[ezmaass]

So, after a year of looking and contemplating, I pulled the trigger yesterday on a new 2014 550i xDrive. I'll be saying goodbye to my 2007 335i, which I bought new back in '07 and put about 89k miles on to-date.

First off, here's the configuration I went with:

- 550i xDrive Jet Black / Black Dakota
- M Sport
- Cold Weather Package
- Executive Package
- Luxury Seating
- Dynamic Handling Package
- Driver Assistance Plus
- ACC Stop and Go
- Lighting Package (LED)
- Rear Sunshades

Total MSRP was around $85,800 with $925 destination. I was originally looking for a slightly different configuration (including B&O and potentially night vision), but there wasn't a single car out there with that configuration. I was about to order when the dealership through a much sweeter deal in front of me to convince me to take an in-stock (above) - although they still had to get it from another dealership. I suppose taking delivery before YE allowed them better incentives than ordering with a delivery out in February or March.

The car will be ready for pick-up on Monday or Tuesday, and I have to say I'm looking forward to it! The 335i was a great car, but it was becoming a bit impractical. We have a 6 month old now, and he typically rides in the wife's Audi Q5, but his car seat would barely squeeze into the 335i's tiny back seat (I have a 4 door).

Likewise, I'm a bit saddened to say the 335i didn't age as well as I'd originally hoped. Prior to the 335i, I had a 2001 325i (again from new) that I put 125k nearly flawless miles on before deciding to trade-up to the 335i. At 89k miles, the 335i is already showing signs of potential mechanical issues to come - slight engine pinging, potential leak of some sort, sport suspension in very poor shape (despite mainly highway driving), etc. I'm hoping the 550i will age a bit more gracefully.

That said, I'd be curious about feedback from owners out there. A few things I just rolled the dice on, like the Dynamic Handling over the stock M Sport suspension based upon some quick feedback I read on the Internet. Hopefully it was the right choice. So, any owners out there who may want to take a stab at some questions, it would be greatly appreciated:

- For those with the Dynamic Handling / Adaptive Drive, was it worth the extra $3,500? My 335i had the sport suspension, and it was all but brutal on some city streets while a joy on the highway. Common sense typically tells me that "best of both worlds" means mediocre all-around, so I was weary about getting the DH package fearing it would be an all-around compromise. Reviews, however, seem to tout it as a "must have" - thoughts?

- I left off the B&O to avoid ordering the car... did I miss out on something important here? The dealer had NO B&O cars to test on the lot and said they rarely get an order with one due to the $3,700 price-tag. The HK system sounded "OK" but honestly didn't blow me away.

- LED lights. Again, I rolled the dice. For $1,900 I'm not sure it was worth it, but I think LED is the wave of the future with lighting. I didn't test the car at night, so I'd appreciate any feedback on the quality/color/range as compared to stock HIDs which I've had on the past two BMWs.

- General reliability - how have you guys found your F10's, specifically the 550's to date? I know the 550 got a semi-new engine for 2014 (previously available in the GT?)... curious how it's holding up for those who put decent mileage on it. I'm not crazy about the all-but-terrible gas mileage, but coming from the 335i, the 535i didn't cut it for me on power... much heavier car with the same power felt sluggish to me. The 550i's 445hp is probably overkill... like driving an R8 with 4 doors, but the enthusiast in me couldn't pass up the fun-factor.

- Traffic Jam Assist - I've read a few things about the 2014's having "Traffic Jam Assist" or something of the sort that sounded interesting but didn't know to ask about this during the purchase... is this something I should expect will be on my car?

I'm looking forward to the 550i... especially as I've been eyeing them up on the road since the F10 arrived. I'll be a bit sad to see the 335i go, but as I said, it just didn't age as well as I'd hoped. The '01 325i I got rid of because I was bored, but the 335i I'm actually partially motivated by fear that it's going to have a load of impending mechanical issues - although I've (to-date) dodged some of the big ones like the fuel pump.

Thanks for any feedback in advance!

[nal13]

Congrats!!! Your going to love the car. I picked mine up on Monday and so far its just absolutely amazing. I came from an S4, which was fast, but it did not pin you in your seat like this car does. The power is intoxicating. I went pass someone on the highway the other day at 80 and looked down to see that I was doing nearly 120. As for the reliability my wife has a 2013 F10 528 and after 5K its been a rock so I'm hoping for a similar experience.

[Lee]

Congrats!

I have a 2012 and am just about to cross 20K. No major complaints thus far.

I run mine pretty hard on the autobahn (100-160 mph) on a regular basis and still get decent mileage.

Will be interested to see how long my brakes last though.

Look forward to hearing how you like yours. For the price you paid, you're close to M5 territory. For me, I like the x-drive as the weather here in Germany gets fairly challenging during the winter and I want to drive it all year.

Enjoy!

[JamRWS6]

Seems like you are ready for better ride quality and given that a car with the DDC is a great choice. I have it on mine and have driven a car with the MSport suspension and the ride is much more refined with DDC.

