[ex-poster]

Owned a couple of 3 series since 2000. Love the brand, love my 3s. Current ride is a 2006 330i with sport and premium package, no nav.

I've very much been looking at a 5 series. My 3 had to get new brakes, and my dealer was nice enough to give me a 528 as a loaner, which lasted through the weekend, hence the 4 days.

I had been expecting an awesome experience, but in the end, after the coolness factor wore off, I was less than impressed.

HOWEVER - I've driven 328s before as loaners as well and they've been pretty uninspiring as well.

So, my question is this - given the, err, complaints below, to what extent would I still have those complaints if I had a 535, say, with whatever the sport and premium package equivalents would be?

* Poor throttle response - I won't even go into the disaster of throttle response in "eco" mode. Turbo lag, transmission hunting for gears, you name it.

* Vague road feel - note, I'm pretty sure that the model I drove did not have much in the way of options, e.g., no active steering.

* Handling: boat. Big boat. Ship even.

* Lack of power - OK, this one I'm pretty sure would be rectified on the 535...

Plus, there were more than a few quirks that were irritating:

* Nav - I've never had iDrive, but I'd heard the complaints about how hard it was to use, and how much better the new generation of nav was/is, but holy smokes this isn't intuitive at all. Or, better put, it has streaks of intuitiveness but it also has mean streaks of just being odd. It's not consistent. Do I think I could learn it? Of course. Do I think I should have to figure it out? Of course not.

* More nav: the map data stinks. My house and street have existed for 15 years but it wasn't on the map. Oddly enough, it let me enter my street address.

* More nav: while the nav brightness varies _some_ with the dash brightness setting, it's not really in sync.

* I didn't like the way the black panel (this was a partial black panel) was just ever so slightly brighter than the rest of the dash.

Can I get a sporty 535 that has qualities like my 3? I can put up with the nav, as frustrating as it is - but a laggy, boat like experience is not for me.

Hopefully I've just experienced a loaner and everyone here will put my fears to rest - please?

[LiveLarger]

Welcome aboard!

This is the forum where it sounds like the f10 owners do nothing but complaining about their cars. There isn't going to be anyone telling you that there are great cars here.

On a serious note, not sure why you expect the F10 to be a sports car. It's not, it's a family saloon.

[ex-poster]

Originally Posted by LiveLarger

Welcome aboard!

This is the forum where it sounds like the f10 owners do nothing but complaining about their cars. There isn't going to be anyone telling you that there are great cars here.

On a serious note, not sure why you expect the F10 to be a sports car. It's not, it's a family saloon.

I do absolutely expect it to be *sporty*. No reason for it not to be.

I've been on these forums for a while. I know what they're like.

[LiveLarger]

Sporty? We are talking about a 2 Ton car!! It's a saloon that drives really well, not a sports car.

[Hunter5179]

With a 535 you should be okay....definitely get ARS and sport transmission. The Active Rolls Stabilization(ARS) really takes away that boat feeling. I've been in a friend of mine's 550xi and his turned like a boat even with ACS springs so I can't imagine without the springs how bad it would be. ARS is definitely a Must have for the F10 no matter which you choose. Dinan also has a nice tune for it and some others which bump thehorse power to just over 400 so there goes that. So power and boaty feel you can take care of by going this route. Obviously throwing aftermarket coilovers or springs will make it all even better.

[Tuesday]

After two E60's I can clearly see why people would complain about the anemic F10 suspension. I haven't driven one with ARS, and now I'm starting to think that I should. Both of my E60's had sport package with dynamic drive, and they were a whole different machine. To me the style and amenities in the F10 make up for the lack of tight cornering. But as others have said, it's hard to be too upset because sporty or not, it is a sedan.

[The X Men]

Sounds like you need a E60.

[OnlyTruth]

any model 3 or 5 will feel different with or without sport suspension
When i went from sport 325 E90 to regular 335 E90 I was cursing out the suspension too, then I realized the benefit of a softer suspension on rough bumpy roads. I drove new generation 335 on sport+ mode this is BUUUMMMPPPYYYY but handling is addictive. My 535 is not a boat but less sporty of course but then again i am not tracking it, appreciate more comfort and luxury feel on everyday driving.

[ex-poster]

Thanks for the input - I know this is a bigger car and it weighs more than the E90 or E46, but even taking that into account it was a boat...

Anyone have any experience between a 528 and 535 that can (ahem) weigh in?

[paulbazo]

Originally Posted by smithrh

Thanks for the input - I know this is a bigger car and it weighs more than the E90 or E46, but even taking that into account it was a boat...

Anyone have any experience between a 528 and 535 that can (ahem) weigh in?

The F10 needs an engine, the 550 is a sports sedan.
The 535 may be acceptable, a compromise.
The 528 is for old ladies , definetely not a sports sedan.

[kave]

If you like the car to handle as good as possible, forget the 535i, you certainly dont need to add weight over the 528.
Buy the F30.

[The X Men]

The 535 or the 550 will be quicker than the 528 but the F10 is not going to handle like a 3 series, that is not the design intention. To replace a 330, you need to look at another 3 series, maybe a F30 sport line. The F30 is pretty roomy and just might fit your needs. It will not be as luxurious or comfortable as the F10, but that doesnt sound like a top priority for you.

