[agentorange]

Found a couple of F10s but now I'm conflicted on which one is best for me. I'm not a racy driver any more, despite what some say. . Here's a brief rundown on the specs.

In a dealer near me:-
2015 535i, 31.5k miles. $32k
-LED headlights
-Upgraded ventilated seats (comfort seats according to VIN decoder)
-18" 365 wheels
-Park distance control
-Glacier silver with Amaro brown interior.

At a dealer over 400 miles away
2014 535d, 27k miles. $27.5k
-HID lights
-Surround view
-Driving assistant
-19" 366 wheels
-Soft close doors (hmm, read bad things about those)
-Callisto gray with an ivory white interior.

I'm attracted to the 535i because of the LED headlights and 18" wheels for a good ride. That said, the diesel has fewer miles, is $4.5k cheaper and promises much better mileage. We own a 328d right now and the economy is great.

Do the 18" wheels help the ride that much over 19"s? The cars are optioned in very different ways, guess we should thank BMW that they don't think "one size fits all", I'm looking at you, Acura.

[TEF]

Yes, smaller wheels ride much better. Switch from 19" to 17" wheels on my 535d xdrive and it's like a different car. It's especially apparent when trading 19" runflats for 17" non run flats. I often why BMW masks a great suspension with run flat tires.

[lsturbointeg]

from pure aesthetics a smaller rim on a BMW just looks bad especially with the fine body lines the F10 has. my 535i came with OEM 20" 356's and makes the car look night and day compared to a 17" wheel. just my opinion tho

[Pierre Louis]

Look to see if the dealer can sell you the 535d as some report that until the EGR cooler recall parts come in, dealers can't sell.

I couldn't be bothered by a white interior and how easily it is to soil.

My 2016 535d came with Xenon lights, which I guess are called HID? They are great, but not apparently as precise as LED lights which should be less expensive theoretically.

PL

[agentorange]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

from pure aesthetics a smaller rim on a BMW just looks bad especially with the fine body lines the F10 has. my 535i came with OEM 20" 356's and makes the car look night and day compared to a 17" wheel. just my opinion tho

Maybe I'm weird (distant chorus of "You betcha!") but I find the 18" 365 wheel the most attractive choice. The 19" 366 is is a little "meh" for me somehow. The other thing is that many of the highways in the SW are full of little pits and joins. The patter and vibration they cause gets old after the first hour. It's the reason I ditched a perfectly running 2008 XKR as it was only tolerable around town.

If the diesel had ventilated seats that might be enough for me to get past the color. Dark colors are not ideal in this climate.

[johnhva]

If you know and like the D experience, go for that.

That said, I drove 300 mi for the contour vented mocha nappa seats on my CPO '14 535 -- fantastic. LED lights are also great. It has soft-close doors which are cool but not essential.

[TTG]

I would not choose based on wheel choices. You can always change to whatever wheels you want, later on.

I took off the Msport 19's on my car and they are for summer only. Most of the time I roll on 17" 236s and I love the ride and durability.

PS: I absolutely do not understand why anyone would own a diesel car in the US. They cost more to start with and their value take a huge hit when its selling time.

[Pierre Louis]

Originally Posted by TTG

I would not choose based on wheel choices. You can always change to whatever wheels you want, later on.

I took off the Msport 19's on my car and they are for summer only. Most of the time I roll on 17" 236s and I love the ride and durability.

PS: I absolutely do not understand why anyone would own a diesel car in the US. They cost more to start with and their value take a huge hit when its selling time.

www.nadaguides.com:

2014 535ix 35,000 miles: CPO $26,700 EPA 23 mpg combined
2014 535dx 35,000 miles: CPO $27,125 EPA 29 mpg combined

The price of diesel vs premium is about 3% now (mostly due to winter demand for heating oil and less severe restrictions on gasoline volatility), but premium has been much higher all year. EPA undervalues diesel fuel economy and overvalues gasoline numbers.

Same difference in wholesale and trade-in values.

Might vary as to region and how far people drive etc.

Cha ching!

PL

[Trian]

I don't know the reasoning for but I have read many times that a diesel needs more highway time. So if all your driving is in-town with little highway time, you should consider the gas.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Trian

I don't know the reasoning for but I have read many times that a diesel needs more highway time. So if all your driving is in-town with little highway time, you should consider the gas.

Diesel is best suited to decent mileage and good hot runs.

In the UK have a high percentage of diesel, we see the problems with diesels used for short/cold running and lots of town use. Yes, more likely to have issues (DPF, EGR, carbon build up) than those who use a diesel mostly driving on the Highway.

[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by TTG

PS: I absolutely do not understand why anyone would own a diesel car in the US.

This! I would only consider a diesel if i'm looking to buy a truck. I looked into buying a BMW for performance not fuel economy. if you're looking for fuel economy buy a Hyndai or a Civic

[agentorange]

Originally Posted by Trian

I don't know the reasoning for but I have read many times that a diesel needs more highway time. So if all your driving is in-town with little highway time, you should consider the gas.

Right now my wife has a 12-14 mile commute and most of it is on the highway. Mind you, during rush hour that does not guarantee highway speeds. She probably gets a clearer run on the way home and it's all uphill. That should get some heat in the motor. What knocks her mileage back is that her job often takes her to parts of the valley that are not well served by the freeways. That's why she's getting 37 mpg rather than the EPA highway of 45 mpg. Still, it's way better than the EPA city of 32 mpg which I know is utter nonsense having had a Jag XE diesel loaner. You would have to drive like a brain donor wearing lead boots to drive down the mileage that far.