[pillpusher84]

If I was you ... I would have ordered ... I couldn't live without the B&O system, LED Lighting, or Dynamic Handling ... but that's just me.

I still did very good on the price. $89k sticker ... OTD sales price @ $77.5k ... special ordered in July for October '13 delivery.

[MannyZ06]

congrats, I am also in the market for one now!

[ezmaass]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Lee, yes the 550i as optioned is getting close to M5 territory in price. For me, like yourself, the xDrive was a must, though. I lived with RWD on my last two 3-series, and winter was never fun. I always told myself that it was a few short months of the year. However, the xDrive has come a long way since it was introduced, and the performance of the car actually felt superior to me with it versus without it.

nal13 - I can see that... it's easy to get to speed w/o trying.

I read on some other threads issues with the RFTs in the earlier years for the F10. Can anyone shed any light on the RFTs they're using now? I had Bridgestone Potenza RFTs on my 335i when I picked it up new and got rid of them a mere 3 months later in favor of non-RFTs. So my last RFT experience was 6+ years ago now. Has the situation improved?

[crmgr]

I've had a 535XI M-Sport since June 2011. You'll get Goodyear LS2's with the 19 inch wheels. I've driven just over 38,000 miles ( replaced at 30,000 ) with no problems. My drive is mostly freeway with some side roads. I happen to like the ride and handling, but that can be very subjective. Can tell you I drove a 335i back in 2008 with run flats and sports suspension for a week. Hated the bone jarring ride. No comparison to my 535. This is also my third Cleveland winter and I have never found the need to swap out the run flats for winter tires.

The major hate issue with the LS2 is that they have a bad damage history when driven over potholes. Most have come from drivers in the New York tri-state area. Again I can only go from personal experience and say that I've hit potholes during the winter months several times with no damage to the tires.

Enjoy your new ride!!

[ezmaass]

crmgr - thanks for the info on the tires! I happen to be in the NY tri-state area... but at least in my neck of the woods (CT), the potholes are a LITTLE more subdued than some other areas around here.

You're absolutely right about the RFTs that came on the 335i. They were beyond terrible. I swapped them for Michelin all-season pilot sports and it was night and day. While I did manage to get a bubble once from a pothole, I was lucky enough never to actually pop any tires on the 335i's 18" rims. The RIMS, on the other hand, were another story. After 3 years of ownership, I had to have them reconditioned from bends. The ride was developing a wobble. After $500, they were good as new... much better than paying BMW N-thousand for a new set, I must say!

The ride in the 5-series, even in sport mode with DHP, seems much more complacent than the 335i's sport suspension. I may miss a BIT of the confidence of taking the sharp corner here and there, but I suspect a good deal of it is in my head and not the car, itself... as I'm sure the car can do more than my driving skills could/should ever demand from it.

[crmgr]

Any low profile tire will bubble if you hit a pothole hard enough. I blew two Conti regular low profile after hitting a hole with my 2006 Audi A6. One spare didn't do it. Run flats would have probably got me home and saved the wife a trip to pick me up.

Going from Normal to Sport or Sport Plus is like driving a new car. A real kick. You'll get even more of a charge with your 550. As to reliability. This 535 has been the most reliable car owned in 20 years. That includes Infiniti, Lexus, Audi and my 2008 535. Hasn't been in the shop once other than for routine maintenance. Hopefully this will continue with the new one in June.

[Grover432]

For $85,000, I'd be hand picking my options and test driving the car with the options you chose to make sure everything you chose us what you want. Remember, the deal is secondary to the drive. I learned that in my purchase process.

[ezmaass]

grover - the car I ended up getting was less the night vision (which after reviews I determined was probably a good thing) and the B&O. It added, however, the luxury seating option. So, it was pretty much exactly what I wanted with those small changes. The night vision from what I'm reading got pretty poor reviews, and I was on the fence about its value anyway - no big loss. I am, however, a stickler for good audio, but the HK system seemed sufficient after listening to it on a few different test drives... again, leaving me to question whether $3700 would have been a good use of money for B&O.

All in all, I got a better deal for essentially the same car minus those small swaps... none of which will really effect my enjoyment of the car as they weren't "core" options. The last two BMWs I had built and shipped because the options I wanted just weren't out there. But I think it's better I didn't order since I think the night vision, at a minimum would have been regretted, and the B&O, although probably sounding great, would have left me wondering if the premium of nearly 4 grand was worth it.

All in all, I'm happy with how it played out - and I'm excited to pick up the car next week!

[pillpusher84]

Originally Posted by crmgr

I've had a 535XI M-Sport since June 2011. You'll get Goodyear LS2's with the 19 inch wheels. I've driven just over 38,000 miles ( replaced at 30,000 ) with no problems. My drive is mostly freeway with some side roads. I happen to like the ride and handling, but that can be very subjective. Can tell you I drove a 335i back in 2008 with run flats and sports suspension for a week. Hated the bone jarring ride. No comparison to my 535. This is also my third Cleveland winter and I have never found the need to swap out the run flats for winter tires.

