[wknddrivr]

Originally Posted by bimmer_335

yes colors you got to experience in real life.

my top 2 choices were Bluestone Metallic and Mediterranean Blue and ended up with Med Blue.

Those were my top 2 also, still haven't seen Med Blue in person though. Ended up w/Bluestone and love it...I'm sure I'd love the Med Blue too from the pics I see.

Carbon Black is amazing but will be insanely hard to keep clean

[Jay R]

Originally Posted by angel.mora

Thanks everyone for your comments and insight.

Where I live there are not a lot of places where I could get the chance to stretch the car legs, 95% city driving, so that gives an advantage to the 530i

Affordability is not an issue but as a lot of you have found out, once you start adding options is difficult to stop then you start looking to the 540i, 550i now the M5

Thanks again for your input, I am now leaning more to the 530i side... now, what about the color!, I need to go looking into threads with car pictures that show the colors under "real life" conditions.

Originally Posted by ssquared

Those were my top 2 also, still haven't seen Med Blue in person though. Ended up w/Bluestone and love it...I'm sure I'd love the Med Blue too from the pics I see.

Carbon Black is amazing but will be insanely hard to keep clean

White

[goj]

When in doubt, inline6

[Cortexiphan]

I had the same exact options. Actually, I was completely ready to buy the 530i, my options list and everything was ready. Coming from M4, I thought that as I was taking the comfort route, the performance didn't matter. But, I drove 530i and 540i back to back, and once I hopped from 530i to 540i, within the first few hundred feet, the difference was super obvious. The smoothness and sound aside, G30 feels like it's built for the inline 6. The car and the chassis feel like an extension of the inline 6 engine. My choice has nothing to do with performance, I think in most cases 530i will be adequate performance-wise. It's all about the feel. The Inline 6 feels smoother, sounds better, it feels supple and luxurious as well as super fast: 0-60 is the same with E92 M3.

I hit the 10.000 miles last week, as a loaner I was provided with a 530i. 530i is way more economical (I usually average around 32 mpg from home to work on the highway, 530i did it with almost 40 mpg). But my views on the engine didn't change. 530i will never suffer from performance in normal circumstances, but 540i feels like a different animal. So in short, it's not about the performance, it's about the feel...

[XxLHCxX]

I chose the 530i based on the gas consumption.

[ArchJR]

I was hesitant switching from a 528i to a 540i. I averaged 28 MPG for the time I had the 528i and my 540i averages 26.8 MPG so far, so fuel economy is just not an issue. But were I on more of a budget, I would rather have the G30's tech and luxury features at the expense of the inline 6. And in no way would I ever have this car without the M-Sport tier. It just looks too mature for me.

[amus3d]

When I first looked at the G30, I had my eyes set on the 540i. To me, the 540i was a perfect balance between power and fuel economy. But after test driving it, I asked myself if I really need all that power for daily driving? I mean, I haul my family in it so I am not going WOT. Anyways, after talking to the wife, we purchased the 530e (with m-sport package of course) instead.

I may be wrong but the future is plug-in and electric cars... might as well get an intro now.

[SteveinArizona]

Personally, I would not get a car today without ACC and a HUD. If you can get those in a 540i within your budget, then I would definitely go for the 540. But if you can't, then it comes down to whether those two items are important to YOU. They are to me but everyone is different.

[mk1-fan]

540i every day, and twice on a sunday. I will take a silky smooth six over a 4 every time.

[ibk11]

Sorry to be blunt, but you'd have to be nuts to choose the 530i over the 540i purely for the extra gadgets. No one needs driver assist gizmos, they don't enhance the driving experience. You know what does enhance your drive? A better engine!

Can't believe a BMW fan would ever choose the lower spec engine for the sake of a few extra digital gizmos. You don't need any of that stuff, even the base spec 520d SE is enough for anyone.

[Bob in IL]

Personally, for our needs and preferences I'd go for the loaded 530. Definitely see the attraction of the 540 too. That's why they make 'em both.

[mpress]

there is such a difference in driving the two cars EVEN under city driving where yo wont get "to stretch the cars legs",,, hard accelerations are totally different between thee two cars and you will appreciate the car and the engine of the 540 AND M SPORT over the few tech items of the 530, other then HUD, if its not coming into play when your DRIVING your car you wont miss it iwhen DRIVING the 540...oh and i vote bluestone metallic

[batmanken]

I was in the exact same situation when I got my G30. I was actually set to get the 530i m sport with plenty of options on it, I took a pretty long test-drive on an open road, pushed it to its limits and felt like it just lacked power, at this point I didn't even consider the 540i because i thought it was just way more than the 530i. I priced out a pretty lightly equipped 540i to a point where it made sense financially, I finally took a quick test-drive in the 540i m sport and it was like night and day difference, its like going from a normal car to a very fast car, i was just set to get the 540i after that. powerful engine over more options any day for me, at the end of the day its all about the way it drives that really matters.

