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That said, I'm about two years removed from my last BMW, and my wife just got the official word today that we're being moved overseas and that means that it will be sometime longer before I can contemplate getting back into one. :-(
Best Regards,
Shipo
I'd take a true limited slip final drive over AWD any day. Calling ///M Division...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Ditto!
Best Regards,
Shipo
Thank you
I have not driven the 535, but have driven 335 for a day. I'd say it is VERY comparable to the v-8. I really did not think it was slower than my e39 M5 at all. It pulled hard without detectable turbo lag, whether launching or passing. The only thing I did not like about the power train was the sound, it just did not sound as good as the older I-6 engines.
While I'd be tempted to also buy an E500, my E39 has low miles, so I'll probably just hang on for the new body styles in a couple of years (they look good in the spy photos), and maybe by that time they'll have iDrive sorted out.
And thanks for the comments on the 335, I haven't driven one, so maybe the twin turbo is the "new V-8". I think I had also heard that exhaust note was note quite up to the typical I-6, but a turbo can do that.
Has anybody driven a new 535?
With the above in mind, I think that saying that a V8 is more compact than an I6 is incorrect, it's simply shorter (and probably heavier).
Best Regards,
Shipo
I drove a 535xi last Saturday. It was everything I expected in terms of being smoother and quieter than my '06 330xi while still feeling sporty and responsive.
The 535xi definitely felt more powerful than my current car, despite being heavier. One specific difference is the 535xi felt very responsive in regular Drive mode- I didn't feel the need to shift into Sports Drive mode like I sometimes do now.
On the highway, as traffic would allow, I twice floored it while doing 70 mph with 3 people in the car. The car seemed to leap, smoothly, to 85 mph in a flash before I let up on the gas pedal.
Thanks
Bruce
I did a quick check on Edmunds and did not see anything on them being part of the event. Does anyone know if Edmunds has a write-up on this?
Thanks
Bruce
I seem to remember reading that some of the initial twin turbo 3 series cars did not come with an oil cooler. BMW later made oil coolers standard equipment, and the earlier cars were retrofitted with one.
Thanks
Bruce
Nah, turbos aren't nearly that wide. The fact is that a four cam DOHC V8 is a VERY wide motor.
As for why a quad-cam "V" type engine is typically about one cylinder longer than half of its cylinder count is due to the following two reasons:
1) The cylinder banks are offset by a little less than half of a cylinder width. If they weren't, the connecting rods would collide and all hell would break loose.
2) The cam drive for both banks of two cams each is usually rather complicated in and of itself. Add in the whole VANOS thing and the assembly for the cam drive is positively thick indeed.
Best Regards,
Shipo
So the million dollar question, how did you think it stacked up to a V-8? Are you going to effect procurement?
I have no experience with the V-8.
You may want to Google the comments the automotive press had on the recent 5 series rally sponsored by BMW. I think it was C&D that had a specific comment on the handling of the V-8 versus the 535xi.
Yes, I bought a 535xi, right after the test drive.
There were no cars in stock, and none in the salesman's computer search, that had the options I wanted, so I placed an oder. He said it will take 6 weeks for delivery.
Thanks
Bruce
So a little work on the 'net, and here's the bottom line from the C&D article (link below, I'm wondering if I'm one of those "ignorant status seekers"!):
"As torquey as the 550i is, though, it is only marginally quicker than the 535i, and as the road bent deeper into the mountains, we noticed the additional weight in the nose more and more. For all the additional power of the V-8, the overtly sporting nature of the car in six-cylinder guise is spoiled. It feels surprisingly ponderous and much larger than the smaller-engined cars—still a gratifyingly fast and powerful four-door, but no longer a sports sedan.
The twin-turbo inline-six, quite frankly, renders the 550i obsolete, a tool for ignorant status seekers and those with a vendetta against Mother Earth. If that’s the way you feel, though, save yourself $10,000 and just turn on the pump at a gas station and lay the nozzle on the ground. In addition to the inline-six’s better feel and responses at the limit and better fuel economy, the 535i barely trails the 550i in performance categories that matter on U.S. shores. Maybe on a German autobahn the additional power would come in handy at high speeds, but here, that 10 grand would be better funneled into heated seats and the Sport package."
http://www.caranddriver.com/previews/13051/first-drive-2008-bmw-5-series.html
That's a bit harsh for them to say. Some of us just like a V8. Sure, the 6 may perform as well as the 8, but the 8 gives much better aural [gratification.]
FYI- the comment on handling of the 535xi compared to the 550i is in the last two sentences in the paragraph following. I did not consider the V-8 because it doesn't come in AWD.
"Like the large V-8 in the 550i, BMW’s all-wheel-drive system adds more than 200 pounds to the 535i. It also skews the weight balance noseward. Unlike the V-8, the 200 pounds in the 535xi don’t come with an additional 60 horsepower. Although the all-wheel-drive system doesn’t transform a car that was designed as a rear-driver into a big fancy WRX, it also doesn’t impart the same sort of wallowing as the 550i is prone to. With the front tires splitting the work, the 535xi pulls itself out of corners steadily. It’s heavier and a little slower than the rear-drive 535i but not as cumbersome as the V-8 550i."
