335d/435d or 535d
Discussion
I have noticed that a few people who have been in the market for a 335d have ignored the 535d and gone for the 640d. I am aware that there have been some great deals on the 6 series, however there are also some quite good deals on the 535d.
Is the general feeling that the 535d is not as good as the 335/435d and does not have the prestige of the 6 series, or is it just that the model is nearing the end of its life.
If space is not an issue would you choose the 535d over a 335d/435d if prices were similar and if so why?
Is the general feeling that the 535d is not as good as the 335/435d and does not have the prestige of the 6 series, or is it just that the model is nearing the end of its life.
If space is not an issue would you choose the 535d over a 335d/435d if prices were similar and if so why?
Thank you all for the input, some interesting views have been put forward.I currently have an E93 M3 LE 500 and even though the interior design is looking a little old fashioned, I still think the interior has a quality feel to it that is missing in the 3 and 4 series, maybe a lot of this is down to the soft leather with contrast stitching and the piano black trim., to me it just seems a nice place to be. I do really like the 6 series interior, which looks a cut above the 3/4 and 5 in design.
I have always looked at the 3 and 5 as being fine cars, but primarily business cars, not something that you could get emotionally attached to. I think Moffat summed it up perfectly.
I think the next stage will be to drive a 435/535 and 640d to get a true comparison.
I have always looked at the 3 and 5 as being fine cars, but primarily business cars, not something that you could get emotionally attached to. I think Moffat summed it up perfectly.
I think the next stage will be to drive a 435/535 and 640d to get a true comparison.
I am quite surprised by the level of response that my initial question generated. I omitted the 335i from my original post as the 335d/435d/535d seemed to offer a better combination of "real world" performance and economy, as I was quite looking forward to getting more than 16 MPG around town.
I sense from a number of owners of the 335d that even though you do have fantastic performance, there is still something lacking with the overall driving experience, unless you tweek the suspension with some aftermarket springs. Perhaps the 35d engine is better suited to the 535d and 640d where it provides that effortless performance that you associate with the 5 and 6 series?
Last year we drove to southern Spain and once out of the UK I enjoyed some of the best driving days I have had in years, top down, gunning it through the myriad of tunnels in northern Spain on beautiful uncrowded roads, the M3 was really in its element, the only downside was stopping for fuel every 250 miles or so. Once on the motorways however, I could have probably made quicker progress in a diesel, as I would have had far less stops for fuel.
The surprising thing with the M3 is that at constant speed the fuel consumption does not vary greatly whether you do 70 or 90. The highest MPG I achieve during on 3 hour stretch due to traffic and speed restrictions was 28.5, over 4000 miles I got just under 25 which I thought was excellent.
As Breadvan has pointed out maybe the Alpina is the ideal car, providing excellent handling, performance and exclusivity.
I think I will also give the replacement for the 335i (340?)a try when that comes out, by all accounts it will have a small increase in power and fuel economy and hopefully a nice sounding engine.
I sense from a number of owners of the 335d that even though you do have fantastic performance, there is still something lacking with the overall driving experience, unless you tweek the suspension with some aftermarket springs. Perhaps the 35d engine is better suited to the 535d and 640d where it provides that effortless performance that you associate with the 5 and 6 series?
Last year we drove to southern Spain and once out of the UK I enjoyed some of the best driving days I have had in years, top down, gunning it through the myriad of tunnels in northern Spain on beautiful uncrowded roads, the M3 was really in its element, the only downside was stopping for fuel every 250 miles or so. Once on the motorways however, I could have probably made quicker progress in a diesel, as I would have had far less stops for fuel.
The surprising thing with the M3 is that at constant speed the fuel consumption does not vary greatly whether you do 70 or 90. The highest MPG I achieve during on 3 hour stretch due to traffic and speed restrictions was 28.5, over 4000 miles I got just under 25 which I thought was excellent.
As Breadvan has pointed out maybe the Alpina is the ideal car, providing excellent handling, performance and exclusivity.
I think I will also give the replacement for the 335i (340?)a try when that comes out, by all accounts it will have a small increase in power and fuel economy and hopefully a nice sounding engine.
If we remove Alpina from the conversation and I read the situation correctly the consensus of opinion seems to be that if you want a bit more enjoyment and driving pleasure go for the 335i, over the 335d. The 335i may be slower and less fuel efficient, but makes up for that in driving pleasure. The 35d engine seems particularly suited to the 535d and 640d, where it's effortless torque and more insulated installation seems to suit the character of the cars very well.
Has anyone personal experience of running an X3 with the 35d engine?
Whenever I have had a performance car like an M3 I have always felt a bit short changed if going for another car of the same size, but with less performance, I have therefore usually gone for something completely different hence the X3 suggestion.
On paper at least the X3 35d seems like it should be fun.
Has anyone personal experience of running an X3 with the 35d engine?
Whenever I have had a performance car like an M3 I have always felt a bit short changed if going for another car of the same size, but with less performance, I have therefore usually gone for something completely different hence the X3 suggestion.
On paper at least the X3 35d seems like it should be fun.
The new Golf R is very well thought of, so no doubt you will have a lot of fun. I would be interested in how you are coping with the interior, after the 640, which in my opinion has one of the nicest interiors of the BMW range. The Golf on the other hand is well made, but a bit more mundane, having come from a 640 I think I would feel a bit disappointed with the Golf.
I had the loan of a 335d Msport Touring with Msport+ pack and pano roof today and did about 160 miles covering all types of roads from motorways to the Yorkshire moors, here are a few observations;
I was very impressed with the power train, the engine and gearbox are superb, the ride comfortable and the handling confidence inspiring, but probably a little soft when pressing on over some of the more bumpy roads. I thought there was quite a lot of tyre noise inside the car, subjectively I would say there is more road noise than my E93 M3, possibly with this being a touring?. I think car interiors are all about personal taste and this one was all black and I was not keen on the way the passenger side of the dash looked, it just did not have the same air of quality as the M3, but then again there is probably £20k, between the list price of both cars. If you don't do track days, the 335/435 offers probably all of the performance you would ever need.
