BMW and M Power Owners

Man of Honour
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Any of the following:

Black wheels
Coloured M grilles
Dpf removal
Crap aftermarket alloys

This list is not exhaustive.

Avoid the rubbish at the bottom end of the market. 15k should get you a good enough 535d. The cheaper ones are generally low spec and or tatty rubbish or pretty old now and therefore getting a bit worn out.
 

mjt

mjt

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31 Aug 2007
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535d isn’t a hybrid

Not a lot in it on the road I always found the extra performance is wasted due to traction at lower speeds, over 70-80 it is a little quicker but not night and day.

The main benefit of the 535d for me is the low down throttle response, the 530d suffers from throttle lag that is annoying at times.
When I drove the 535i, 535d and 530d back-to-back I found the 535d significantly quicker and more responsive than the 530d. I guess it depends what you're used to?
535d adds another turbo, which is either good or bad, depending on how much you want to spend on repairs ;)
 
Man of Honour
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I didn't find the 535d much quicker, I was quite disappointed but perhaps my expectations were that it would be night and day difference. I was sufficiently underwhelmed that I bought another 530d instead.
 
Soldato
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Any of the following:

Black wheels
Coloured M grilles
Dpf removal
Crap aftermarket alloys

This list is not exhaustive.

Avoid the rubbish at the bottom end of the market. 15k should get you a good enough 535d. The cheaper ones are generally low spec and or tatty rubbish or pretty old now and therefore getting a bit worn out.

Lol. Doubt I would go that far. Only thing I would change are the wheels and they're usually own equivalent in a different style. I'll keep a lookout, most I've seen are £12-13k for a 2011/2012.

The Accord was a stop gap after the E90, but I'm wanting something more grown up and comfortable, which I will keep for a few years. Will be doing 20k a year from my rough calculation.
 
Soldato
Joined
10 Oct 2006
Posts
3,567
When I drove the 535i, 535d and 530d back-to-back I found the 535d significantly quicker and more responsive than the 530d. I guess it depends what you're used to?
535d adds another turbo, which is either good or bad, depending on how much you want to spend on repairs ;)

I’ve owned a 530d & 535d at the same time so regularly went between them, once gave chase in the 535d with my wife driving the 530d and it was hard to close the gap let alone have any attempt at passing.
 
Associate
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9 Dec 2014
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Hertfordshire
Can't talk for the 5, but the 35d engine in my 435d was an absolute cracker. Pulls like a train and could easily out pace most things on the road. I remember when I had my Focus RS, a 335d was keeping up with me flat out on the motorway up to "70mph" without any issues. Great engine.

As for M2 vs M2C vs M2CS. The noise was a huge factor in me getting the normal M2 (oh, and the cost of course...), the new OPF really ruins the noise of the car. The engine is a better engine, no doubt, revs more freely, pulls harder, but the burbles and roar from the original M2 engine is fantastic. If BMW had to keep the same OPF for emissions in the M2CS, I'd expect it to sound a bit naff still.
 
Soldato
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United Kingdom
Well my E90 was at 375fly(327whp) and 745nm fly (686nm at wheels) so I'm rather familiar with the engine and it's it's capabilties. Know the m57tu2 rather well but not the n57 in terms of what goes wrong etc.
 
Man of Honour
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20 Sep 2006
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Saw a 66 plate 420d with what appeared to be a stuck throttle yesterday. Smashed into the central reservation about a mile ahead of me and as traffic slowed to avoid it and its debris, it was still going along the concrete reservation at an angle before eventually stopping. Driver looked fine as I went past.
 
Associate
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6 Jul 2010
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2,059
My Z4 has been with BMW for 2 weeks now and they haven't managed to replicate the fault I video’d roughly 10 times and given to them. They’ve suggested that the technician drives it as his work to home car, to increase the chances of it happening. Not sure why they can’t troubleshoot based on videos and my experiences. It is getting a bit tiring this now... They also found a little oil leak around the gearbox (DCT) but haven't done anything with that just yet till they figure out what the problem i took the car in for is.
 
Soldato
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West Yorkshire / Market Bosworth
Don't know abiut the emgine but different exhaust setups, and other bits make the M2 series sound different (better) as noted by pretty much all reviews on the tube etc.

The original M2 uses the N55 and sounds far better than the S55 which is in the M2 comp. The M2 comp has a opf fitted which does it no favours - believe Americans get a version without the opf fitted.

There are a few videos doing the rounds on the M2 CS and it doesn’t sound any where near as good as the M2 with the N55 engine.
 

mrk

mrk

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Oh I thought the engine remained the same just tune revisions etc.

Well that's just crap and lends weight to why very few (if any?) modern M cars have made me pay attention any more lol. Lost all the excitement of having a bespoke engine with a signature sound.

Personally for me the E46 will be my first and last M car I reckon. But what a car to have owned :cool:
 
Soldato
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location, location
Lost all the excitement of having a bespoke engine with a signature sound.

The S55 IS a bespoke engine, and it DOES have a signature sound. Whether you like it or not is different.

I've had both the N55 and the S55, and I do prefer the sound from the N55...definitely a sweeter noise, more musical. S55 is just noisy, but once at full chat sounds pretty decent.

Neither engine makes as nice a noise as the S54 or S65 though, that's sure.
 

mrk

mrk

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It isn't bespoke to the car, the same engine (S55) is in the M3 and M4, unlike the S65 and in some respects the S54 too even though that was found in the Z4 M which is quite a rare car anyway (only a few thousand produced globally) although the S54 was purpose built for the E46 M3.

But yes to the noise, none of these new engines will ever sound as good as an N/A, although the standard M2 was as close as it got.
 
Man of Honour
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It isn't bespoke to the car, the same engine (S55) is in the M3 and M4,

So in that respect you could say the e46 M3 doesn't have a bespoke engine, which not many would agree with!

I think it's fair to say it's bespoke if it's M only, rather than say the 1M Coupe where the engine is just out of a production Z4.
 
Associate
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9 Mar 2004
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1,591
Any views on the G20/21 M340i? I'm trying to get a test drive sorted but my local dealer says they are having difficulty getting hold of one in either shape. It would be a daily driver replacing my current F36 430d. Just fancied something with a little bit more character but don't really have the appetite for runing a proper M car. It's also the first car I've ever considered looking at in estate/touring form, I was very impressed with the showroom model I saw and the more practical boot is appealing. The only real sticking point for me at the moment is the price. Even with discounts its a lot of cash for a non M3.

Has anyone got one/driven one and if so what are your feelings on it?
 
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