[Pupsaiden]

Hello there.

After owning an e92 n55 for almost a year, the situation in family kinda changed and we need a bitter, say, family car than a 3 series coupe. However, I have a driver's heart, and a car for me is something more than just a way to go from point A to B.

I'm considering an F10 N55 (535) or F30 with N55?. Why N55? Because I know a lot about it, and I like the engine in general for multiple reasons (MPG, reliability, sound).

The question is? Will I feel slow in the F10, since it's way heavier than my e92 coupe? I was running MHD stg2+ on e92, and that was fast enough. However, since there is a time for a car change I could just squeeze the pure turbos in as well (without telling my wife, ofc ). Do you guys think F10 with pure stage2 would feel somewhat the same? Or F30 is the one I should consider?

Maybe someone did this kind of switch and has their story to share?

[hovik92]

F10 with N55 will be too slow for you. go for the F30. If you really need the power, go for the F10 N63/N63TU but these engines are known to be trouble so you do need to be handy under the hood if you own one.

[Kwood-F10-535i]

I have always been a fan of the 5 series i am on my 3rd. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the F10 535i on MHD 2+. yes you will need to upgrade the swaybars if you like taking turns hard. (I have not and its fine but there is a bit of body roll) Have you test driven one yet? Also go for a 2014 or newer as it is a EWG and flash tunes get more power out of them. Stay Far Far away from the 550I They have a ton of issues with that engine. F30 is not much bigger than the E92 so it wont do much better as a family car.

[Pupsaiden]

Originally Posted by Kwood-F10-535i

I have always been a fan of the 5 series i am on my 3rd. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the F10 535i on MHD 2+. yes you will need to upgrade the swaybars if you like taking turns hard. (I have not and its fine but there is a bit of body roll) Have you test driven one yet? Also go for a 2014 or newer as it is a EWG and flash tunes get more power out of them. Stay Far Far away from the 550I They have a ton of issues with that engine. F30 is not much bigger than the E92 so it wont do much better as a family car.

I haven't test driven yet them. I've tried both e70 and f15, and while both of them were spacious enough (maybe even too much), they were just too slow because of the weight. But at the same time, I can only test drive the stock ones, so I will not know the real potential.

Anyways, appreciate your input here! I've always wanted a 5 series, and this is my 3rd 3-series, so I think the time has come for the dream to come true.

ANd yeah, N63/63TU is not an option, since they're both less reliable, and WAY WAY MORE expensive to insure here in where I live.

[philipm785]

Being in Europe, would you consider a 535d? The strong torque might give you more of the acceleration you're looking for?

[Pupsaiden]

Originally Posted by philipm785

Being in Europe, would you consider a 535d? The strong torque might give you more of the acceleration you're looking for?

Might sound silly, but I owned a diesel BMW and never looking back to it, both because of sound, extra fees, maintenance, and so on.

[philipm785]

Originally Posted by Pupsaiden

Might sound silly, but I owned a diesel BMW and never looking back to it, both because of sound, extra fees, maintenance, and so on.

Not silly at all! I've never owned one - just had heard the torque and performance was good on the 535d specifically. Definitely don't blame you for steering away from extra fees and maintenance!

[wcr3d]

Originally Posted by Pupsaiden

Hello there.

After owning an e92 n55 for almost a year, the situation in family kinda changed and we need a bitter, say, family car than a 3 series coupe. However, I have a driver's heart, and a car for me is something more than just a way to go from point A to B.

I'm considering an F10 N55 (535) or F30 with N55?. Why N55? Because I know a lot about it, and I like the engine in general for multiple reasons (MPG, reliability, sound).

The question is? Will I feel slow in the F10, since it's way heavier than my e92 coupe? I was running MHD stg2+ on e92, and that was fast enough. However, since there is a time for a car change I could just squeeze the pure turbos in as well (without telling my wife, ofc ). Do you guys think F10 with pure stage2 would feel somewhat the same? Or F30 is the one I should consider?

Maybe someone did this kind of switch and has their story to share?

Only you can determine that.
Test drive one and find out.

[Pupsaiden]

Originally Posted by wcr3d

Only you can determine that.
Test drive one and find out.

Well the problem is that it is pretty much impossible to find tuned f10 here. especially with pure turbos. So I thought maybe someone did that kind of switch (from a light and quick e92 into heavier f10) and has something to say about it.

[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by hovik92

F10 with N55 will be too slow for you. go for the F30. If you really need the power, go for the F10 N63/N63TU but these engines are known to be trouble so you do need to be handy under the hood if you own one.

the F10 N55 is a perfect platform for a family car and a car that looks sporty at the same time and plenty of power with the right upgrades!

