you sat as a passenger and the driving instructor (ex racers) gave you 3 hot laps and showed a normal guy he has a lot to learn about really driving a BMW. Anyways even though i'm BMW bias, hands down the BMW was superior in both power and handling and i would even say styling over the MB and Lexus. I just wished the Audi was there also. It was a good way to spend Sunday morning and i did it on BMW's dime

 

Still not clear if its better than the E60 535i - which is the only REAL benchmark for the F10 535i to beat, as far as I'm concerned.

While I agree, it is a great way to spend the morning, I personally hardly require a test-drive to know that the F10 is better than either the Benz or the Lexus. And Audi - even with the new 3.0"T" engine in the A6 - is still too nose-heavy to really handle.

 

Why Audi? It`s FWD

 

not exactly. I mean, I agree with you and I don't. But I think we are ultimately of the same (or very similar) opinion of Audi.

Honestly, I've had two Audis - both A6's, both 2.7T, both fully loaded. One was 1999, second - 2001. I loved those cars, but they do not come anywhere close to the E60. They aren't any closer to the E39 either. And I used to be a huge Audi-head - that was obviously before I got a BMW though

 

ok, i ment that it`s not worth to compare BMW, MB, Lexus with Audi even thou Audi can have Quattro.

 

Lex is bs compared to Audi handling-wise. Everything else-wise is debatable. But no, to me its BMW, then Audi, then Benz and then everything else.

 

Sounds iike fun. I am surprised that they didn't have the Infiniti M for comparison. That car is more tuned for performace handling than E class or Lexus GS.

 

Have owned an Infiniti M45 Sport for 4 years and just coming off 4 days of driving an E350 in So Cal including on hyper-twisty canyon roads such as Decker Canyon Road, I can say without reservation that the Infiniti far outhandles the E350. It is not even close.

 

+1

The new Infiniti M56 is suppose to be a far better car than the M45 and much faster. The only thing that I have against them is their exterior styling but from handling and technology point of view, they are superior! The Navigation graphics is the best one in the market since 2003......

 

Yes, the Nav and sound system on my 2006 M45 was far superior to that in my 2009 550 and the backseat was significantly more roomy with tons more legroom. The lateral grip and resistance to body roll was outstanding and the car could run with ,y 550 in the twisties. But the ride in the M45 Sport was horribly punishing with zero refinement. Felt like the suspension has zero compliance -- a totally unrefined brute. The car mags say that the new M56 has a much more BMW like blend of ride and handling with more refinement. However, the car mags have complained that the M56's stability control is too intrusive and cuts off the fun too soon. But with a huge NA V8 pumping out 420 bhp and 0 to 60 times of 4.7 seconds as measured by the car mags, it should be a lot of fun and the most credible performance-oriented alternative to the 5 Series.

With respect to the F10 535, I'd like to know if it felt slower than the E60 535. It certainly should as, unlike the F10 550, BMW did not change the power while substantially increasing the weight.