F10 535d m sport spec

F10 535d m sport spec

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thebullettrain

Original Poster:

1,038 posts

238 months

Tuesday 25th November 2014
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I'm looking at a F10 535d m sport with a spec as follows; any thoughts would be appreciated!

Integral active steering
Electric glass sunroof
Front seat ventilation
Professional navigation system
Park assist
Comfort access
BMW Individual piano black interior trim BMW Professional loudspeaker system
Adaptive headlights
Rear electric window blind
Soft close doors
Lane change warning
Sport automatic transmission
Surround view
Climate comfort windscreen
Variable damper control (VDC)
19” Alloy Wheels
Front Comfort seats
Full black panel display
Demons
Auto dimming and folding exterior mirrors
High beam assistant
Head up display
Reversing assist camera
Lane departure warning system.

Is there anything I should add or drop? Thoughts and comments on individual options would be appreciated.

02joe

162 posts

200 months

Tuesday 25th November 2014
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It seems like you have gone for most extras. I'd add Harman Kardon.

Also, ditch the adaptive headlights for the Adaptive LED Headlights.

simonF10

68 posts

201 months

Tuesday 25th November 2014
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Drop the demons laugh and get the LED's

Jon1967x

7,175 posts

123 months

Tuesday 25th November 2014
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Look at a 6GC. That's a fully loaded 5 that will look very similar to an entry level 520d.

andrewr

409 posts

197 months

Tuesday 25th November 2014
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Electric boot lid. Brilliant option.

converted lurker

304 posts

125 months

Tuesday 25th November 2014
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Drop the horrible steering, add adaptive drive and maybe cut down on £4000 of gimmicks like cameras and buy a 535d for the extra shove you definitely will use.

If specing such an unusual high spec car I think I'd try and get a special colour thrown in for free - they don't cist BMW anything like what they charge for them. Stay on 18 inch wheels. Don't have an all black bat cave interior.

Bloody marvelous cars!

Shezbo

594 posts

129 months

Tuesday 25th November 2014
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All good options - I would stay with the 19" wheels (ride comfort on mine is totally 100% and they look 4 times better than the 18's) and with a glass sunroof the all black interior is fine.

anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 25th November 2014
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Jon1967x said:
Look at a 6GC. That's a fully loaded 5 that will look very similar to an entry level 520d.
Good call, the 5 is a lovely car, but the 6GC is a real stunner.

And some good deals to be had, so i'm told.

thebullettrain

Original Poster:

1,038 posts

238 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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Thanks chaps, I've got it all
Priced up and we'll it's pricey! There seems to be a used one on for sale with a similar spec which i may take, given somebody else has already taken the deprecation hit on it!

smashy

3,030 posts

157 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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re dpreciation hit thingy,,,ive just bought a new BMW cheaper monthly than a nearly new as better apr.

In the old days a private punter buying new was financially nuts ,not so these days if you usually buy up to a year old,

thebullettrain

Original Poster:

1,038 posts

238 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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Cheers Smashy. What spec and engine did you get? Any thoughts on any "must have" options?

smashy

3,030 posts

157 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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Hello Bullet ,,well ive got an F30 330d ,first mistakeIi made standard suspension got rid after a fortnight and now it on AC schnitzers suspension,the standard was truly atrocious see your going for M sport good decision!.

Next make sure you are happy with the seats ,mine are standard and are useless ,however I think The 5s come with comfort or sports as standard ,if they dont sit and drive them.I have had to fork out £30 on halfords seat cover to get some support.I actually drove to leicester to sit in every recaro made but didnt get on with them,

I see you have my First and have to know matter what extra The Sunroof!!! The salesman said whats the point you only open it a few times,,,he missed the point ,bearing in mind the first time come spring when you open it ,its a great event lol but there is so much light at all times in the cabin it makes such a difference

Good Luck with your hunt,

Edited by smashy on Wednesday 26th November 20:24

335d

758 posts

117 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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thebullettrain said:
I'm looking at a F10 535d m sport with a spec as follows; any thoughts would be appreciated!