[agentorange]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Diesel is best suited to decent mileage and good hot runs.

In the UK have a high percentage of diesel, we see the problems with diesels used for short/cold running and lots of town use. Yes, more likely to have issues (DPF, EGR, carbon build up) than those who use a diesel mostly driving on the Highway.

I killed the transmission on a petrol E30 because (drumroll please) I followed the BMW service intervals. Those service intervals obviously assumed that Hans got to do a balls out autobahn run at least once a week to drive the moisture out of the transmission fluid. That wasn't happening too much in rural England. Dial in typical British humidity and the result was inevitable. The indy transmission guy said he worked on dozens of them belonging to folk who were not reps with company cars.

[agentorange]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

This! I would only consider a diesel if i'm looking to buy a truck. I looked into buying a BMW for performance not fuel economy. if you're looking for fuel economy buy a Hyndai or a Civic

I'm sorry, but I can't buy into that. BMW INVENTED the performance diesel market with the first 335D. So it lost a few tenths on the zero to 60 run and the 1/4 mile. BFD. In terms of real world driveability, their diesels are the way to go. Getting 95% of the performance with darned near double the mileage on long trips, what's not to like?

If winding out to 6k or more on a regular basis is your thing, then the diesel isn't for you.

[agentorange]

Originally Posted by Pierre Louis

www.nadaguides.com:

2014 535ix 35,000 miles: CPO $26,700 EPA 23 mpg combined
2014 535dx 35,000 miles: CPO $27,125 EPA 29 mpg combined

The price of diesel vs premium is about 3% now (mostly due to winter demand for heating oil and less severe restrictions on gasoline volatility), but premium has been much higher all year. EPA undervalues diesel fuel economy and overvalues gasoline numbers.

Same difference in wholesale and trade-in values.

Might vary as to region and how far people drive etc.

Cha ching!

PL

^ This. Out here in the SW diesel is always way cheaper than premium and in the 328d my wife is getting 37 mpg in mixed driving. That ain't happening in a 328i around Vegas, I promise.

[TTG]

Originally Posted by agentorange

I'm sorry, but I can't buy into that. BMW INVENTED the performance diesel market with the first 335D. So it lost a few tenths on the zero to 60 run and the 1/4 mile. BFD. In terms of real world driveability, their diesels are the way to go. Getting 95% of the performance with darned near double the mileage on long trips, what's not to like?

If winding out to 6k or more on a regular basis is your thing, then the diesel isn't for you.

Mercedes actually did that many years ago but us Americans were too busy playing with our SUVs at the time and missed the whole thing.

Now if BMW was actually bringing the "cool" diesels like the actual 535 or 550d it would be another story just for the insane torque alone.

When I was picking up my current F10, dealer offered a significant discount on this 535d that has been collecting dust on their lot. Its final price actually started with 5X,XXX and I still walked away. I remember taking this pic to send it back home for sanity check.

Having said all of that, if D is your thing, pick one up at a discount and dont look back. I personally like my dual exhaust in the back

[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by agentorange

If winding out to 6k or more on a regular basis is your thing, then the diesel isn't for you.

I'm pretty sure I specifically mentioned that that's why most of us love driving BMW's. another reason why BMW calls it the Ulitimate Driving Machine. not the Ultimate Fuel Economy Machine

[TEF]

In a fairness, wouldn't the 550i, and not the 535i, be closer to the "Ultimate Driving Machine"? And the M5 even closer still. If one has never driven a three-liter BMW diesel, than some of these posts might be based on a preconceived notion of older NA diesels - not the current BMW engine with turbo. The real-world difference in performance between a 535i and 535d is very slight, but one notices instantly the low-end torque of the diesel. Moreover, the mileage and range is significantly better than the gas version.

The idea that 535d's were given away was not my experience. I searched the internet for months before finding a '16 vehicle that was not previously titled.

[Pierre Louis]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

I'm pretty sure I specifically mentioned that that's why most of us love driving BMW's. another reason why BMW calls it the Ulitimate Driving Machine. not the Ultimate Fuel Economy Machine

I love having my cake and eating it too - only possible in a diesel. Have you tried winding up a diesel 335d or 535d - its a rocket ship. I just don't drive on normal roads this way and respect my machinery. Its not a Porsche.

PL

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by TEF

...Moreover, the mileage and range is significantly better than the gas version...

I don't know... I regularly get over 32mpg on the freeway at 80ish.

If I cared about mpg I would buy a Chevy Spark!

[note46]

I had a similar choice back in October and went with (2015) 535i (I really wanted another 5 series for my commute car). Only because the day I went into buy the (2015) 535d, the stop sell for the diesel came out so I could not take it home. It would have been my 4th BMW diesel (I'm in the US, California) and it would have provided me with over 34mpg on my terrible commute. In the 535i I'm getting 25.5mpg.

For me personally, the performance from the diesel engine is more than adequate for a commute car but it's the terrific mpg that I really love. I used to pick just the cheapest, highest mpg car for commute cars but hated the whole experience. With a proper comfortable with good handling car, it's much much more tolerable. Again this is my personal experience and your mileage may very

[jimj911]

Love our 2014 535d and with a tune it is now pushing 600 lb ft at the crank. That is not an easy or cheap number to get out of the gas motor in a 535i