[TheRox]

Originally Posted by paulbazo

The F10 needs an engine, the 550 is a sports sedan.
The 535 may be acceptable, a compromise.
The 528 is for old ladies , definetely not a sports sedan.

550 is good, but too expensive for a 5 series.

It starts coming close to the base price for a Panamera V6, which is a different class altogether.

The 535 is good value.

[TheRox]

Originally Posted by smithrh

Owned a couple of 3 series since 2000. Love the brand, love my 3s. Current ride is a 2006 330i with sport and premium package, no nav.

I've very much been looking at a 5 series. My 3 had to get new brakes, and my dealer was nice enough to give me a 528 as a loaner, which lasted through the weekend, hence the 4 days.

I had been expecting an awesome experience, but in the end, after the coolness factor wore off, I was less than impressed.

HOWEVER - I've driven 328s before as loaners as well and they've been pretty uninspiring as well.

So, my question is this - given the, err, complaints below, to what extent would I still have those complaints if I had a 535, say, with whatever the sport and premium package equivalents would be?

* Poor throttle response - I won't even go into the disaster of throttle response in "eco" mode. Turbo lag, transmission hunting for gears, you name it.

* Vague road feel - note, I'm pretty sure that the model I drove did not have much in the way of options, e.g., no active steering.

* Handling: boat. Big boat. Ship even.

* Lack of power - OK, this one I'm pretty sure would be rectified on the 535...

Plus, there were more than a few quirks that were irritating:

* Nav - I've never had iDrive, but I'd heard the complaints about how hard it was to use, and how much better the new generation of nav was/is, but holy smokes this isn't intuitive at all. Or, better put, it has streaks of intuitiveness but it also has mean streaks of just being odd. It's not consistent. Do I think I could learn it? Of course. Do I think I should have to figure it out? Of course not.

* More nav: the map data stinks. My house and street have existed for 15 years but it wasn't on the map. Oddly enough, it let me enter my street address.

* More nav: while the nav brightness varies _some_ with the dash brightness setting, it's not really in sync.

* I didn't like the way the black panel (this was a partial black panel) was just ever so slightly brighter than the rest of the dash.

Can I get a sporty 535 that has qualities like my 3? I can put up with the nav, as frustrating as it is - but a laggy, boat like experience is not for me.

Hopefully I've just experienced a loaner and everyone here will put my fears to rest - please?

The only large car that is also a big sports car is the Panamera.

There is no other. It drives tight, you feel every bit of the road, it has double clutch PDK transmission. But its not as soft or smooth as the F10. It also has more presence.

[Russkey]

I don't know why some people complain about cornering. I have F10 550 with ACS springs and the car is fast and I have no complains about cornering. To me, the power of the car is more than enough, especially in the USA. I can get the Dinan tune if I want and it would be even faster. I have no regrets. Yes, F30 handles better, but to me 1) it's not a luxury car 2) it's smaller and there is not enough space 3) I really like the design of F10 with M sport. I'm not sure if you can call 528 a sport sedan. For my taste, even 535 is not that fast. I drove them all. If you don't care about luxury and extra space in the car then get the F30. My 0.02 cents...

[half man half amazin]

Maybe you had a loaner that was bare bones. And 528 at that. No thank you. I had a 2011 e92 M3, took it in for service and like you was given a 5 series as a loaner. Well 535 and I was impressed, so impressed when I went back 3 days later to pick up my car, I bought a fully optioned 550 instead. I love it!! Power, torque, technology, definitely lacking handling, especially coming from an M3, but that's an easy fix and a small trade off for everything the 550 gives you. As far as the idrive, it's awesome and you probably just need more time to get familiar with it.

[OnlyTruth]

Originally Posted by TheRox

The only large car that is also a big sports car is the Panamera.

There is no other. It drives tight, you feel every bit of the road, it has double clutch PDK transmission. But its not as soft or smooth as the F10. It also has more presence.

yes Panamera is terrific , especially Turbo which is actually faster than 911 turbo
but BMW offers a better value if you are on a budget. If money is not an object Panamera is the way to go and never look back.

[ex-poster]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was a bare-bones rental, but how much better does the handling get? That's the $64,000 question...

[BigKutta]

Yes, this thing feels like a boat in terms of size. I came from an e46, and the turning radius of this boat still baffles me. My Merc ML can turn on a shorter radius

[ibimmer954]

You have to include the right options if you want a sporty feel in the F10. In terms of the current option setup in the U.S., you want Dynamic Dampener Control (in Sport or M-Sport packages) and the Active Roll Stabilization. Crank the DDC to Sport/Sport+ and the suspension tightens up considerably.

Also, I have the Integral Active Steering option in my 535i. Personally, I love it because it reduces the amount of effort needed to steer the car. The car feels more nimble. Plus the addition of rear-wheel steering included with IAS brings out the Sporty Feel even more!
IAS also significantly reduces the turning radius of the car.

Even with these extras, there will still be a lot of body roll in the car. But there is a big difference in driving character between the base F10 and one with all of the sport pieces added on.

[Bmoney2K4]

E 60 535i would probably be the car for you.

[JNoSol]

I switched from an E90 330i to the F10 535i. I love it. There's no turbo lag on the 535i engine, it's a huge upgrade from the 330i.

Agree, the Navi sucks! I sometimes find it easier just to use my phone for directions.