Quote "BMW’s Normal mode does seem well balanced, as does the suspension in Sport mode. Unfortunately, the throttle response in Sport mode is poorly calibrated for anything other than ultra-aggressive driving, with a surging turbo spool occurring with even mild throttle application, such that it is very difficult (bordering on impossible) to drive the 535i smoothly in Sport mode."
His view of the sport mode drive doesn't reflect the views I've read and what I've experienced. Whether the XF is a superior drive is subjective, but the above imo is definitely off the mark, by miles
Since he can't handle the F10 in sport mode with a stick, I'm not surprised with his conclusion
The cars appear to have been compared 10 months apart based on the dates of review.
Lastly, if MSRP determines which cars are to be compared with, it can be rather way off in comparing different makes with totally different engines, and one would then also need to take into account maintenance costs, resale value and reliability.