[Robio]

Guys,

New to the forum so bear with me here. I'm doing the lease pull ahead program (getting out of my '12 X5d) and having a difficult time deciding between the 550 and the 535. I had a '12 550 with the M package and loved it. Test drove a '15 550 with the M package and realized how much I miss the power of the BMW sedan.

Haven't test drove the 535 yet...looking for thoughts on the differences in drive.

Thanks!
RR

[Das Johnson]

Pretty much the only difference would be the engine, do you want to sacrifice Gas mileage for power and a hell of a lot of fun? 535's a bit cheaper too.

I'd get the 550, so awesome....

[Mbbrewer]

550i no comparison.

[kondor]

550i all the way. Don't let anyone try to convince you otherwise.
I seriously considered the 535 until I drove both head to head.
People will try to justify a 535 based on mpg but I drive rather spirited and average 18 mpg.
The power and torque is absolutely erotic.
Do it!!!

[Robio]

You guys are reaffirming my initial thoughts. Love this place!!

RR

[weissja]

Once you drive the 550, it's hard to go back to the 535.

[bake]

But the 535 is a lot more fun when your 550 is in for N63 recall work.

[Grover432]

I think there are a group of guys who will sing the praises of the 550 all day long but I'd like to see what the sales split is between the models. Classic BMW in Plano TX has something like 58 F10s in stock and only 2 are 550s. I was second guessing my purchase of a 535 and took out a '15 550 a few months ago. I found the car a bit front end heavy and it under steered and leaned more than my 535. It has a touchy accelerator off the line that I found difficult to modulate. I came away feeling that the handling criticisms of the F10 are more pronounced in the 550. There is no question it is much faster than the 535. I'd suggest the 550 but only with DHP (I can't comment on the 704 as all our cars are X Drive in Canada). I drove an M5 and thought the steering and suspension setup in that car was in keeping with the extra performance the engine provides. The standard 550 (M Sport), not so much so.

[NewM3driver]

The 550 is a little quicker, the 535 is def smoother. The 550 is def nose heavy by a mile. A rear wheel drive 535 with lighter wheels and non run flat tires can feel nimble, which is never happening in a 550.

[NewM3driver]

Originally Posted by Robio

Guys,

New to the forum so bear with me here. I'm doing the lease pull ahead program (getting out of my '12 X5d) and having a difficult time deciding between the 550 and the 535. I had a '12 550 with the M package and loved it. Test drove a '15 550 with the M package and realized how much I miss the power of the BMW sedan.

Haven't test drove the 535 yet...looking for thoughts on the differences in drive.

Thanks!
RR

why are you looking to get out of the diesel early?

[Robio]

Originally Posted by NewM3driver

why are you looking to get out of the diesel early?

Good question. I've had issues with gassing it up in IL. It's very sensitive to the diesel fuel pumped in it...been told it's an IL thing. Even the service folks mentioned this. I like the diesel, I just don't love it. Had I test drove the Audi TDI prior to the X5, I would have gone Audi. The X5 is a little loud for me.

RR

[NewM3driver]

Its not an IL thing. Its a BMW "d" thing. I have a 2015 535d sitting in my garage that has ALL sorts of diesel clatter all over the rev range. Sometimes its there. Sometimes its not. Just off idle. Sometimes between 2-3000 rpm. Then always there when getting on it. Always there in sport. BUT, other 2015 535d's I have access to on a regular basis don't clatter at all. Like perfectly smooth burble sounds. It's maddening.

I have 1600 miles on my 535d, and I have a 535i on order. No way I was lasting 3 years with my d sounding like that.

Shoot me a phone # if you want to talk off the record.

[Robio]

Originally Posted by NewM3driver

Its not an IL thing. Its a BMW "d" thing. I have a 2015 535d sitting in my garage that has ALL sorts of diesel clatter all over the rev range. Sometimes its there. Sometimes its not. Just off idle. Sometimes between 2-3000 rpm. Then always there when getting on it. Always there in sport. BUT, other 2015 535d's I have access to on a regular basis don't clatter at all. Like perfectly smooth burble sounds. It's maddening.

I have 1600 miles on my 535d, and I have a 535i on order. No way I was lasting 3 years with my d sounding like that.

Shoot me a phone # if you want to talk off the record.

Yah man. That's exactly it - I was searching for how to describe it. There certainly is clatter. Other diesels you've tried from BMW have not been the same?

RR

[NewM3driver]

Originally Posted by Robio

Yah man. That's exactly it - I was searching for how to describe it. There certainly is clatter. Other diesels you've tried from BMW have not been the same?