Integral active steering
Electric glass sunroof
Front seat ventilation
Professional navigation system
Park assist
Comfort access
BMW Individual piano black interior trim BMW Professional loudspeaker system
Adaptive headlights
Rear electric window blind
Soft close doors
Lane change warning
Sport automatic transmission
Surround view
Climate comfort windscreen
Variable damper control (VDC)
19” Alloy Wheels
Front Comfort seats
Full black panel display
Demons
Auto dimming and folding exterior mirrors
High beam assistant
Head up display
Reversing assist camera
Lane departure warning system.

Is there anything I should add or drop? Thoughts and comments on individual options would be appreciated.
You may wish to consider the M Sport Plus package which includes 19" alloys, Sun Protection Glass, M Sport Brakes, Harmon Kardon Hifi (better than Professional) and probably something I have forgotten. That works out better value than buying the bits separately, as long as you want most of the bits...

Sounds like a great spec. I particularly like the Comfort Seats which are great, but expensive. You could add a higher quality leather and steering wheel heating if you are feeling extravagant.

drmark

4,794 posts

185 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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converted lurker said:
Drop the horrible steering, add adaptive drive and maybe cut down on £4000 of gimmicks like cameras and buy a 535d for the extra shove you definitely will use.

If specing such an unusual high spec car I think I'd try and get a special colour thrown in for free - they don't cist BMW anything like what they charge for them. Stay on 18 inch wheels. Don't have an all black bat cave interior.

Bloody marvelous cars!
Plus 1
Adaptive drive is expensive but superb.

Wills2

22,669 posts

174 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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As you're going the full hog, I'd go for this:

MS+ package (good value)
Comfort package (for the seats, I had them in my F10 stunning things)
Media package
Multifunction display (looks cool)
Split rear seats (I only realised they were not standard after I'd taken delivery)
Adaptive drive (makes it drive like you think a BMW should)

Oh and for £775 order the nappa leather it's soft and luxurious and you'll be glad you did, Dakota is garbage and you don't want that in a 60k car.

apotts

254 posts

206 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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I have just been through this process (lots of test drives, speccing, and now driving the 535D Msport).

If you are interested in the options that make the car drive well, then:

Essentials

Adaptive drive is essential. The ride when not cornering is much improved, and the cornering is as good as you'd ever hope for.
HUD is very good - solves the problem of looking down the whole time (something that takes a while to un-learn).
18" wheels give a good ride, with a bit of tramlining. 19" introduce secondary ride issues and lots of tramlining. Avoid. I have just swapped my 18" wheels for the recommended winter size 17" (with non RFT winter tyres) and the ride is now S Class / XJS V12. Just perfect - and on Sport mode still firm enough to be annoying. Incidentally, an 18" rear weighed 28Kg, and a 17" weighed 21 Kg. Maybe the loss of unsprung weight is the main contributor to the improvement, not the high sidewall.

Steering

Here's something I missed - so I would suggest extra testing. While the engine, gearbox and suspension is excellent, the steering is pants. Pants like a Honda Jazz. I have a suspicion that while the fancy steering system may seem like a crap idea, it might fix the numb, dead, no-lock electric steering that's fitted to the standard car. Don't expect your 535D to steer like an XF!

Seats

The RHD F10 has an odd seating position. The steering wheel is not aligned with the seat (nor are the pedals) so you may well find yourself twisted. I have the standard M Sport seats (which if central would be fine) but I find myself sitting off to the left to align myself with the steering wheel, and this is painful with the large bolsters. Try the comfort seats to see if they are any better (smaller bolsters).