I also found some video clips of the rally at another site (auto.com?).
Thanks
Bruce
BMW's optional Active Steering has been roundly criticized for being "twitchy", "numb" and generally non-linear.
the C&D article doesn't state whether their test car was so equipped but what do you expect from a second-rate rag.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
-Paul
Also, after 90,337 miles my average MPG is 26.4 at an average 51.4 MPH.
FWIW, I split out the above categories as follows:
SCHEDULED:
- Mileage related service costs as outlined in the manual
- Time related service costs as outlined in the manual
RECURRING:
- Wiper blades
- Tires
- Brakes
- Lighting (assuming the elements last several years at least)
- Clutches (if so equipped and if it lasts at least 100,000 miles)
DAMAGE REPAIR:
- Repair/Replace bent, scratched or otherwise cosmetically flawed parts due to road junk, parking lots and general "stuff" happening.
UNSCHEDULED REPAIR:
- Everything else not included in one of the above categories
Best Regards,
Shipo
Has anybody done this? If so, what are the ups/downs and estimated cost.
Thanks.
Best Regards,
Shipo
I have an 02 5 series (e39), and recently jump started and then replaced the battery. Immediately following the replacement, the radio and cd do not work. The computer works, the clock works, but not the radio or cd. I've owned other bmw's in which a radio code had to be entered. According to my manual, my model has no such code. The dealer confirmed this. I checked the fuses and they are not blown.
Is there a trick to restarting the radio after a battery change? Could the jump start or battery change have caused a problem with the radio? I suppose it could be purely coincidental, but that does not seem likely.
I'd appreciate any thoughts. Thanks.
Best Regards,
Shipo
German cars are never going to be as cheap to keep up as a Toyota or a Nissan but they aren't ridiculously expensive unless you're foolish enough to go to an authorized dealer for maintainence.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I don't know about that; my 3er needed a brake light switch and it cost almost $20!!! On top of that, I just changed the final drive oil and the seal washers for the drain and fill plugs cost 49 cents for the pair. And then the X3 needed new tires; $346.72 for four Pirelli PZero Nero M+S. Plus $48 to mount and balance. My bimmers are bleeding me dry. I knew I should have bought a Kia...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
A friend and I happened to be car shopping at the same time a couple of years ago. I decided to get the Lexus GS300, and he chose the 530xi. Within a week, his iDrive display died, and his car was down for a week. I was feeling pretty smug.
Since then, my car has been in the shop a total of nine times for "unscheduled" service. I've done all the math - I've had to bring it in, on average, every 70 days. It has spent 7% of its entire life in service. I'm about to start the Lemon Law process.
My friend's 530xi has been humming along quite nicely, thank you very much. He's nice about it - even offered to give me a ride when my GS was down for three weeks with busted power steering for the third time.
Even if I wasn't planning on trading my GS in for a 335i, there's no way I'd keep it past the warranty.
my wife had a 1995 318i. to charge my cell phone in that car you had to buy a bmw adapter to plug into the cigarette lighter socket, you couldn't just plug in the universal charger like you can on american cars.
question: is that still the case? do i have to buy a special bmw adapter in order to charge my cell phone with the cigarette lighter in the 2004 model? or can i just plug it into the lighter like i can on my jeep? just wondering.
thanks.
It will be on my short list.
Afterward, I jumped into the E Class to compare. The 550E was a bit more on the lux side of ride and didn't handle as well but offered a very plush ride with lots of power. The E350 felt underpowered and lacked a bit in the engine for my tastes of a 50K car. I think the 535 and the E550 are direct competitors and in that case the BMW seems like a better deal providing you want a sporty ride.
As an aside, I checked the Edmunds review of the 2000 M5 and compared it to the 08 535. Back in 2000 they called the M5 the best car in the world and said you could spend 100-300K and not get as good a car. I think it listed for around 75K at the time. The 0-60 time was 5.3 vs 5.5 for the 535. The brake distance was 116 ft compared to the 535 at 113 ft. It pulled .90 g vs the 535 at .89 and it's gas mileage was 13/21 vs 17/26 for the 535. The M5 beat it on the slalom by 4 mph. And all for about 15-20 K less. Just shows you how much better cars have gotten in a few years.
I'd still take the E39 M5 over an E60 535i. Now an E60 M5... that's a tougher call to make. I think I'd go for door #3 and take a new M6.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Scheduled; $2139.42, all fluid changes,filters, tire rotations, etc.
Recurring; $2606.07, mostly tires and alignments
Damage; $621.00, wheel and wheel repair
Unscheduled; 1393.06, everything else.
I'll repost periodically.
Just give it a try; if you don't have to use a hammer to fully insert it you should be OK...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
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on another note, how accurate is the gas guage and when you run out of gas? when it says i have xx miles left before running out of gas - is there any grace miles in there? just wondering how exacting it is, or if it says 2 miles left, then, it's just 2 miles left and that's it.
on my jeep, i could run for maybe a dozen or more miles AFTER it said i had zero miles left.
new owner...
thanks.