Parents looking at 535 and E350...a couple questions about the 5 (kinda long post)

[flipmde786]

So the lease on my parents 04 E320 is ending, and they're wondering what to do. The financial situation right now isn't so certain, so they were thinking of just extending the lease for a year for now, instead of delving into new cars/contracts.

Whether they decide to do it now or in a year, I was wondering some things about the 5. Personally, I like the look of the E more than the 5, and for my parents, it's right with them with the right amount of classy and sporty look (to me). But now that only BMW has covered maintenance, they were wondering about the 5. (Luckily we got the E when MB did covered maintenance)

First off, how does the non-SP 5 series drive? We all know that SP equipped cars are great, but non-SP might seem too soft to some, so I wanted some insight on that. Before anybody starts bashing MB and saying "well I'm sure it handles way better than any MB," I have to say our E handles well (with the adjustable suspension), and my dad prefers driving on the stiffer setting (but not stiffest). So, I'm wondering if the non-SP 5 is too soft; and I'm pretty sure the SP will be too stiff for their liking, not to mention the $2800 price for SP (trying to keep the price down). Of course, I myself would prefer the SP, but it's not my car we're talking about..

Next question is the "Sport auto" transmission vs the normal STEP they have for the car. Are they both the ZF tranny found in the 335 except one has paddles, or are they different? I drove a 535xiT at the BMW Breast cancer drive (which is not sport auto) but I don't remember the shift action. I know the sport auto requires sport package and would add a bunch of money to the tag, but I'm just wondering.

Basically it looks like a non-SP 535i with normal STEP, premium, cold, nav, logic 7, and a couple things (like rear side airbags)...or an E350 with an all-inclusive package and sport (which costs less than the 5).

Again, my main concern (with this post) is if the non-SP 535 drives too soft. I know the 535 is way faster haha. Thanks in advance.

[TheAcAvenger]

A non-SP 5er should be around as firm as an E. I spent some time in an E550 a couple weekends ago with the adjustable suspension (is it air suspension?). Regardless, it was slightly less firm than a non-sports equipped E90, and when I looked at the 5 around a year ago, I didn't feel like the 5 was any less firm than the 3. So, refer to the first sentence of this post.

At the same time, are your folks sure they don't want to wait for the new E-class to come out, especially with the option of extending their lease for one more year? Should be fall of this year I think.

I missed the rest of your question though. The sport auto is the same thing we have in our 3ers and the steptronic is the same as what you get in all the other 5s and the X5s. I'm not sure if it shifts any slower, but the mechanism is completely different (see the pictures of the X5s shift lever)

[flipmde786]

Originally Posted by TheAcAvenger

A non-SP 5er should be around as firm as an E. I spent some time in an E550 a couple weekends ago with the adjustable suspension (is it air suspension?). Regardless, it was slightly less firm than a non-sports equipped E90, and when I looked at the 5 around a year ago, I didn't feel like the 5 was any less firm than the 3. So, refer to the first sentence of this post.

At the same time, are your folks sure they don't want to wait for the new E-class to come out, especially with the option of extending their lease for one more year? Should be fall of this year I think.

I missed the rest of your question though. The sport auto is the same thing we have in our 3ers and the steptronic is the same as what you get in all the other 5s and the X5s. I'm not sure if it shifts any slower, but the mechanism is completely different (see the pictures of the X5s shift lever)

Thanks for the feedback.

With the sport auto question, I was wondering if it is the same ZF tranny found in the 335 auto, and what the difference is between the sport auto option and the steptronic option in the 535 (it costs $500 more for "sport auto"). In other words, is "sport auto" in the 535 the ZF tranny, and is steptronic in the 535 the GM tranny?

I think the 535 has the same shift lever mechanism whether it's sport auto or steptronic, but the sport auto also has paddle shifters.

As for the new E-class, I think a new one is due for 2010 model year, not 2009.

[TheAcAvenger]

Taken from http://www.emaineautos.com/review.php?id=5813


The great majority will choose BMW's six-speed Steptronic automatic, and they won't give up much. The Steptronic's innards have been massaged for 2008 to increase shift speed, which improves both efficiency and acceleration. For 2008, it features a drive-by-wire electronic gear selector, meaning the shifter merely sends an electric signal to the transmission, rather than mechanically engaging the gears.


