E60 535d - OptionsBMW is comfortable,

Over Clocker

Over Clocker

Over Clocker

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E60 535d - Options

Hi guys,

I've decided to get an E60 535d for a year or 2, as I really cannot decide what to buy at the moment, and know the comfortable, fast and affordable.

I'm moving from an E46 330i, and have decided on this now.

What options are good to look out for? I'd be getting an LCi, 2008 most likely.

My only massive must at the moment is heated seats, however with so many options on these, what else is good to look out for?

I've driven a few E60s before, one with Sports seats and one with the Comfort seats option, and I'll try and get the Comfort seats as they seemed far better on my back.

Thanks guys,

Mal
 
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These are hilariously expensive - still - for what they are. Are you really sure you can't think of anything better? You seemed set on an XF before, you can buy an XF for the money one of these will cost and engine aside the XF is a better car.

Most 535d's will be well specified anyway but make sure it has Pro Navigation (Very few wont). It's not the best nav, infact its pretty naff, but it's a pain to sell one without it. You can get some of the newer ones with the much better HDD system but these will be circa £20k and for that money you would need to be bonkers to buy an E60.

If you can't decide what to buy then hanging onto your 330i until such time as you can decide is surely a better option than blowing what must be at least £15k on a 6 year old diesel 5 Series.
 
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Make sure you get the 19 inch wheels, so you can avoid the runflats. It rides even worse on 18s...

I have an E60 LCI 535d if you have any particular questions, also used to have an E46 330i :p

EDIT: Also worth keeping an eye out for a better audio option. Mine had the bog standard setup which is better than the bog standard of BMW old, but not fantastic. I fitted the Logic 7 tweeters myself as it's dead easy to do, but a better audio setup in general would be nice. Retrofitting option 6FL - the USB audio port - is silly expensive, so if you want to listen to music from an iPod or something, try and find one fitted as standard or you'll be using the 3.5mm jack.

EDIT2: Option 2TB - Sports automatic transmission - adds paddle shift and the 'Sport' mode that adds weight to the steering and significantly increases the transmissions shift speed. It's a bit above just 'nice to have', but not an essential.
 
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Thanks guys.

Fox, yeah I tried out 2 pre facelift XFs and weren't happy with them. I've also seen an A4, A6 and Passat CC. Each time I come back to the E60!

Noted about the wheels, USB audio and better audio, and the paddle shift. Did all 535d auto's not have the paddle shift?

I'm very used to having the paddle shift on my 330 SMG so would quite that.

Cheers :)
 
No, you need the Sports Automatic Transmission option to get paddles. It was only a 90 quid option, its amazing how many people didn't spec it!

If you don't know what you want but fancy an E60, why not buy a much cheaper E60? You can buy a 272bhp 530i SE LCI model for under £10k now - much less money than a 535d.
 
Huh, the 530d is 230bhp isn't it? I'd rather spend the bit extra for a 535d which is also likely to have a higher spec, and the smoother delivery of the twin turbo throughout the range.

Its also more similar in performance to my 330!

I'll likely keep it 2 years and then get a facelift XF or maybe even wait for the new XF whenever it comes out.

If I can get one with the Comfort seats too that will be great.
 
Over Clocker said:
the smoother delivery of the twin turbo throughout the range.
.
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I Can't help thinking if smooth delivery is important why opt for a 535d??
Yes, its a wonderfully smooth diesel with good power delivery, but,imo, its no BMW i6 petrol as far as smoothness is concerned.

As this is a stop gap, like Fox says, spend less,effectively get more,(545i??? :p - silly suggestion, I know!) - use some of the budget for fuel, not that in the case of the 530i it would be that much worse in the grand scheme of things.
 
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Over Clocker said:
Huh, the 530d is 230bhp isn't it? I'd rather spend the bit extra for a 535d which is also likely to have a higher spec, and the smoother delivery of the twin turbo throughout the range.

Its also more similar in performance to my 330!
Click to expand...

I'm talking about the 530i, not the 530d. This has 272bhp and is slightly quicker than your 330i.

The example macccapacca is selling is the sort of thing I'm on about. It's a particularly economical engine for a petrol six and is smoother than any diesel.

It is also massively cheaper than the 535d, you need silly money to buy a decent 535d these days, IMHO they are simply not worth the money they command.
 
Over Clocker said:
Huh, the 530d is 230bhp isn't it? I'd rather spend the bit extra for a 535d which is also likely to have a higher spec, and the smoother delivery of the twin turbo throughout the range.
Click to expand...

Did you really just describe a turbo diesel as smoother in its delivery of power than a naturally aspirated 6 cylinder petrol?

Good one.
 
The difference with the 535d is that one simple software remap delivers 350 HP and 700 Nm, matching E60 550i/E46 M3/etc levels of acceleration and top speed.
 
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If you are thinking of remapping the 535d is certainly the best option - it's why I chose it. In 350 HP flavour it's producing 200 HP.. at about 2000 RPM.
 
maccapacca said:
The BMW warranty is a must have on these and mapping it gives BMW the opportunity to get out of jail free when it goes wrong.
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If you are smart about it and willing to argue, it isn't a problem. I 'engaged' with BMW on the issue and the result is that they have carried out work on the turbocharging system and the transmission without me paying a penny.
 
Big risk and doesn't really give you the piece of mind the warranty is meant to do when there's a likelihood that each and every time you claim you have to be armed with an argument.
 
PMKeates said:
Agreed, but for me that's all part of the fun! :p
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Why map and void the warranty when you could in essence have just purchased the more powerful engine?


On the topic of the 5-series, why not just get a new F30? They are a fair bit bigger than the previous generation of 3-series, and are more mistakable for 5-series based purely on their size alone. Plus, more refined engines too :cool:
 
RedvGreen said:
Why map and void the warranty when you could in essence have just purchased the more powerful engine?
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The only engine with comparable performance to a remapped 535d is the 550i, and as that manages 27 vs. 42 MPG, it's considerably more expensive if you are driving quite a lot. I average around 2000 miles per month, and it will peak up at 3000 per month.
RedvGreen said:
On the topic of the 5-series, why not just get a new F30? They are a fair bit bigger than the previous generation of 3-series, and are more mistakable for 5-series based purely on their size alone. Plus, more refined engines too :cool:
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People often say that, but it completely ignores the most important part of the difference between a 3 and 5 (and on to a 7) - not the physical size, but the class/segment.
 
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