[Zap-xpilot]

This is from someone driving a fully loaded 540i:

Take the 540 any day of the week!

I helped a colleague of mine get a good deal on a brand new 530i g31, it’s almost the same car as my fully loaded 540, except for the engine, but boy what a difference in performance and perception.

While his car sounds strained under load and the engine chatters, mine just wafts along unperturbed. The 540 is almost Rolls like in its power delivery.

In fact, if I could do the purchase all over again, I’d go for a base 540i with just the M-sport package and save some money.
The inline 6 is a masterpiece!

Also, since we both drive the same distance to work, I can tell you that there is NO discernible difference in petrol consumption. These are heavy, four wheel drive cars, the smaller engine strains more under real life usage.

Take the four and you’ll regret it every day. The 6 will put a smile on your face on daily basis, even if all you’re doing is creeping in traffic

[AP]

I too would suggest the 540i for its engine. A straight six is always going so smooth compared to a 4 pot.
If you want all the options why not just put off the buying decision for now, save up and then get the car you really want - a loaded up 540i.

Only you can obviously make this decision

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Cortexiphan

... So in short, it's not about the performance, it's about the feel...

Exactly. Many of us could live without the performance for our daily drives, but there would be so much missing from each drive.

For me, the in-line six is BMW.

[Max86]

Don't forget with the 540i you will have the option to upgrade with the MPPSK. Completely transforms it from a really good car to an absolutely brilliant car. It truly unleashes the potential of the B58 engine, which somehow felt like they tuned it down without the MPPSK (perhaps it is just the muted engine sound before the sports exhaust was installed though...)

[mk1-fan]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Exactly. Many of us could live without the performance for our daily drives, but there would be so much missing from each drive.

For me, the in-line six is BMW.

Exactly.

I know the trend is towards smaller 4 pot engines, but honestly, I would not have bought a 5 if it wasn't available with a 6 cylinder petrol engine.

It completely transform the personality of the car. Cold start ups in particular is just fantastic, as you don't have the clatter of a 4 cyl engine.

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by mk1-fan

540i every day, and twice on a sunday. I will take a silky smooth six over a 4 every time.

I used to say the same but...

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by Zap-xpilot

This is from someone driving a fully loaded 540i:

Take the 540 any day of the week!

I helped a colleague of mine get a good deal on a brand new 530i g31, it's almost the same car as my fully loaded 540, except for the engine, but boy what a difference in performance and perception.

While his car sounds strained under load and the engine chatters, mine just wafts along unperturbed. The 540 is almost Rolls like in its power delivery.

In fact, if I could do the purchase all over again, I'd go for a base 540i with just the M-sport package and save some money.
The inline 6 is a masterpiece!

Also, since we both drive the same distance to work, I can tell you that there is NO discernible difference in petrol consumption. These are heavy, four wheel drive cars, the smaller engine strains more under real life usage.

Take the four and you'll regret it every day. The 6 will put a smile on your face on daily basis, even if all you're doing is creeping in traffic

I took the 4 six months ago and have not regret it to this day.

My B46 doesn't clatter, sounds fairly good under acceleration and the car has never felt strained to quickly pass on the highway and accelerate.

Simply put, I am not getting on with the hate the 4 cyl 2 liter turbo is getting from some in this thread.

I do, however, get the love for the 6-cyl in line BMW engine as I had one in my 2011 E90 (N52).

But unlike the N20 before it, the B46 is a tremendously improved engine and it is perfectly suitable for a car like the G30.

Furthermore, for my daily driving needs and traffic conditions, a car with 335HP and 4.7sec 0-60 acceleration is completely wasted in the traffic grind of this city. Here is where the B46 shines with its superb fuel economy.

There is no wrong choice when it comes to the G30 available engines.

Please, don't put down the B46 until you live with it for a while. And if you don't like it is OK, I am not hurt....but I do take a bit of an issue with 540i owners putting down 530i owners to feel better about their rides. Just sayin'....

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Exactly. Many of us could live without the performance for our daily drives, but there would be so much missing from each drive.

For me, the in-line six is BMW.

Sure but that comes at a price.

[mk1-fan]

Originally Posted by 530iDriver

Sure but that comes at a price.

We're worth it.