Quote:
Originally Posted by drjolokia
Quote:
Originally Posted by ssquared
Don't look at iDrive 6 as being outdated compared to idrive 7. It is older, but it is also a much better design. Aside from the countless bugs drivers are experiencing with iDrive 7 (see the x5 forum), it's just a poor design and unintuitive wheras idrive 6 is excellent. The digital instrument cluster serves little purpose other than for BMW's marketing team to say they have a fully digital instrument cluster to compete with Audi's virtual cockpit. The BMW digital cluster in the 3 series is ugly, hard to read and doesn't present the driver with the right information. The cluster in the G30 5 is better
Aside from the electronics, how the car drives is another big difference. The 3 will be much more tossable than the 5 and feel more sporty. The 5 has a more planted stable feeling, but lacks in steering feel and driver engagement. Do you prefer sport or luxury?
Personally I'd go for the refinement of the 5 over the sportiness of the 3 for a daily driver. And definitely 540 not 550. The 540 has more than enough power for a sporty luxury car and weighs much less than the 550 so it feels better and gets much better fuel mileage. The 550 strikes me as pointless as putting a larger engine in an car that's not engaging to drive doesn't make it anymore engaging. 540 is the perfect balance
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I agree with a lot of what you said but to say the M550i is less engaging is completely false.
The raw power of the V8 even in comfort mode is amazing and acceleration is silky smooth.
In sport+ the suspension becomes tight and responsive. The car feels much lighter than it is.
On top of that consumer and professional reviews of the M550i are higher than the 540.
Honestly, I'd take the 340 over the 540. But I think the M550i tops them both. |
M550i all day every day. There's not a day that goes by that I regret purchasing my vehicle.