For 2008, a new Sport Automatic is available for the 535 models and 550i, which adds paddles shifters on the steering wheel and delivers even quicker, crisper shifts in manual mode. With this option, BMW's Sequential Manual Gearbox is no longer offered in the standard 5 Series. In a luxury sedan like this, we won't miss it.


~~~~
Judging from this, I'm guessing that you're hypothesis on ZF being the sport auto and non-ZF being the regular article is probably correct. I'll keep looking for hard facts.

+1 on the 2010 e-class release date. I just looked it up.

[x5love]

Originally Posted by TheAcAvenger

I missed the rest of your question though. The sport auto is the same thing we have in our 3ers and the steptronic is the same as what you get in all the other 5s and the X5s. I'm not sure if it shifts any slower, but the mechanism is completely different (see the pictures of the X5s shift lever)

Not quite.

The sport automatic transmission is the same auto transmission in the X5 and 3 series. The regular steptronic in the 5 is the same as what the 3 had before the 335 coupe was released. The difference is that shifts are quicker in manual mode on the sport auto tran.

Yes, the X5 has a different gear lever (it is electronic while the 3 and 5 aren't) it shares the same transmission as the 3 and 5 sport auto.

Since your parents don't sound they they'll be doing any driving in manual mode, save the money and don't get the sport auto tran.

[NaTuReB0Y]

get the E350....

park the two cars next to each other......and you'll know.

[jetblk328i]

if it were me id get the A6 3.2 quattro cheap, quattro, awesome looks both interior and exterior,classy, and pretty fast. but if it were me id get the 5...

comparing a 535 to a E350 lol

i think 538 vs E350 would be fair in the speed department.

[x5love]

Originally Posted by jetblk328i

if it were me id get the A6 3.2 quattro cheap, quattro, awesome looks both interior and exterior,classy, and pretty fast. but if it were me id get the 5...

comparing a 535 to a E350 lol

i think 538 vs E350 would be fair in the speed department.

if it were you you'd get the A6, but if it were you you'd get the 5? haha.

The A6 is not a bad choice at all! It seems like it would perfectly suit your needs actually, take it for a drive!

[mpimping]

Originally Posted by flipmde786

So the lease on my parents 04 E320 is ending, and they're wondering what to do. The financial situation right now isn't so certain, so they were thinking of just extending the lease for a year for now, instead of delving into new cars/contracts.

Whether they decide to do it now or in a year, I was wondering some things about the 5. Personally, I like the look of the E more than the 5, and for my parents, it's right with them with the right amount of classy and sporty look (to me). But now that only BMW has covered maintenance, they were wondering about the 5. (Luckily we got the E when MB did covered maintenance)

First off, how does the non-SP 5 series drive? We all know that SP equipped cars are great, but non-SP might seem too soft to some, so I wanted some insight on that. Before anybody starts bashing MB and saying "well I'm sure it handles way better than any MB," I have to say our E handles well (with the adjustable suspension), and my dad prefers driving on the stiffer setting (but not stiffest). So, I'm wondering if the non-SP 5 is too soft; and I'm pretty sure the SP will be too stiff for their liking, not to mention the $2800 price for SP (trying to keep the price down). Of course, I myself would prefer the SP, but it's not my car we're talking about..

Next question is the "Sport auto" transmission vs the normal STEP they have for the car. Are they both the ZF tranny found in the 335 except one has paddles, or are they different? I drove a 535xiT at the BMW Breast cancer drive (which is not sport auto) but I don't remember the shift action. I know the sport auto requires sport package and would add a bunch of money to the tag, but I'm just wondering.

Basically it looks like a non-SP 535i with normal STEP, premium, cold, nav, logic 7, and a couple things (like rear side airbags)...or an E350 with an all-inclusive package and sport (which costs less than the 5).

Again, my main concern (with this post) is if the non-SP 535 drives too soft. I know the 535 is way faster haha. Thanks in advance.

go on a test drive with them...

[jetblk328i]

Originally Posted by x5love

if it were you you'd get the A6, but if it were you you'd get the 5? haha.

The A6 is not a bad choice at all! It seems like it would perfectly suit your needs actually, take it for a drive!

lol caught me there what i meant was if it was me id get the A6, if i were his parents id get the 5 if they are just considering MB and BMW.

[Seanross]

You say the financial situation isnt certain...not prying but why is a must that they have a MB/BMW/Audi... hell whats wrong with a Lex/Infiniti, or even a fully loaded Accord/Camry/Avalon or whatever

[flipmde786]

Well, they don't want an Audi, and the only reason the BMW is even being thought of is because of the maintenance plan (which as we know, nobody else has). Otherwise, getting another E-class is the easiest option, especially since they already have one and the dealer offers to put you into a new one without paying anything additional.

Which brings up another issue: is it even worth going over to BMW for maintenance when they will most likely charge ~$3-4k at signing whereas they will pay nothing to get into another E?

Over a ~39 month lease term, the maintenance on the E will most likely amount to much less than 4k, but then again it's just annoying when you have to dish out hundreds of dollars on the spot to pay for it.

And just to throw another thing into the mix, they also have thought about just buying the 04 E320 at the end of the term, which would be about $24k now. But then its warranty runs out in 3 months..

[cycler]

Tell them to do a 24 month lease. The rates are better on a 24 month than a 39 month. And why not do ED. My dad did his ED on a 535xi with premium package, sports package, Navigation, and cold weather package. His out of pocket was $2,450.00 and his payment is $590.00 a month for 24 months with 12K miles a year.

[Crimson92]

id say get the e350 and im not being biased

[Los Angeles]

I highly recommend the E350. They will be very happy with the purchase.

[slant83]

put them together and get a E885