m37xsport vs the bmw535xi (m37xs test drive with pic)

[Icarus26]

two different cars, two different driving experiences. which one is the better option.
better on maintenance long term?

[Larz]

Welcome to the forum!
Choosing a car is not all about data and repairs, etc. There is a personal, subjective factor and only you can decide which 'feels' or 'drives' best for yourself. The M and the BMW will NOT be economical to repair or maintain. That's a given so no need to dwell on cost of oil filters, tires, etc. No need to discuss MPG either - none of them are fuel misers.
I was down to three cars: Mercedes E class, Lexus LS, and BMW 5 series. I'm in South Florida, so AWD doesn't interest me - we just get occasional puddles from rain so it's not needed here. Except for the Merc, all were RWD. I can only share what lead me, personally to the M.
Mercedes E350: Nice styling, nice ride - more road feel that I liked. The controls and the entire dash seemed poorly laid out. The sound system was pretty good, but no comparison to the Lexus.
Lexus LS430: Quietest ride of all, best sound system of all. Too erm blah for styling and interior and seemed less responsive and more marshmallow-ish like an old Cadillac.
BMW 530i: Great ride, pretty good sound system for this class, good acceleration and braking, great at cornering, but the iDrive was more trouble that it's worth - too many steps involved when you want to change something, but I'd adjust to it in time. The red illumination on the dash was not my cuppa tea, but I decided I could live that as well, as the BMW was now my fav of the three I decided to test.

When driving the BMW back to the lot, I spotted the M. I'd seen them before but no where near as often as the other brands and it wasn't even on my list. The salesman suggested I try it so I did. The first thing was the stance and body style - a sedan, true, but aggresive / sporty as well. The second thing was the interior - just the right amount of leather Vs other surfaces. I liked the layout of the dash best of all the cars, and the back-up cam actually had guidleines which was nice. The acceleration was fast and smooth. The ride / feel was the best balance between road grip and luxury of them all, and the sound system (Bose 14-spkr surround) was second only to the Lexus. The comp controls were amazingly easy compared to iDrive with shortcut buttons for the things I want most often. The NAV had bird's eye view and can be full screen or split - none of the others had that (in 2007).
I did some googling to find negative things or horror stories about breakdowns, etc. Mostly all I could find were rave reviews and the odd person who was mad that a headlight was expensive to replace, etc. I went back, I took it home for the weekend and by Sunday, there was no question. I bought it and aside from maintenace, no expenses or trouble except the fuses I blew messing about changing over to interior LEDs. Mileage is now in the 70k's and I still have to tell peeps it's not new.

[06M4.5]

two different cars, two different driving experiences. which one is the better option.
better on maintenance long term?

what year 535xi are you looking at?

[Icarus26]

2013 535xi with b&o and m package.

[Icarus26]

Thanks for your insight. I was looking at the m with the aero package as well as the bmw with mpackage, sure the bmw is a different driving experience along with the covered maintenance for 4y/50k. but is it worth in the long run?
I do like the interior of the M, very spacious compared to the bmw.
Still contemplating! I may have to drive both these cars once more! however I do have a deposit on the M37 as of now!

I do like the M, however the driving

Welcome to the forum!
Choosing a car is not all about data and repairs, etc. There is a personal, subjective factor and only you can decide which 'feels' or 'drives' best for yourself. The M and the BMW will NOT be economical to repair or maintain. That's a given so no need to dwell on cost of oil filters, tires, etc. No need to discuss MPG either - none of them are fuel misers.
I was down to three cars: Mercedes E class, Lexus LS, and BMW 5 series. I'm in South Florida, so AWD doesn't interest me - we just get occasional puddles from rain so it's not needed here. Except for the Merc, all were RWD. I can only share what lead me, personally to the M.
Mercedes E350: Nice styling, nice ride - more road feel that I liked. The controls and the entire dash seemed poorly laid out. The sound system was pretty good, but no comparison to the Lexus.
Lexus LS430: Quietest ride of all, best sound system of all. Too erm blah for styling and interior and seemed less responsive and more marshmallow-ish like an old Cadillac.
BMW 530i: Great ride, pretty good sound system for this class, good acceleration and braking, great at cornering, but the iDrive was more trouble that it's worth - too many steps involved when you want to change something, but I'd adjust to it in time. The red illumination on the dash was not my cuppa tea, but I decided I could live that as well, as the BMW was now my fav of the three I decided to test.

When driving the BMW back to the lot, I spotted the M. I'd seen them before but no where near as often as the other brands and it wasn't even on my list. The salesman suggested I try it so I did. The first thing was the stance and body style - a sedan, true, but aggresive / sporty as well. The second thing was the interior - just the right amount of leather Vs other surfaces. I liked the layout of the dash best of all the cars, and the back-up cam actually had guidleines which was nice. The acceleration was fast and smooth. The ride / feel was the best balance between road grip and luxury of them all, and the sound system (Bose 14-spkr surround) was second only to the Lexus. The comp controls were amazingly easy compared to iDrive with shortcut buttons for the things I want most often. The NAV had bird's eye view and can be full screen or split - none of the others had that (in 2007).
I did some googling to find negative things or horror stories about breakdowns, etc. Mostly all I could find were rave reviews and the odd person who was mad that a headlight was expensive to replace, etc. I went back, I took it home for the weekend and by Sunday, there was no question. I bought it and aside from maintenace, no expenses or trouble except the fuses I blew messing about changing over to interior LEDs. Mileage is now in the 70k's and I still have to tell peeps it's not new.

[06M4.5]

I would take the 535xi over the M37.

My cuz has one and it's very nice. White with black int with m tech package

[Larz]

I agree that. The BMW's still have an agressive stance and great body lines- like the older Ms. The new BMWs haven't been out long, so it's anyone's guess how much time it's in your garage Vs the repair shop, but based on the not-so-great reliability of previous years, I'd still get the M.

[Icarus26]

Results from my test drive of the m37xs.
Car is a black/black with aero dynamic package. Very rare car. Was looking to get a deal done, however:

Pro: Looks good on the outside plus the lush Interior cabin. Stitched leather seats, speaker on seats. Very comfy.
Center console was well crafted, with nice wood trim.

Cons: 1. disappointed with the ugly steering wheel. Felt very cheap, and a bit too small .
2.Brakes on these cars were not great.
3. Was a bit disappointed with the acceleration, sure it's not a Beamer but c'on.
4. Cornering was not great, felt as if i was lugging a vehicle behind me.
5. Was very disappointed with the bose surround sound. Felt like there wasn't any amp.

Can the frequency levels be adjusted on the sound system?

Still contemplating on getting the vehicle.
short term sure the Beamer wins in terms of reliability or maintenance the infinti does beat out. As far as value after 5 years, the Beamer still holds this stance.

Also the dealer try to sell me xzilion for vehicle protection, I hear so and so reviews on it. Anyone try this yet?

[Larz]

I have the bose surrojnd sound as well and as far as reg radio is concerned, it doesn't perform all that different than a reg car stereo. However, it's awsome when playing CDs or XM radio and it can be adjusted to your liking in the settings section on the multi-switch dash controler. The new, more graceful body style is growing on me, but I still love my body style hands-down over the newer models. The new BMW M5 has one of the best body styles ever on any BMW form any year but knowing with less reliability and frequent breakdowns of BMWs, your mechanic will enjoy the view more than you. Far as I know, BMW still doesn't have cooled seats and in South FL my bum really appreciates that feature!