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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 BMW 5-Series (F10) Forums General 5-Series Sedan and Wagon (F10 / F11) Forum The 5-Series Dress Code: Black: In, Silver: Out, Green: Off the Radar
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      04-25-2011, 03:05 PM   #1
Bandini3
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The 5-Series Dress Code: Black: In, Silver: Out, Green: Off the Radar

Looking at the 535i and 550i on local streets, at dealers, and in online listings, I've been struck by the popularity of black and near-black. It seems to be a colour the BMW marketing types like. Most of the Launch cars were Dark Graphite/Sophisto and four (or 31%) of the thirteen colours offered in the USA are black or near-black (38% if you include Imperial Blue).

I happen to think the 5-Series looks better in a somewhat lighter metallic, such as Space Gray, which shows the character lines better under most light conditions. BMW seems to agree -- the current marketing brochure features a Space Gray 535i.

Just for fun, I looked at a couple of external sources to provide an objective measure of this apparent 'leaning' toward black/near-black.

Dupont Corp publishes an annual survey showing the "most popular" colours in particular geographic markets. http://www2.dupont.com/Media_Center/...ity/index.html

Here is what Dupont's 2010 data show for the North American market
White 21%
Black 18%
Silver 17%
Gray 15%
Red 11%
Blue 9%
Brown/Beige 5%
Other 4%

In the absence of BMW sales data, I looked at the reported colours of new 5-Series vehicles listed on Cars.com. Among the 3,100 535i listings that reported colour, 40.7% were black. Among the 718 550i listings that reported colour, 43.5% were black. Combined results for the two models (quite similar) are shown below:
Black 41.2%
Gray 18.2%
White 17.0%
Silver 11.9%
Blue 8.9%
Beige/Brown 1.6%
Green 1.2%.

Since Dark Graphite/Sophisto is probably included in Gray on the Cars.com listings, the popularity of black/near-black for the BMWs is, if anything, understated.

Overall, it would appear that roughly 40% of all US purchasers of a new 535i or 550i will choose black, a percentage that is more than twice the average reported for the industry overall (18%). The likelihood of the BMW owners to choose gray is slightly above the Dupont average (18% vs. 15%). By the same measure, both white and silver have popularity among the F10 fraternity that is below the industry average (respectively, 17% vs. 21% and 12% vs. 17%).

Comparable data for the 2011 E-Class suggests purchasers of the Mercedes continue to show above-average enthusiasm for silver (23%). But that's another story.
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      04-25-2011, 03:23 PM   #2
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Interesting write-up! My 2 personal favourite colours on the F10 are Dark Graphite and Imperial Blue.
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      04-25-2011, 04:03 PM   #3
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I'd have preferred black, but just couldn't face the work involved in keeping it clean, and how it's going to end up looking in three years time....
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      04-25-2011, 04:07 PM   #4
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I guess I'm just different: Deep Sea Blue / Cinnamon Brown / 6MT.
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      04-25-2011, 04:36 PM   #5
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Me too. I got Cashmere silver. Where does that fit in the poll?
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      04-25-2011, 04:41 PM   #6
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Agree with the comment about lighter colours suiting the F10 better than dark. Looks good in most colours, but somehow lighter hues show off the curves better
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      04-25-2011, 06:38 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Mewster View Post
I'd have preferred black, but just couldn't face the work involved in keeping it clean, and how it's going to end up looking in three years time....
I had a black car once, never again. If you farted within 10 feet of it, it needed to be washed. It drove me
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      04-25-2011, 07:11 PM   #8
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Black is just miserable to maintain...
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      04-26-2011, 05:13 PM   #9
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I like both ends of the spectrum, but on different vehicles...

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      04-26-2011, 08:35 PM   #10
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Agree that lighter colors look better because of the shadow cast by the crease lines on the sides of the car. My new 535 is titanium silver and looks great out in the sun. Regarding dark colors--over the years I've had cars that have been burgundy, red, dark green, copper, and silver and all except for silver were difficult to look clean for long, especially when there is rain or slush on the roads, or to hide scratches and nicks from stones/gravel. Silver hides these better. White is not as good.
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      04-28-2011, 05:36 PM   #11
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Light Metallics May be Better But Dark Looks Pretty Good Here!...

Quote:
Originally Posted by konasunset View Post
Agree that lighter colors look better because of the shadow cast by the crease lines on the sides of the car. My new 535 is titanium silver and looks great out in the sun. Regarding dark colors--over the years I've had cars that have been burgundy, red, dark green, copper, and silver and all except for silver were difficult to look clean for long, especially when there is rain or slush on the roads, or to hide scratches and nicks from stones/gravel. Silver hides these better. White is not as good.
I agree, Space Gray and Titanium bring out the best in the F10 under most light conditions and hide dirt well.

But, a couple of pictures posted recently make a pretty good argument for the dark metallics. Or, maybe it's just inspired photography with cars that were captured just after a meticulous cleaning.

(The Oyster/Black interior also looks distinctive here.)

Dark Graphite by Montanaman: http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=522108

and, Carbon by hiroprotag: http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=520490
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      05-01-2011, 06:11 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rochdale Pioneers View Post
Agree with the comment about lighter colours suiting the F10 better than dark. Looks good in most colours, but somehow lighter hues show off the curves better
I agree..the cars lines and creases seam to get lost with darker colors...especially the M sport package
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      05-03-2011, 04:08 AM   #13
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I had a Le Mans Blue E92 and whilst I loved the colour, it only served to highlight the ever increasing accumulation of stone chips. That's why I chose white for my F10 and I'm very relieved that I did. Boring it might be, but after 6k miles through a Scottish winter, the stone chips are there, but they don't show up unless you look very closely.
I also agree with previous statements about lighter colours (especially metallics) emphasising the curves and crease lines and if I get the F12 next spring, I'll probably go for Orion Silver.
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      05-06-2011, 06:08 AM   #14
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I've just got my Cashmere Silvern 520d Touring - by far and away the most beautiful colour I've seen on this model.
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