spdexter 3 Report post Posted March 18, 2015 Just purchased a Jap import 2005 E61 530i and am very happy with it. Previous cars, Mercedes E350 wagon Sports Edition (basically a silver hearse) and prior to that a very satisfying period with a Mercedes C32 AMG. While in theory the E350 and the 530i are direct competitors, to my mind there's no comparison. The 530i as a total driving experience is just vastly superior. I'll probably look to do the Nav/Bluetooth conversion soon and perhaps an exhaust mod to extract more of that beautiful exhaust note at some point in the future. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3568 Report post Posted March 18, 2015 Interesting point about the comparison between the e350 and 530i. I currently have a e350 w211 sedan and i felt it was a 'better' car out of the two. What reasons do u have for your opinion? Genuinely interested. i feel that the merc is a more comfortable car and the bmw is a more 'drivers' car. Another thing is that the e60 sedan shape just doesnt appeal to me. The e61 on the other hand i do like. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
benpaul12 62 Report post Posted March 18, 2015 Welcome and beautiful wagon, nice tints and colour. Most e61 imports I see are blue or black. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spdexter 3 Report post Posted March 18, 2015 W211 is certainly more comfortable, better seats probably a big part of that, but I find the handling all a bit loose, too much like an aussie station wagon for my liking. Perhaps the E350 station wagon is a little more "wallowy" than the sedan? Don't get me wrong, a midsize family wagon is never going to be anything close to a sports car, but the 530i has the capacity to bring a smile to my face from a driving experience that the E350 never could do. And the sound of the straight 6 just better to my ear than the V6 in the E350. Totally agree E60 v E61 shape, unless it were for an M5 I don't think I'd go for the sedan. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark312 25 Report post Posted March 18, 2015 What was the c32 like performance wise compared to the e350? I drove a c36 and found it to have a much more firmer, sportier feel..much like a bimmer... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3568 Report post Posted March 18, 2015 hmm i must say i have to agree with you for the most part. handling is a bit 'loose' indeed. especially coming from plenty of bmw's in my past, most of which were msport. but i think it also makes the car a bit easier to drive. the steering is lighter (a bit more japanesey) than your average bmw and i can easily turn using one hand whereas with a bmw for example i would be more inclined to drive with both hands on the steering wheel. My biggest gripe with the w211 is the boaty suspension (which im assuming is what you meant when you said 'wallowy') I think some adjustable suspension would solve that problem but its certainly going to be expensive. I think its mainly because the e350 is a family sedan with more focus on comfort rather than handling. its certainly not a sports car. Also the 530i comes in both standard and msport and im pretty certain a non msport e60/61 would be quite similar to the benz. i do love the straight six sound of the bmw. (man i really do miss my old e46 330i msport) the mercedes v6 however is still a lovely engine and it goes bloody quick! The last point i wana make is that the w211 wagon looks quite dated whereas the e61 wagon still (to me anyway) looks quite newish. Lovely car btw! come say hi at the next coffee and cars meet http://bimmersport.co.nz/topic/49568-auckland-monthly-coffee-and-cars-meet/ 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spdexter 3 Report post Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) The C32 AMG was awesome, the super charger made it really a strong engine and the suspension is nearly good enough to handle it. My 530i is an M Sport and on Bridgestone RFT's is a little firmer than the C32 all up and handles a little better but I guess as a result of not having a power plant asking so much of the suspension and steering. Edited March 19, 2015 by spdexter Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark312 25 Report post Posted March 19, 2015 The C32 AMG was awesome, the super charger made it really a strong engine and the suspension is nearly good enough to handle it. My 530i is an M Sport and on Bridgestone RFT's is a little firmer than the C32 all up and handles a little better but I guess as a result of not having a power plant asking so much of the suspension and steering. Yea quite a small engine. Pretty amazing how small of an engine can produce such a lot of power, amazing what a supercharger can do. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Breaker 980 Report post Posted March 19, 2015 I've got an E61 and a w211. E61 Definitely the better drivers car but then you pay more for it as well, still love the Merc though Love the silver, sets off the shape really well. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3568 Report post Posted March 19, 2015 you have the best combination! e61 wagon and the w211 sedan! nice!!! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KwS 2377 Report post Posted March 21, 2015 saw this wagon on trademe, very very nice. Great combination. Welcome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spdexter 3 Report post Posted March 25, 2015 The chap selling it on trademe did such a good job with the photo's I didn't seem much point in taking any more at this point. Its been good getting to know the car. It has some funny little quirks like a fairly hard shift down to first when pulling up to lights. I've read some posts about being able to put the transmission into "learning mode" bit that seems to have made no difference. I had the opportunity to have a good drive on some bendy country roads over the weekend and god these BMWs love a corner don't they!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 1953 Report post Posted March 25, 2015 The hard shift down to 1st seems to be a common fault in the E60's. On occasion ours does it after sitting in creeping traffic. Is apparently a sign of the car spending most of its life in traffic. Common for a lot of Jap cars. We have an E60 530D and my father has a W211 E55 AMG. And unless you have the suspension set to Sport 2 I find the Merc wallows a little too. But the E60 feels a lot cheaper than the E55. Must be material quality. The AMG seats are also much much better than the E60 sport seats. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
beemn 50 Report post Posted March 26, 2015 Just purchased a Jap import 2005 E61 530i and am very happy with it. Previous cars, Mercedes E350 wagon Sports Edition (basically a silver hearse) and prior to that a very satisfying period with a Mercedes C32 AMG. While in theory the E350 and the 530i are direct competitors, to my mind there's no comparison. The 530i as a total driving experience is just vastly superior. I'll probably look to do the Nav/Bluetooth conversion soon and perhaps an exhaust mod to extract more of that beautiful exhaust note at some point in the future. Nice, we have one too, had it for maybe a couple of years now i think or close to it....only had one problem since owning it and it was the rear boot lid pump started to fail which was a bit crap but thats life Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Breaker 980 Report post Posted March 26, 2015 The hard shift down to 1st seems to be a common fault in the E60's. On occasion ours does it after sitting in creeping traffic. Is apparently a sign of the car spending most of its life in traffic. Common for a lot of Jap cars. We have an E60 530D and my father has a W211 E55 AMG. And unless you have the suspension set to Sport 2 I find the Merc wallows a little too. But the E60 feels a lot cheaper than the E55. Must be material quality. The AMG seats are also much much better than the E60 sport seats. Can't talk to the AMG seats but definitely run the airmatic on sports II otherwise it's to bigger difference to the E61 which is fairly brilliant all round Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