[neverdone]

I came from an F15 X5 to my F10 but I also had an E90 N55 with jb4 prior to that. My F10 has a stage 1.

Coming from the E90 with JB4, it is slow. Way slower. I'm happy with the room and more luxury ride than the E90( and F30 for that matter) I'm 50/50.

Plus, I just did a 100-180 jaunt with my buddies Cadillac ATS 3.6 and we were dead even. That bugs me lol

[Pupsaiden]

Originally Posted by neverdone

I came from an F15 X5 to my F10 but I also had an E90 N55 with jb4 prior to that. My F10 has a stage 1.

Coming from the E90 with JB4, it is slow. Way slower. I'm happy with the room and more luxury ride than the E90( and F30 for that matter) I'm 50/50.

Plus, I just did a 100-180 jaunt with my buddies Cadillac ATS 3.6 and we were dead even. That bugs me lol

I've just test driven a fully loaded f30 msport. And man it feels good. It actually feels like 5 series compared to my e92 Looking for a tuned f10 now, but I start getting the Idea

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by Pupsaiden

I've just test driven a fully loaded f30 msport. And man it feels good. It actually feels like 5 series compared to my e92 Looking for a tuned f10 now, but I start getting the Idea

In my opinion, it's not "just" the engine that'll make either of the vehicles you're considering less sporty, it's just the way BMWs are built these days.

You have to option them "just right" to get close to that sporty feel you are after, and, yeah, forget about steering feel from E90 days.

Yes, N55 in F10 is a fine engine, but will of course "feel" a bit faster in 3 series than F10, picking between the two is all about compromise.

Fit and finish, cabin noise, comfort, shoulder room, refinement, all win in F10, by not a small margin. However since you seem to be after that "nimble" feel first and everything else second I would say go for F30.

My opinion is that for people who are after "driver's feel" first and everything else second F10 initially ends up being a bit underwhelming. There's not much drama or excitement until you reach stupid illegal speeds. It just goes on about it's business in comfort and style and offers hints of sportiness in the right trim. However, if you give it a chance, it grows on you as you start discovering how well balanced this vehicle really is.

I wouldn't trade mine even for brand new 3 series, but, I'm kinda over "sporty first, everything else second" days.

[Pupsaiden]

Originally Posted by Bbb34

In my opinion, it's not "just" the engine that'll make either of the vehicles you're considering less sporty, it's just the way BMWs are built these days.

You have to option them "just right" to get close to that sporty feel you are after, and, yeah, forget about steering feel from E90 days.

Yes, N55 in F10 is a fine engine, but will of course "feel" a bit faster in 3 series than F10, picking between the two is all about compromise.

Fit and finish, cabin noise, comfort, shoulder room, refinement, all win in F10, by not a small margin. However since you seem to be after that "nimble" feel first and everything else second I would say go for F30.

My opinion is that for people who are after "driver's feel" first and everything else second F10 initially ends up being a bit underwhelming. There's not much drama or excitement until you reach stupid illegal speeds. It just goes on about it's business in comfort and style and offers hints of sportiness in the right trim. However, if you give it a chance, it grows on you as you start discovering how well balanced this vehicle really is.

I wouldn't trade mine even for brand new 3 series, but, I'm kinda over "sporty first, everything else second" days.

Sorry, it took me a bit longer to find some time to respond. Well, first of all, thank you for your input. Now, I have to say, I'm a 6'9 and e92 is maybe even a little too small for me (just because I have a sunroof, which takes about 1cm of clearance). As you can think, that extra space you were mentioning, it really has a value for me, since I want to be comfortable in my car. However, up until now, I always thought that inside space is exactly the same for the driver in both F30 and F10 and it's only outside which is a bit wider on F10. And when I was trying F30 it really felt like a bigger car with enough of space, but I believe it could have been just an impression.
I'm a 25 YO, which really doesn't care about looking snobby and luxurious after all. As you've already said, I'm after THAT feel of driving a BMW, but since I've just married, and we're gonna grow on our family of three (me, my wife and our black labrador) pretty soon, I can't just pick recklessly into what I want at this moment, so I'm just looking for someone who passed over this experience I know after all it's all about my preferences, and I really have to try both. But something inside me tells me I'd love my future f30 more than f10, while it would probably be a worse family car than f10. And sadly enough, I can't afford keeping both

[HammerHead5'r]

