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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 Another F10 535i owner review.
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      07-01-2010, 01:35 PM   #1
Whteverjklasdf
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Another F10 535i owner review.

Some specs: Car has 8-speed SPORTS Auto, RFT, no active suspension, no variable damper, no COMFORT mode, no active steering, no wheels bigger than 18", no NOS.

I thought the car would look smaller out of the showroom, but it really wouldn’t. The bodywork is massive, and it was very apparent when I had mine parked next to my neighbor’s Audi S5. The exterior appeal is a very personal subject so I am not going to say more, but the F10 is a big car looking from the outside.

The interior is a different story. You might not like the new design, but you can’t deny the fact that the new car is more upscale than its predecessor. Personally I think it’s a massive improvement.

I started off driving the car at turtle speed. At normal mode, the 8-speed gearbox up shifts very early, and if you had an ass sensitive enough, you might notice the slight change in the car’s momentum when it silently up shifts from first to second gear. But after that you probably won’t notice a thing. The power delivery is very smooth. The steering has pretty good feedback from the road; the slightest change in vibration from the steering wheel gives you the right amount of connection to the front wheels.

After getting to know the car better, I speeded up. The F10 came alive. The car was doing respectable speed around bends for a vehicle of this size. But what’s amazing was how the F10 did it; the car was composed, and very balanced. The whole car was tight; at its cornering limit, nothing twisted or budged except the suspension geometry and the compressed sidewall of the outside tires. The entire dynamic transition, from the moment where the car started swaying to tires screaming loud, is very linear and predictable. The F10 shines on open road with fast bends, but not so for speedy city driving with lots of ninety-degree turn. (But if you drove “normally”, it’d be an excellent ride at any speed.)

The Sports auto lever looks great, but takes time to get used to. It is the only function of the F10 that I found not quite intuitive. Another complaint is that the topmost of the windscreen isn’t tinted. The sun was killing me this afternoon as I was heading toward it. Also, the rear legroom isn’t as big as I’d have expected for a car of this size. But what am I thinking? Let’s go back to the driving.

People talked about the turbo-lag, or the lack of it. I tell you what, if you’re driving the 535 at normal mode, and I assume the car would be in such mode if and only if you’re driving normally, then the engine is probably revving under 2,000 rpm. In this case, yes you will have turbo-lag if all of a sudden you feel like driving normal is no longer a suitable thing to do but instead of changing to SPORTS mode, you decide to floor it anyway. However, had you changed to SPORTS, the engine will always stay at higher rpm, and I doubt if you can still sense such lag, if any.

All in all I am quite happy with this car. If you’re looking for a sophisticated machine that drives in a cool and relaxed manner, then this car is for you.
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      07-01-2010, 06:13 PM   #2
kplsoleil
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Good review. I'm shooting for an F10 535i in the next few months and always drive my BMWs higher in the RPM range... it's what the engines were built for!

Are you getting one or just testing driving for the experience?
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      07-02-2010, 12:29 AM   #3
Whteverjklasdf
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kplsoleil View Post

Are you getting one or just testing driving for the experience?
I got mine delivered earlier this week. It's a looker!
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      07-02-2010, 12:36 AM   #4
bm323
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sealobo View Post
I got mine delivered earlier this week. It's a looker!
Congrats, and looks like it's driving great
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      07-02-2010, 04:34 AM   #5
Robin_NL
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Nice writeup. Any pics?

And I really don't notice any turbolag at all, at normal speeds, also because it has alreay 400Nm @ 1200rpm on tap. I think the 'hesitation' what you feel or whatever you might call it, is imo due to the fact the car is pretty heavy...

Cheers
Robin
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      07-02-2010, 04:57 AM   #6
Whteverjklasdf
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car is Sophisto Grey with 237 wheels. nothing special.

a pix of gf gunning the car:

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      07-02-2010, 11:14 AM   #7
DJOzma_FTW
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Congrats, it's a lovely car!

Do you have to pay more for a sports auto? I didn't see a choice for one when I ordered my F10. I'm really curious, what differences are there? I did notice there being two different drive selectors..
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