[AdmiralGant]

Hi, I am really struggling on a decision between a 330d M Sport Auto or a 530d M Sport auto. My company car scheme means the difference in cost to me between the two is about £40 a month!

My understanding is the 530d will not be much slower and it will probably be a quieter more refined drive. Anyone else add to that or push me more one way or the other ?

But the main question is - my reading up tells me I must get the 530d with VDC fitted. Is VDC enough or is it important I shell out for "Adaptive Drive with VDC" which to me will put me back firmly in the 330d court.

Any help appreciated.

[MARKPRIOR]

I have a non VDC 530d and love it, find the 5 a much nicer place to be in compared to the more plasticy feel of the 3, 5 is certainly strong through the gears and plenty of torque.

i would go for a 5 over the 3, never had VDC or the all singing adaptive, mate has a 7 with this and its nice yes but tbh takes allot to notice the difference most of the time

[AP]

I have owned a f10 530d msport now for around 3.5 years.
It's a great car.
I've not driven a 3 series personally so not qualified to comment on one of those but many people on these 5 forums states its not a refined or the interior is not as good in terms of quality.(I think the 5 certainly looks better than the 3 just by looking around one in a dealership)

RE VDC, again not qualified to comment as I've not got it nor tried it but again many on these forums do praise it.
I have the msport suspension on 19 inch wheels and the ride is fine with the exception of potholes and bad quality roads where whilst not uncomfortable, you are certainly aware of every road imperfection.

If you can try out a car with an adaptive suspension system that would be good but I suspect you may have difficulty finding one potentially as I don't think it was a common option fitted.(probably down to costs)

With all of the options on 5 series available , its very easy to tick away and give yourself a shock when you see the final price!

My personal opinion, if I were buying again today and had a choice between a 3 and a 5, I'd go for the 5.

Best to try out beforehand though if you can.
Also factor in the discounts , last time I read about discounts here, people were getting I think around 20% off , can anyone chip in who has bought recently and state what discount they got off to give a ballpark figure to go for.

I got 12% off when I got mine but that was back in 2012.

If your budget allows, I'd go for the HUD as well, a very good feature , not a gimmick but genuine enhancement to your driving.

As I have mentioned here before I think the 2 weaknesses of what is otherwise a very fine car is the steering and suspension.
Whether the 3 is better in that respect I don't know , depends upon your priorities about luxury, refinement, driving enjoyment.

[The Beast]

I have non VDC/Adaptive drive 530d Msport too. Great car, if your happy with the size I would have it over a 3. However the 3 will have a longer shelf life as a new 5 will be out soon, this may be something that influences your decision...

The standard Msport suspension is a lot more forgiving than previous Msport BMW's that I've owned. However I'd be interested to try one with adaptive drive as there are times a softer set up would be nice over our UK roads!

Just try both and look at whether it works for you

[gspannu]

I am on my 3rd F10 now. The first one was without VDC, the next one had VDC, and the current one has Adaptive Drive.

VDC does soften the drive up considerably; great when you want a comfortable drive and slightly sporty when you want it to be.

AD takes the car to a different level altogether. The 5 starts to behave like a 3. It is strange and may people may state that the 5 can't compare to a 3 in terms of handling.
I agree to that general principle, but the AD is what can give me luxurious, comfortable, great fit & finish car (aka the 5 series) and yet give me almost 80-90% of the handling of a 3 series. The AD consists of VDC and active roll-bars. It is the active roll bars that make the most difference on top of the VDC.

Even in Comfort+ mode, the car takes corners with great ease and none of the wallow that you get with the standard suspension.

I would highly recommend the AD and VDC as a minimum...

As AP has suggested, try out the VDC and AD if you can.
Also, do a search on the forums, there is tremendous positive feed for AD and most comments from people who have actually owned a car with one.

[MMY]

I went from a succession of fives (E39s, E60s, F10s to a F30 330d MSport and back to a F10 530d MSport plus (on 19 inch wheels). Never had any electronic damping or suspension option (impossible to test them over here as they don't seem to be specced even for demo cars) but the 5 is night and day over the 3 in terms of refinement, NVH, feeling of luxury etc. The 3 was a mid life crisis decision but it only lasted a year, I found it cheap in terms of fit and finish and road noise was really unacceptable in a car of this alleged status. I'm no boy racer but find the Five a perfect blend of comfort and sportiness. It is a bigger car so I need to be aware on narrow B roads but otherwise it's a no brainer: five!