The major hate issue with the LS2 is that they have a bad damage history when driven over potholes. Most have come from drivers in the New York tri-state area. Again I can only go from personal experience and say that I've hit potholes during the winter months several times with no damage to the tires.

Enjoy your new ride!!

I live in ny metro area and have hit a few potholes in my '11 535xi (41k miles strong with 0 issues) (Feb 2011 build date) and have only developed 1 bubble that needed a tire replacement in 3 years (19" 351Ms stock m-sport wheels/tires)... I am generally very good at avoiding the potholes ... But sometimes you can't swerve around them.

On my '14 550xi I have the LS2s that came stock (for winter) and 343Ms (M5 stock 20" w/ Michelin Pilot Super Sports for the other 3 seasons) and I can say the ride quality is superior on non-run flat tires. Both vehicles are fully loaded with M-Sport, Dynamic Handling, Active Roll Stabilization & Adaptive Drive (as well as a host of other non-suspension packages).

[pillpusher84]

I would recommend used tires from eBay as a replacement tires on a lease ... I just put tires on my '11 535xi, and paid $550 for a set of 4 LS2run flats used with 9/32 tread remaining. ... Retail new on these tires are $2100 for a set .. Lease must be returned with the exact tires delivered and at least 4/32 tread remaining. Lease is due in April '14 and I refuse to give someone a set of new tires that I paid full price for. I got about 38k out of the original set of LS2s ... With the exception of 1 tire replaced due to damage

[ezmaass]

pillpusher84 - Not that you'd want to give back new tires regardless, but a quick check on tirerack shows you can get the OEM equipment (LS2) for around $1400/set. I've exclusively used tirerack for years now since their prices are way better... they just ship to a local installer (usually only 2 or 3 days) and off you go.

[EmArAsOnS]

Congrats on the car. Post some pics when possible.
Miss seeing petrol cars it is all about diesel here as u guys might be aware.

(For 85k one might get a 520Xd partially loaded here in scandinavia. )

Enjoy ur ride.

[ezmaass]

EmArAsOnS - I'll definitely post some pics when I pick it up this week. Diesel is picking up in popularity here in the states, but we're still not getting all of the options, and there's still a lot of hesitation by consumers to jump on board.

I was reading on another thread just how expensive these cars are overseas... crazy! $85k is a lot to pay for a 520d! How are your other living costs? Is it just cars? While housing is relatively expensive in my neck of the woods (NYC metro area), other places in the US are relatively cheap. In any case, I feel for you guys as well as those in Asia. I wonder how many cars get smuggled into places like Thailand so they can avoid paying 3x the price!

[pillpusher84]

Originally Posted by ezmaass

pillpusher84 - Not that you'd want to give back new tires regardless, but a quick check on tirerack shows you can get the OEM equipment (LS2) for around $1400/set. I've exclusively used tirerack for years now since their prices are way better... they just ship to a local installer (usually only 2 or 3 days) and off you go.

that's not too bad of a deal ... much lower than when I check tirerack.com a few months ago

[Grover432]

Originally Posted by ezmaass

grover - the car I ended up getting was less the night vision (which after reviews I determined was probably a good thing) and the B&O. It added, however, the luxury seating option. So, it was pretty much exactly what I wanted with those small changes. The night vision from what I'm reading got pretty poor reviews, and I was on the fence about its value anyway - no big loss. I am, however, a stickler for good audio, but the HK system seemed sufficient after listening to it on a few different test drives... again, leaving me to question whether $3700 would have been a good use of money for B&O.

All in all, I got a better deal for essentially the same car minus those small swaps... none of which will really effect my enjoyment of the car as they weren't "core" options. The last two BMWs I had built and shipped because the options I wanted just weren't out there. But I think it's better I didn't order since I think the night vision, at a minimum would have been regretted, and the B&O, although probably sounding great, would have left me wondering if the premium of nearly 4 grand was worth it.

All in all, I'm happy with how it played out - and I'm excited to pick up the car next week!

Don't disagree. Just with respect to DHP, there are as many opinions about it as there are posts. Since it is a major component making up the drive and feel of the car, I'd have wanted to test drive the car with the sport suspension and then DHP to make sure I wanted a car with DHP. Maybe it's just the "purists" who like the M Sport (704) suspension vs DHP. For what it's worth, I drove a 7 series a few years ago with it and thought it made a major difference keeping the car flatter in corners. Don't recall what it was like on the straights though - some people have posted the car feels floaty compared to 704 suspension cars. I got a leftover '13 at a huge discount and could only find 3 cars with the colour and options I wanted in Canada. There were zero cars in Canada in October (535 X XDrive) that had DHP, so testing one with it was not possible.