RR

No, the other diesels I've driven in the 2015 535d have been beautiful engines... without a HINT of clatter or rattle regardless of how I drove the car trying to make "that noise" happen. The two test cars I drove were perfect too. I love my BMW's, I'm an enthusiast, and I couldn't wait to own the 535d xdrive.
What a disappointment. Even more so because I know for a fact SOME BMW 535d's are beautiful, sublime automobiles.

As a result of having this problem with my car I have learned some things that I wouldn't post on the forum but I will discuss privately. In the end BMW is a very good company that always does the right thing to keep reasonable customers happy and satisfied. For that reason I will always have one or two of their cars in my garage.

[Robio]

Originally Posted by NewM3driver

No, the other diesels I've driven in the 2015 535d have been beautiful engines... without a HINT of clatter or rattle regardless of how I drove the car trying to make "that noise" happen. The two test cars I drove were perfect too. I love my BMW's, I'm an enthusiast, and I couldn't wait to own the 535d xdrive.
What a disappointment. Even more so because I know for a fact SOME BMW 535d's are beautiful, sublime automobiles.

As a result of having this problem with my car I have learned some things that I wouldn't post on the forum but I will discuss privately. In the end BMW is a very good company that always does the right thing to keep reasonable customers happy and satisfied. For that reason I will always have one or two of their cars in my garage.

Thanks for the info. I'll reach out.

RR

[phil7027]

I was considering both too. I tried to justify "OO maybe the 535 will be fast enough with a down pipe, intake and tune"….. Go with the 550 if you are into fun driving. This car has tons of power and torque throws me in my seat all day long.

[NewM3driver]

Originally Posted by phil7027

I was considering both too. I tried to justify "OO maybe the 535 will be fast enough with a down pipe, intake and tune"….. Go with the 550 if you are into fun driving. This car has tons of power and torque throws me in my seat all day long.

Wondering how you find the handling and turn in? What suspension and wheels are you running? Thanks!

[AT LAW]

I have had both the 535 and 550 and I highly recommend the 550.

I just bought another new '15 550 M Sport.

The 535 is quite peppy, however, it doesn't have the torque and grunt of the 550. The 550 is very enjoyable to drive both in town and on the highway.

However, you have to take into consideration the fact that the 550 is about $10,000.00 higher than the 535, evenly equipped. Most 550's with the right options are north of $80,000.00.
However, you can get a full leather dash (which is very nice looking) with the 550 (Executive Pkg), and I believe a leather dash in the 535 is an individual order.
Additionally, the 550 will be significantly harder on fuel mileage, especially if driven in Sport + mode on a daily basis (like I do).

Realistic MPG in the city in Sport + Mode is around 11 MPG.
The highway MPG is actually quite good for a large V8 -- Expect 25-27 MPG.

Overall, I would highly suggest going with the 550 even considering the fairly significant price jump and a little higher operating costs.

[Pimpsy]

I drove a 2012 535 for three years, and currently own a 2013 550.

The 535 is not an exciting car to drive. There are no "wow" moments on the road, and at times it even feels slightly underpowered. That said- it is luxurious, the 8 speed transmission is magnificent, and it will certainly meet or even exceed the needs of many drivers. I really enjoyed the car, but it lacked the thrill of a real performance machine.

The 550 is truly fun to drive, and there are "wow" moments for both driver and passenger. It is exactly what it appears to be: a significantly faster, gas guzzling step up from the 535. If you want to have fun driving, get the 550 hands down. The difference is night and day. I have never heard a single person step up to a 550 and regret it.

Good luck with whatever you do!

[kondor]

Originally Posted by AlanM

The 535 is not an exciting car to drive. There are no "wow" moments on the road, and at times it even feels slightly underpowered. That said- it is luxurious, the 8 speed transmission is magnificent, and it will certainly meet or even exceed the needs of many drivers. I really enjoyed the car, but it lacked the thrill of a real performance machine.

The 550 is truly fun to drive, and there are "wow" moments for both driver and passenger. It is exactly what it appears to be: a significantly faster, gas guzzling step up from the 535. If you want to have fun driving, get the 550 hands down. The difference is night and day. I have never heard a single person step up to a 550 and regret it.

Good luck with whatever you do!

^^^^THIS!!

[Robio]

Thanks for all of the posts guys. I really appreciate it.

RR

[lsturbointeg]

I already have a Nissan Titan sucking down gas So when I picked up my 535 I was glad to know that even when I drive hard there's still gas in the tank. I feel the power for a stock 535 is good...and with some tuning...even better. Also someone mentioned about the handling...with springs/coilovers and some h&r sway bars night and day difference.