520d M Sport Touring

[alfaspiderman2]

Well, I was about to order a Merc estate as my next company car and happened upon the 520d

Seems it may be a good compromise between the C Class (a bit cheap in feel and a wee bit too small) and the E (classy but dated and expensive...and a little too big)

I can have 520d for the same money as a C220cdi and they seem well matched performance wise)

Anyone got a 520d ....especially an auto and/or M Sport version...?

Is the 2.0d sufficient in the 5 Tourer or would I feel short changed?

[G Man]

Not sure which spec 2.0d is in the 5 series, the latest which started in the 120d has 170bhp and stop/start mode at a stand still, this is a great engine and your would not really need anything bigger

[alfaspiderman2]

it's got the 177bhp engine which, although not in 535d league, sounds like sufficient for the family wagon

[G Man]

alfaspiderman2 said:

it's got the 177bhp engine which, although not in 535d league, sounds like sufficient for the family wagon

Yep thats the one its got plenty of oommph.

Beware it has an encrypted Engine Mgmt system so this engine cannot be tuned by the likes of DMS

[alfaspiderman2]

not an issue - family wagon + company car = never going to be DMS'd anyway

[dxb335d]

G Man said:

alfaspiderman2 said:

it's got the 177bhp engine which, although not in 535d league, sounds like sufficient for the family wagon

Yep thats the one its got plenty of oommph.

Beware it has an encrypted Engine Mgmt system so this engine cannot be tuned by the likes of DMS

There are tuning boxes availble which up the bhp to 210ish!

[pgilc1]

G Man said:

alfaspiderman2 said:

it's got the 177bhp engine which, although not in 535d league, sounds like sufficient for the family wagon

Yep thats the one its got plenty of oommph.

Beware it has an encrypted Engine Mgmt system so this engine cannot be tuned by the likes of DMS

But you can add a tuning box - www.tuningbox.com

[MazDave]

I have a 163PS '07 520d Auto M Sport (Saloon not touring) and I think the performance is all you need for what it is. The Auto box is very well matched to the engine, better than the 525d I had before. The economy is 45ish on average - which I think is good for the size of the car. Ride and handling are good though it was a better ride on my snow tyres than the 18" RFTs (but they look rubbish)

All round it's very good - make sure you get full leather from a resale point of view.

Dave

[alfaspiderman2]

Thanks for that.

The car will be driven by my wife during the week and she is concerned about the ride. I had a 335i Sport Touring (manual)previously and she found it comfortable as a family car.

I'm selling the 520d M Sport Auto on the basis that it will be smoother and more comfortable (but still retain a degree of diver involvement for me). Presume that's realistic?

Car will be leased so resale not an issue but, with 2 kids and a large dog, leather will be mandatory!

[alfaspiderman2]

oh, and another question about the auto box, is it 6 speed?

[Donut]

alfaspiderman2 said:

oh, and another question about the auto box, is it 6 speed?

Yes it is and you'll find the ride alot less choppy than on a 3 series.

I think that the 520d M Sport auto is a very complete car as it does tick every box within reason.

[pgilc1]

Donut said:

alfaspiderman2 said:

oh, and another question about the auto box, is it 6 speed?

Yes it is and you'll find the ride alot less choppy than on a 3 series.

I think that the 520d M Sport auto is a very complete car as it does tick every box within reason.

I would totally agree. I had a 535d M Sport and if i was going back to a 5 series, it would realistically be to a 520d M Sport. Only got the chance to use the power of the 535d 2% of the time, so not worth the £12000 extra for me.

I did a quick straw poll of year old 5 series on autotrader and some 60% were 520d's, with a total of 92% overall being diesel

[peaktorque]

A 4 pot 2.0 engine (diesel at that!) in a big car would in most cases fill me with fear! But I don't know what it about the 520d I would almost consider one as a replacement for my 535i. It is like it has nothing to prove?

[pgilc1]

peaktorque said:

A 4 pot 2.0 engine (diesel at that!) in a big car would in most cases fill me with fear! But I don't know what it about the 520d I would almost consider one as a replacement for my 535i. It is like it has nothing to prove?

You only have to look at the performance figures - 0-60 in around 8 seconds, 140 top speed to realise how capable it is. The only engine i think might better it will be the forthcoming 523d, probably a year away easy and in the e60 replacement, the f10.

Edited by pgilc1 on Friday 4th April 22:13

[alfaspiderman2]

pgilc1 said:

I would totally agree. I had a 535d M Sport and if i was going back to a 5 series, it would realistically be to a 520d M Sport. Only got the chance to use the power of the 535d 2% of the time, so not worth the £12000 extra for me.

Totally agree with your total agreement! I had a 335i which was great, wonderful, awesome......but only actually useable 10% of the time. The rest of the time I couldn't help but get that nagging feeling that a 320d would be doing just as good a job.

[grahamm]

I was getting close to ordering one of these with manual transmission, then saw a 535d Msport Touring coming in to dealer 2.5 years old, 53k miles, high spec, £26k.

What would you do?

[pgilc1]

grahamm said:

I was getting close to ordering one of these with manual transmission, then saw a 535d Msport Touring coming in to dealer 2.5 years old, 53k miles, high spec, £26k.

What would you do?

It would be the pre facelift model with the older engine and older gearbox and this significantly harder on fuel than a new 535d. Also its only a few months away from being out of warranty.

Hard to know. Personal choice. Drive both, weigh up the pros and cons.

[alfaspiderman2]

grahamm said:

I was getting close to ordering one of these with manual transmission, then saw a 535d Msport Touring coming in to dealer 2.5 years old, 53k miles, high spec, £26k.

What would you do?

depends what you want the car for imo - do you needa 535d?

I chose my 335i Sport Touring on the basis that it covered all the bases but found that, ultimately, meant making compromises on all of them

hence my decision to save £300/month by going for a 520d and spend that on something fun for station runs and weekend blasts

[grahamm]

alfaspiderman2 said:

grahamm said:

I was getting close to ordering one of these with manual transmission, then saw a 535d Msport Touring coming in to dealer 2.5 years old, 53k miles, high spec, £26k.

What would you do?

depends what you want the car for imo - do you needa 535d?

I chose my 335i Sport Touring on the basis that it covered all the bases but found that, ultimately, meant making compromises on all of them

hence my decision to save £300/month by going for a 520d and spend that on something fun for station runs and weekend blasts

Upon reflection if I can't afford to buy a new one I probably can't afford to run an old one. I will probably find the economy and range of the 520d as satisfying as the power of the 535d.

[alfaspiderman2]

to be fair, the 535d is going to be a better 'all-rounder' than my manual 335i

however, you have got to justify the extra cost for the extra performance

it's not fair to compare the 520d and 535d really as they are too far apart performance wise - why not compromise and go for a 530d - gotta be loads of those around for your budget?