[indus]

Originally Posted by 1970Jon

.....very sensible....are you buying saloon or touring?

Saloon John. I did consider the touring (it would have been my first one) but I just love the shape of the saloon so much.

[rich1068]

But think how much more practical the Touring would have been with the boys...


...just winding you up there indus

[icecold601]

Great car choice and spec Indus

One question, are you OK with the power from your upcoming F10 compared to your current M5?

Sounds like a leap to me :P

[JOHNBMWM5]

550i M Sport not available in estate form in europe yet.
Other engines are though.

[indus]

Thanks guys. Rich why are you torturing me? LOL

Icecold, yes it's a leap from the M5. The thing is I seldom get to really exploit the M5 given traffic, speed cameras and kids in the car. The V10 really needs to be revved up to enjoy its beauty and days can go by where I just don't get the chance.
Also at sensible speeds the slight lack of torque of the M5 can make it a little boring to drive.
The car may also have some big expenses coming, so I wanted to jump ship now. I did consider the 550 but it will cost about £7k more AND will depreciate alot more, and thats the real killer.

What the 535d will have is a bucket of torque which around town in some ways makes it a faster car. It will be at higher speeds ie 70mph + where the M5 would have taken off and left the 535d waaaay behind, but the number of times I play those risky games is becoming few and far between. The cargo on board is too precious!

The fuel costs on the M5 were also getting silly, it takes SUL which is almost £1.30 per gallon and my average mpg over three years has been 13!!

I will also be looking at a remap for the 535d that should add another 60 BHP and 70 torques!

Saying all that I will be watching the new M5 when it comes out, and if it is something really special I could well be jumping into a one year old one in about 2-3 years time!

[icecold601]

Ahh, that makes sense The remap should be great, AC Schnitzer have one already for the 535d, but its a bit on the expensive side:

http://www.ac-schnitzer.co.uk/pricelist.php

[Bert]

Indus - I have been through the same turmoil that you have over the 535d m sport touring I have just ordered. My current wheels are last gen 535d m sport and a 1970 911 S, so steering and handling are major worry. Watched all of the posts about adaptive drive and IAS in particular. Managed to get a test drive in two F10s - 530d m sport and 535d m sport - neither sadly had adaptive drive or IAS and the dealers seem to say that it is not possible to find one to drive with those options

First point is that the gulf between 530 and 535 is significant - not on paper but in terms of the seat of the pants feel.

Second point M sport suspension is not uncomfortable. Only slight worry is that it did feel less sporty than my current drive but I think that had more to do with the fact that it is a bigger car. Had a good exchange with one of the editors at auto express and decided that IAS was the solution for my problem and not the AD. Besides I think that AD ruins the look of the M sport cars unless you go for aftermarket springs.

Glad to see you were decisive on the leather colour too! i HAVE GONE FOR space Grey with oyster/black having seen it on both F10 and f11 in showrooms. I have the same kids dilemna in terms of colours - mine are 5 and 6 but hey you only live once and I am going to try lighter this time - especially as have panoramic roof. My final spec was

F11 535d m sport, space grey with oyster/black, comfort seats,fineline anthracite, Sun protection glass, sports auto, IAS, panoramic roof, professional media, professional speaker, DAB, visibility pack - 19" m spoke 351s...and then my money ran out! Fingers very much crossed that this is going to work out and feel right - expensive mistake if not.

Must say I am a fed up that BMW have made the process so complex and painful - why create all of the suspension options and then not ensure that there are sufficient models out there to drive and compare!

[indus]

Hey Bert congrats on the new car order.

I agree it's ridiculous to have these really expensive and important options like IAS and AD and then no cars to test them.
I couldn't believe that BMW harp on about the benefits of IAS and AD but then don't put them onto demo cars, crazy!

You've made my day by telling me there is a big real world difference between the oomph of the 530 and 535d. I only got to drive the 530d and coming from a M5 power is an issue. Though I know neither will be as fast of course.

Like you I went for the IAS and am hoping it will hit the spot.

Cheers

[Bert]

How to describe the difference between 35d and 30d - well the 30d put a smile on my face, much like my last gen 35d does although it is not the same mid range or climbing beyond that in terms of pull - but I laughed out loud when I nailed the new 35d. the combination of the sports auto and that engine is hysterical.

Should add that I drove the XF diesel s too and that is also sadly lacking both in pace and the feel of the delivery. Somehow the 35d feels more like a petrol car in terms of building towards the red line if that is possible for an engine with so much torque available lower down the rev range.

Look it can't do what the M5 does in terms of horizon shredding but it will not disappoint and in mid and top end terms you will really embarrass people in much more expensive cars.

I will never forget a conversation with the owner of a last generation S4 avant at some motorway services in Devon - he refused to accept that my car was a diesel because it absolutely had the measure of his S4 (obviously only up to the speed limit!)- infact he only believed me when I opened the bonnet and we then both had a good laugh and agreed to leave 10 minutes apart for license retention reasons.

[indus]

I'm pretty sure the 535d won't as you say disappoint. 90% of my driving is town driving where the torque of the 35d will do as well as the M5 if not better.

Then, and I may never feel the need, there is the option to have it remapped to about 360 BHP. Now that should be hilarious to drive!

My first plan though is to change the springs for lowered Eibach ones, this I'm hoping will add just a tad more sportiness to the handling.

Cheers

[chuds]

Hi Indus

My 535d m landed at dealer just before new year and i went to have a look on monday, its a similar spec to yours and its a fantastic looking car, cant wait to pick it up!

Regards

Chuds

[finbrad]

Oh Oh! My TS with oyster black on the way (and I have 2 small kids!!!!! ) FWIW many of the promo pics issued by BMW are TS with O/B and I think it looks okay. I like silver exteriors and I like light interiors, O/B IMO looks absolutely great. Thought I could have best of both. I guess time will tell.

[indus]

Chuds you lucky bugger! I've got to wait until mid to late Feb and its killing me. Please post pics when it arrives.


Finbrad I almost went for TS, it does look really nice. O/B is the best interior imho, I only went for black/brushed alu from a practicality point of view.

Must say it's nice at this rather depressing post Xmas time of year to have something to look forward to