I also had a brief drive in a 530D Msport, this car only had only done 150 miles so was still quite tight, but the level of refinement compared to the 3 series was very noticeable, and even though it's getting on in years I felt the interior was a far nicer place to be, given the choice I would go for the 535d Msport.
I had also considered the X3 3.0d/35d, but it seems virtually impossible to get a test drive as there are none around, although I did manage a brief "run down the road" in a 3.0d just before Christmas. A friend mentioned the new Touareg R line and I arranged a test drive in that earlier in the week. I went with the expectation that it would be coarse, unrefined, slow and that I would not like it one bit, how wrong I was. It comes loaded with kit, is very comfortable,refined and with good performance, I came away more impressed than I was with the X3 3.0d.
So for me I think it's between the 535d and the Touareg.
I was very impressed with the power train, the engine and gearbox are superb, the ride comfortable and the handling confidence inspiring, but probably a little soft when pressing on over some of the more bumpy roads. I thought there was quite a lot of tyre noise inside the car, subjectively I would say there is more road noise than my E93 M3, possibly with this being a touring?. I think car interiors are all about personal taste and this one was all black and I was not keen on the way the passenger side of the dash looked, it just did not have the same air of quality as the M3, but then again there is probably £20k, between the list price of both cars. If you don't do track days, the 335/435 offers probably all of the performance you would ever need.
I also had a brief drive in a 530D Msport, this car only had only done 150 miles so was still quite tight, but the level of refinement compared to the 3 series was very noticeable, and even though it's getting on in years I felt the interior was a far nicer place to be, given the choice I would go for the 535d Msport.
I had also considered the X3 3.0d/35d, but it seems virtually impossible to get a test drive as there are none around, although I did manage a brief "run down the road" in a 3.0d just before Christmas. A friend mentioned the new Touareg R line and I arranged a test drive in that earlier in the week. I went with the expectation that it would be coarse, unrefined, slow and that I would not like it one bit, how wrong I was. It comes loaded with kit, is very comfortable,refined and with good performance, I came away more impressed than I was with the X3 3.0d.
So for me I think it's between the 535d and the Touareg.
JNW1 the car did have standard suspension. The 535D is a lovely car and totally different to the Touareg, but after a number of sports/performance cars over the years, I just feel like something different. I am getting increasingly fed up with the condition of the roads and the amount of traffic on them and unless you get up early and head for the countryside driving is not as enjoyable as it was a few years ago. Last year we drove to Southern Spain from Northern England a round trip of over 4000 miles and Northern Spain reminded me what driving should be like, beautiful scenery, first class uncrowded roads and virtually no speed cameras, it was a fantastic trip. Then we arrived back in the UK and after negotiating the M25 with its variable speed limits we were on the A1 in the pouring rain, chock full of wagons pulling out at the last minute, it was impossible to average more than 55 MPH, it was at that point that I thought about going down the diesel route, initially with the X3 and 335/435/535d. I had not even considered the Touareg, until I got an email about the March promotion and decided to have a look. As I have said previously I went with the expectation that I would hate it, but came away very impressed, true it's no sports car in the handling stakes, but it's not slow and has a comfortable well insulated ride, with good visibility and all of the toys you could want as standard........I must be getting old!. I have not made a final decision yet as the lease rates on the 530/535 have just dropped significantly, but must admit I am leaning towards the Touareg, just because its something completely different to what I have been used to.
I take your points guys, however I have been in this position before a few years ago, I went from 3 M3's in a row over a six year period (2xE36 1E46) to an X5 3 litre diesel and enjoyed that for about 18 months and then got into another X5, however shortly after that the market changed and there were no longer 12 month waiting lists for X5 and the prices were starting to soften, I was also feeling the need for speed again and bought a Porsche Boxster S.
The M3 was my first BMW in years and I am enjoying it, but sometimes it nice to see what else is out there. I do quite like the look of the new C class, but if it's going to be diesel it will have to be a six cylinder. There is not a Mercedes diesel that I would choose over the 535D, I just do not think their engines are as good as BMW.
I was equally impressed with the VAG unit, I am going to arrange another test drive, just in case my initial impressions were wrong as I went into the test drive expecting to hate it and came away impressed.
The M3 was my first BMW in years and I am enjoying it, but sometimes it nice to see what else is out there. I do quite like the look of the new C class, but if it's going to be diesel it will have to be a six cylinder. There is not a Mercedes diesel that I would choose over the 535D, I just do not think their engines are as good as BMW.
I was equally impressed with the VAG unit, I am going to arrange another test drive, just in case my initial impressions were wrong as I went into the test drive expecting to hate it and came away impressed.
Phil, thank you for your input, it's nice to hear from someone who has first hand experience. To be honest if the PCH prices on the Touareg had not been cut by over £100 per month I probably would not have considered it, but now it makes more sense to give it a try......decisions decisions!
OK lets forget about MPG. At the moment there is very little difference in contract price between
1.535d msport
2.435i msport
3.435d msport
So which one would you go for?
Even though its a bit of a big old thing, I do prefer the 535 interior, only trouble it's about 10 inches longer than the 4 series, however what you may loose in performance you make up for in refinement.
1.535d msport
2.435i msport
3.435d msport
So which one would you go for?
Even though its a bit of a big old thing, I do prefer the 535 interior, only trouble it's about 10 inches longer than the 4 series, however what you may loose in performance you make up for in refinement.
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