Originally Posted by Pupsaiden

Sorry, it took me a bit longer to find some time to respond. Well, first of all, thank you for your input. Now, I have to say, I'm a 6'9 and e92 is maybe even a little too small for me (just because I have a sunroof, which takes about 1cm of clearance). As you can think, that extra space you were mentioning, it really has a value for me, since I want to be comfortable in my car. However, up until now, I always thought that inside space is exactly the same for the driver in both F30 and F10 and it's only outside which is a bit wider on F10. And when I was trying F30 it really felt like a bigger car with enough of space, but I believe it could have been just an impression.
I'm a 25 YO, which really doesn't care about looking snobby and luxurious after all. As you've already said, I'm after THAT feel of driving a BMW, but since I've just married, and we're gonna grow on our family of three (me, my wife and our black labrador) pretty soon, I can't just pick recklessly into what I want at this moment, so I'm just looking for someone who passed over this experience I know after all it's all about my preferences, and I really have to try both. But something inside me tells me I'd love my future f30 more than f10, while it would probably be a worse family car than f10. And sadly enough, I can't afford keeping both

For the last 5 years my commute from work is on average 2 hrs and 45 min, some days over three hours. I do this two to three times a week. The first two years I did it in a F30 and the last three years in the F10. I can tell you the F10 is much more comfortable and thus I can still tolerate the commute. I also have a BM3 custom E30 by Cary and the F10 is plenty fast. The F30 is faster but not by a that much unless you are going full WOT . Which means you are not doing that ALL the time. My car is fast especially on the highway and it's a blast to drive. I would argue that doing Hwy pulls will feel similar to the F30 but you'll do it in Comfort. I have 73k miles and the last 50k have been tuned on BM3 with no issues. It's a fun, fast and a comfortable daily driver.

[Surly73]

I'm after THAT feel of driving a BMW, but since I've just married, and we're gonna grow on our family of three (me, my wife and our black labrador) pretty soon, I can't just pick recklessly into what I want at this moment,

So, just for the record, a 3 series is plenty of car with which to have a family of humans. With two kids and a much-smaller-than-a-labrador dog I fared just fine in an E90 for a few years except for the multi-week cottage type of vacations. You just can't take everything in the world with you. Same is still true of an F10 (and E39).

[HammerHead5'r]

Originally Posted by Surly73

So, just for the record, a 3 series is plenty of car with which to have a family of humans. With two kids and a much-smaller-than-a-labrador dog I fared just fine in an E90 for a few years except for the multi-week cottage type of vacations. You just can't take everything in the world with you. Same is still true of an F10 (and E39).

LOL Living in former Yugoslava In the 80's we used to take the Fiat 500 which was our family car to vacation in the Adriatic for a month. This was a family of four with all our stuff for the month. Traveled over the mountains fully loaded and it was just fine...my point is you can make anything work if you want to.

[Pupsaiden]

Alright guys. I'm actually convinced now, that I want to make my dream (of owning 5 series) come true. Since we don't have this model in Lithuania, I'm gonna start looking for used one (or salvage one with minor damage) in USA. Do you have anything to suggest at where to look at? Like, any options which are a must? I'm looking at the LCI models only

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by Pupsaiden

Alright guys. I'm actually convinced now, that I want to make my dream (of owning 5 series) come true. Since we don't have this model in Lithuania, I'm gonna start looking for used one (or salvage one with minor damage) in USA. Do you have anything to suggest at where to look at? Like, any options which are a must? I'm looking at the LCI models only

HUD, comfort/multi-contour seats, m-sport.

[neverdone]

The only thing I wish I got was M-Sport. It just looks so much better. the HUD is completely useless when wearing polarized sunglasses, so for me, that's an issue.

Lane departure, meh, no one should need that, otherwise you shouldnt be driving IMO. Comfort seats are good. My .02

[ezaircon4jc]

Blind spot monitoring would be nice as the F10 has, IMHO, some largish blind spots. I don't know what your options are in Europe, but I must have BMW APPS. I also must have NAV and Comfort Access.

[Pupsaiden]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

Blind spot monitoring would be nice as the F10 has, IMHO, some largish blind spots. I don't know what your options are in Europe, but I must have BMW APPS. I also must have NAV and Comfort Access.

Originally Posted by neverdone

The only thing I wish I got was M-Sport. It just looks so much better. the HUD is completely useless when wearing polarized sunglasses, so for me, that's an issue.

Lane departure, meh, no one should need that, otherwise you shouldnt be driving IMO. Comfort seats are good. My .02

what about adaptive suspension. Is it worth it?