Electronic frippery

Pro Nav looks nice and works almost as well as a £40 Tomtom app on your phone. Useful for resale though (so I ticked it).
I have the MFID and it's a waste of time. Poor contrast at night, and everything you need is on the HUD. Which you must buy.
I have comfort access, and it's a bit crap too (compared to JLR). You can't just grab the door open (you have to insert your hand and wait) and the locking doesn't work if your hand is in the handle.
HK sound - essential. Standard is dire, HK is just about OK after tweaking.
I have the rear camera, and it's not needed. The beepers and display are perfectly good on their own. Two days of rain and you can see nothing with the camera anyway.
The boot and doors all close fine without the weight/complexity/price penalty of a load of electric motors.
The standard xenons are excellent, and if you can operate the lever then adaptive is not needed. LEDs get dimmer with time.
Lane change systems are unreliable, so you have to look anyway.
Adaptive cruise makes you drive like the tw@t in front - I can do better.
SLI - I have this, and it's a bit of a waste of time.

Remember - with adaptive drive you will lose the "slammed" look, so why not go the whole hog and just have 18" wheels? It looks fine. Make a statement that you are different to the thousands of 520D drivers.

Stitch up

Finally - some here have mentioned that the M Sport+ pack is good value. Maybe when paying on the never never, but BMW are still stitching you up. The difference in price between the 18" and 19" wheels is a total of £580 at full BMW accessories prices.

But if you tick just 19" wheel upgrade, they charge you £1230!

So lets look at the MS+ pack, but call the wheel upgrade price the correct £580:

Wheel upgrade: £580
2 of your 6 windows blacked out: £345
Plastic spoiler: £190
Essential HK sound: £895

Total £2010. Pack price £2000. Bargain!! Sort of... I just paid £895 for the HK and am quite happy with the improved ride/looks etc.

On a positive note though, I got nearly £12k off list. smile




Edited by apotts on Friday 28th November 10:30


Edited by apotts on Friday 28th November 10:34

thebullettrain

Original Poster:

1,038 posts

238 months

Tuesday 2nd December 2014
quotequote all
Thanks chaps, much appreciated and the level of detail on some posts has been great:-).

I have been running the numbers and decided to go for a used AUC as it gets me to a more sensible number.

I have driven a few different cars including a standard m sport (which is a major step up from my previous E60) and one with the adaptive drive (interesting!) I've opted for used 535d with a similar spec to what I originally highlighted. The keys things being:

Comfort and ventilated seats;
Integral active steering and variable damper control;
Night vision;
Adaptive lights;
Visibility, comfort, media and advanced parking pack; and
Heads up display.

A few questions for the PH crowd:

It is madness to buy a used 535d with lots of goodies - am I asking for trouble;
What mpg do other 535dusers get;
What does the comfort pack include (does it include electric folding mirrors, I hope
I does);
Are the ventilated seats are good as I've heard mixed reviews.


apotts

254 posts

206 months

Tuesday 2nd December 2014
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I found that the nearly new AUC vehicles were only £1k to £3k cheaper than a new car (after the massive discounts). Also beware of used cars that have a number plate beginning in "Y" - they are previously owned by either a BMW employee or a rental company (Sixt, Hertz etc). Furthermore, if you are buying on PCP, the interest is miles less than that on a used car.

Personally I would not have the VDC on it's own. You will get regular, high-up, soft suspension (regardless of whether you are in an M-SPort or SE) without the life saver of ARS that returns the amusement to cornering. So go for passive M-Sport suspension OR Adaptive Drive. Unless you have no interest in corners...

Soov535

35,829 posts

270 months

Tuesday 2nd December 2014
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Get a new one. I got £12k off list @ 4.9% APR.


Jon1967x

7,175 posts

123 months

Tuesday 2nd December 2014
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apotts said:
... without the life saver of ARS
The vast majority of cars have std suspension, some have VDC and fewer have adaptive drive. I think "life saver" is more than a little strong.

And I have adaptive drive on my 6 and to be honest, it can feel odd - softish suspension even when in sport that you have to trust tightens up when you lean into a corner, which it does.

There are no rules in whats a must have as each to their own, and often its justification for what they have. Cameras including top down are useful, sun roof - why bother I have the screen closed all the time so its not exactly adding light on the 5 it doesn't look a great shape in the same way it does on the 6. But only you can decide whats important.

What I would say is you're still looking a expensive car at the top of the range and I think you'll get bored with it looking like every travelling saleman and his 520d. Get another 7 or a 6 if you want something sportier.