Herbmiester 923 Report post Posted July 28, 2021 I bought my wife an E61 530i with an N52. Its a very nice car to drive and quite well specced. The only thing I am struggling a bit with is the nature of the power delivery. Its smooth to be sure but just seems a bit lacking. Most of this is probably due to weight, 1800kg or more I suspect, It will go when revved but I am now so used to turbo engies I sometimes forget I need to push that pedal down hard. I see why BMW went to turbo engines, you can become very addicted to that mid range torque and as such I can see why the deisels were so popular. I now prefer turbo engines, the ones I own or have owned are mostly lag free, or close it and with good boxes like the ZF 6 and 8 speeds it seems you are mostly in the right gear. I will keep the E61 for a year or so as it is a nice place to be but I can see a Deisel F11 being the next buy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GorGasm 563 Report post Posted July 28, 2021 (edited) Problem with the diesel being RUC is overpriced for passenger vehicles. The alternative is a V8 but that comes with a mega thirst. So yes, turbo petrol is a win. Edited July 28, 2021 by GorGasm Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lord_jagganath 421 Report post Posted July 28, 2021 F11 535i these are rarer than they should be https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/535i/listing/3150423644 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted July 28, 2021 Turbo definitely makes sense for heavier / lazier cars and autos. Less of an issue with manuals I believe as you tend to hold the gears longer. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kiwi_BMW 89 Report post Posted August 22, 2021 (edited) Transplant a N54 into the E61, it's lighter than the F chassis. Edited August 22, 2021 by Kiwi_BMW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Herbmiester 923 Report post Posted August 23, 2021 19 hours ago, Kiwi_BMW said: Transplant a N54 into the E61, it's lighter than the F chassis. Nice idea in principle but far to much like hard work. On 7/29/2021 at 11:24 AM, Sammo said: Turbo definitely makes sense for heavier / lazier cars and autos. Less of an issue with manuals I believe as you tend to hold the gears longer. Perhaps, but turbos in light cars are even more fun. A 300HP NA car vs a 300HP turbo car in the same chassis would likely be pretty close on a track but the turbo could have a nice torque advantage, always handy out of corners. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites