[khai Dow]

So, after 2 years with my F10 I'm really starting to wish that I had something with a bit more power. Living in Asia, the car prices here are more than extortionate. I currently have an ActiveHybrid 5 M Sport, with all of the obvious M Performance exterior mods including the 20" wheels. Its great fun to drive and the straight six is lovely. The question is therefore, should I trade it in for something else? There are literally no F10 M5's for sale here therefore the only options are:

E60 M5
E63 M6
Maybe an E93 M3?

I have a horrible feeling that going from brand new to 5+ years old is going to drive me mad and yes - I know that only I can make this decision and everyone's priorities are different.....Just thought I'd ask anyway!

[TheUtahX5M]

I would keep what you have until you can upgrade to a F10 M5.

[SleevedCoyote]

I would not do it...

As you mentioned yourself, going back to an older model will decrease alot of things... Namely, technology, refinement (especially interior), fuel efficency (I guess you aren't really concerned with this since you are considering M cars) ... Not to mention the S85 V10, while a great engine, isn't as reliable as the F10 M5.

Maybe add a tune, or trade it in for a F10 550i?

[Jayphil]

Originally Posted by Hamzoro

I would not do it...

As you mentioned yourself, going back to an older model will decrease alot of things... Namely, technology, refinement (especially interior), fuel efficency (I guess you aren't really concerned with this since you are considering M cars) ... Not to mention the S85 V10, while a great engine, isn't as reliable as the F10 M5.

Maybe add a tune, or trade it in for a F10 550i?

+1 for F10 550I if you like all other aspect of your car but need more HP (considering no F10 M5 are available)

[martin mustang]

The E60 M5 gear box is not for every day driving like the one on the F10 M5, add the difference in quality and how the F10 was built on the same chassis as the 7 series, while the E60 shared it chassis with the old 3 series, you will certainly feel the downgrade not in power of course but in every other part of the equation.

[EL Jeffe 5]

Go with F10 550i
Wont be disappointed trust me I have 2013 550i to me its a monster.

[The Beast]

Have you looked at whether you can get any performance mods for your car?

[Bmw doubles]

+1 E93 M3. Powerful and hold value

[chrisny]

Originally Posted by Jayphil

+1 for F10 550I if you like all other aspect of your car but need more HP (considering no F10 M5 are available)

+1.

[lemetier]

Originally Posted by martin mustang

The E60 M5 gear box is not for every day driving like the one on the F10 M5, add the difference in quality and how the F10 was built on the same chassis as the 7 series, while the E60 shared it chassis with the old 3 series, you will certainly feel the downgrade not in power of course but in every other part of the equation.

The E60/61/63/64 were not "based" on a 3 Series. The body structure was the first use of hybrid body with an aluminum structure from the firewall forward. Further development resulted in the Fxx 5/6/7 body structures (less complexity compared to the E6x 5/6). If it was such a downgrade, the Fxx M5/M6 wouldn't be utilizing suspension components from their predecessor rather instead of enhanced versions derived from their current non-m brethren.

That said, an E6x M5/M6 never did nor will ever make a good daily driver. The S85 powerband is quite high in the rev range and feels very sluggish down low. It would feel a bit slow in fact compared to your AH5 unless you keep it in the upper half of the rev range all the time. SMGIII gearbox, as mentioned above, isn't very good in DD duty just like all SMG Transmissions. The US Market 6 Speed Manual was the better choice overall but needed some improvement (shift linkage and clutch pedal pickup). It wasn't as good as SMGIII in more spirited driving, but made the overall experience better.

E93 M3 will feel like a huge step down from interior quality stand point.

F10 M5 is ludicrously quick but it doesn't directly communicate just how much. It makes a good daily driver without sacrificing too much to spoil the more spirited occasions. An F06 M6 Gran Coupe would be even better. The interior environment helps compared to the F10 and looks even better from the outside.

If you want something that feels faster, an F10 550i (preferably with X Drive) I think is a good option. That may be more difficult than an F10 M5 or F06 M6 though.

[khai Dow]

Sensible comments, thanks all.

Re the 550 - this would be absolutely great but I don't believe there are any here in Thailand and the dealers certainly don't stock them. You can go the importer route but then you miss out on the full BMW dealer warranty and BMW will not service any car purchased on the grey market....which doesn't seem fair

I don't need a daily driver, but I do need a reliable car and the consensus here seems to be that the M5 won't cut it -

Mods - to have considered this, but other than exhaust I haven't seen too many options for the AH5. Given its extra weight due to the running gear and battery etc it's quite a bit heavier which would impact the upgrades. It also appears that tunes for the 535 (on which it is based) are feasible, but not all are confirmed to work on the 535.

F10 M5 would be the ideal solution, but there are none second hand that I've seen to date and the new price is (take a sharp intake of breath) in the region of US$350-400K.

I may need to switch brands and perhaps consider the Panamera. They are still expensive here, but there are more of them on the road and hence at least there's a choice in the second hand market. The 4S and Turbo have limited availability but you do at least see them. The best seller here is the hybrid S. All hybrids attract a sizable tax discount (as long as the engine is 3L or less) hence the Asian market is strongly contributing to driving the manufacturers to invest more in hybrid tech...

I gues I have some more thinking to do...

[PJinCA]

Having personally owned 2 E60s (530i and a 550i), and now I am new to the F10 (just got a 535). There are many things I miss from the E60, the handling and overall sportiness being the most important to me. The E60 weighed a lot less than the F10, the V8 was more reliable than the F10 N63, the steering was not electric so it provided better feedback. Especially from my 550 I will really miss the adaptive side bolsters (standard on the E60 M5, and a very rare option on the E60 LCI 550s, and one that I had an enjoyed immensely). The overall interior room of the E60 for the driver was better for me, I am 6'4" so the thinner center console of the E60 along with being able to lower the seat further gave me plenty of room to be comfortable.
As far as technology, there is no comparison. The new iDrive is much better, I love the new NAV, Bluetooth streaming, surround view, driver assist, and HUD of the new car. Funny thing about technology, it's easy to get used to new tech, but going backwards makes everything else feel stone age by comparison. Did I love my E60s? Yes. Now that I have an F10 would I go back? Nope.
That said, I look at my F10 as an interim car. I didn't want to get one, but a drunk driver killed my 550 and made the decision for me. I was happily waiting until the G30 5 series, which will be significantly lighter than the F10 and supposedly "sportier" (we will see).

Biggest disappointment so far of the F10, the transmission's HP/TQ rating. It doesn't allow for very much modding, so may not be able to approach my E60 550's hp numbers as I had hoped. The E60 550 had a long list of mods and was well above the stock hp numbers, I was looking forward to adding the ESS supercharger at some point soon.

[Jcbama85]

Hang on until you can get the 550 or M5.

[Nalod]

They guy has a hybrid! I doubt much can be done.