[AP]

FYI, I post a review of my 530d msport after one year of ownership if you wanted to read that.

http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=812793

But best you just go out and try one and see what you think.

[monkeybifta]

Defo 530D, not sure about the AD/VDC - sounds great, but try it out. I am fine with the standard M-Sport on mine - but I avoid using it on local runs.

They are pretty well specced now, but if you like music upgrade the speakers and if you need a towbar go for the factory fit option.

I'd also go for EBT if you have an iPhone.

[The Beast]

I guess the other consideration is 530d with all those options v a 535d with less options... Decisions, decisions!

[AP]

i had the same dilemma and chose to go with the 530d and put a stack of options on (around 13k's worth)

[Balster]

I've had a 3/4 as run around cars when my 5 has been at the dealers. The 3 does feel a big step down in refinement, build and size. The new 5 comes out next year, so make sure you wrangle a good deal.

[morellomax]

If road noise and cabin ambience are at all important to you, you have to go for the 5 series. 99% of the time you will be grateful for the extra refinement, 1% of the time you will miss the chuckability of the 3 series.

An MSport 530d on 18s will ride ok. I have AD but after playing with it for the first 3 months I now just leave it in comfort all the time. I'm not sure I would bother with AD if I was watching my budget.

Maybe check whether your insurer would allow you to put non-runflats on: doing that would help the ride in a way that even AD can't - smoothing off the edges of cats eyes and potholes, reducing unsprung weight, improving grip and predictability in colder weather and on rougher surfaces. My insurer was fine with it.

Have you considered Luxury spec as an alternative to MSport ? Is it a similar cost ? I went for Luxury and have no regrets.

[Piers]

5 all day, having had 3's as dealer cars when mine is in for service, I am afraid I wouldn't consider it, if you can get past the plastic interior, the ambient noise is much higher, and the seats are nowhere near as comfortable as mine.

£40pm is a no brainer!

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by gspannu

AD takes the car to a different level altogether. The 5 starts to behave like a 3. It is strange and may people may state that the 5 can't compare to a 3 in terms of handling.
I agree to that general principle, but the AD is what can give me luxurious, comfortable, great fit & finish car (aka the 5 series) and yet give me almost 80-90% of the handling of a 3 series. The AD consists of VDC and active roll-bars. It is the active roll bars that make the most difference on top of the VDC.

Even in Comfort+ mode, the car takes corners with great ease and none of the wallow that you get with the standard suspension.

I would highly recommend the AD and VDC as a minimum...

Very similar experience and thoughts.

Totally agree it is ARS that makes the 5-series feel much smaller, particularly when you push on a bit, shrinks the car and it feels much more agile than the standard suspension. AD is an expensive option, but it is my key option.

I've driven my car down in Wiltshire on local roads and up here in the Highlands. For me the active suspension is not so important where roads are more sorted, I'd just about get away with passive sport suspension in Wiltshire, up here my vote is definitely for the adaptive package.

After driving the F10 before the F30 arrived on the scene, I was hoping the F30 would be a small 5-series, but that is not the case. I've driven the F30 since owning my Five and so pleased I went back to a Five after my E91 330d.

Test drives are the only way to decide your priorities.

HighlandPete

[MPH]

Not sure how the pricing works nowadays but when I bought my 530d in 2012 I was looking at an M Sport and changed to the SE so I could add the Adaptive Drive. Being able to switch to Sport or Sport + on a windy country road is a joy. I've said in the past that I've never been sure what the AD adds as I don't really notice it, but actually the fact that I don't notice it is the answer. I drive my 530d the same as I used to drive my 330c and apart from a bit of drift on roundabouts I don't really notice too much of a difference - but the 530d is much larger and heavier. So there's my answer! And yes HUD is great as is sports transmission and steering wheel.

[Bored of Audi]

I have recently just sent back my F30 330d msport with adaptive suspension after having it for just short of 3 years.

I did like the car and could not really fault it, however when I tried a 530d and a 640d I could see there was a definitive difference in overall quality. It is simply a better place to be.

I went for the 640 with VDC in the end due to the deal I was offered, but I would have gone a for a 535d if the 6 series deal was poor.

[alexank]

Refinement and fancy suspension gadgets aside

It is worth reiterating what was said above the 5 is big, as in wide, as in will it fit in the garage as well big!

Consider your driving style if you do a lot of narrow country roads or live out in the sticks like I do you may well become more conscious of the width especially in the dark.