2008 BMW 5 Series 535i Sedan

Pros

Looks great, performance is amazing, comfortable in long trips or short.

Cons

Cupholders are useless.

This car is fun to drive. When you need the power to pass that car that is slowing down traffic you can just hit the gas and the car response with no hesitation the twin turbo engine is quick and powerful. Taking those tight corners are simple even if you're going 35mp without loosing control. The interior of the car is top notch after selling my 2002 GS430 I was set on buying the new GS350 as I loved the performance and the interior but once I test drove the 535i I couldn't look back I had to get it the difference between the two were minimum as the Lexus was more luxurious vs BMW was more sport/performance but the feel of actually driving behind both cars my mind was set on the BMW....read morehide

Pros

Styling, Technology, Performance, Fuel Economy, It's a BMW

Cons

Roads in the US are not worthy of driving great cars like these.

I took European Delivery last year. I drove drive the car from the BMW Welt in Munich to Berlin, onwards to Heidelberg and finally to Frankfurt. The car is effortless at autobahn speeds - I was driving an average of 110 mph and I still got at least 28 mpg. It is electronically limited to 150 mph and there are sections of the autobahn where I drove close to it but the car handled really, really well. I'm sure that this is the same experience of other folks who have driven in Germany.

BMW shipped the car back to the US and as soon as I drove it on "our" roads, the realization that our roads are horrible (uneven, bumpy, potholes, etc) was more evident. No wonder our politicians want to keep speed limits to 70 mph. I wish they saw how things are done properly across the pond - you let people drive as fast as they can - but getting a driver's license is a pain - it takes a lot of studying and practice before you get one. People learn how to drive smart - in both city and autobahn speeds. The ones that don't end up you-know-where.

Amazing car - bluetooth is great - the ones complaing about the iDrive are the ones who had always had problems with using a mouse.

If I were to buy another car, it would still be a BMW via Euro Delivery. I'd get one of the soon-to-be-released 335d (diesel) model or an M5. If I was overflowing with money, I'd get the M6....read morehide

Pros

Nice Design, Nice Looking Interior, Rear Seat Leg Room

Cons

Rough Ride, Poor Fuel Economy, I-Drive/Navigation Terrible

I like th design of the car outside and inside, and they give it very nice looking wheels.
I-DRIVE AND NAVIGATION - TERRIBLE, both typical German difficult. The dealers go through it quickly and make it look easy, IT IS NOT EASY. STIFF RIDE-It is more like a sport car with a very stiff and uncomfortable ride. FUEL ECONOMY - overall between 17 - 19 MPG, not so good for a six cylinder. BRAKING - overall o.k. CONTROLS ON DASH - Not easy to remember ALL of them. LIGHT COLORED FLOOR MATS - NOT GOOD - they get dirty too easy, they should put black floor mats on all cars for this reason. TURBO-LAG - When you put the gas pedal to the floor, it hesitates and then picks up speed. AT HIGH SPEEDS - the car feels very secure and safe, one of the things that I do like. REMEMBER, YOU ARE BUYING AN EXPENSIVE CAR BASED ON A VERY SHORT RIDE - TELL THEM YOU WANT A LONGER RIDE AND LET YOU OPERATE THE I-DRIVE AND NAVIGATION AS THEY EXPLAIN IT TO YOU - otherwise they go through it very fast trying to make it look easy....read morehide

Pros

Comfort, luxury and a great feeling driving.

Cons

I drive took two days to learn, dealers too hard to work with.

I love to drive this car. I need to use premium fuel but I get 28 mpg on long trips and my total average is24.2. It's kinda funny to read reports of 550 buyers complaining about poor mpg. If you are well off enough to buy a $100k car with 12 cyl, sell it to me and buy a Prius. This is my 5th BMW with very few problems. My first was a 1989 835 and my new car is better than last 4....read morehide

Pros

good fuel economy,

Cons

No auto dim, radio problems ,ESu unit already replaced on 5 mo old car, ride is not as smooth as I h

Purchased vehicle in December,2007 and have had in shop three times. I purhcased vehicle loaded with 2 -$2500 pkgs but it did not come with auto dim lights. Had in shop for nine days to install auto dim but they did not work. Also had radio problems with speakers going in and out on volume. Blue tooth work intermintently as sometimes I get into vehcile and it won't connect. When I try toconnect thru the phone it say "connected" but icons do not show and I cannot call out or receive on car phone. Currently vehicle has been in shop for 7 days and they say they cannot seemed to fix auto dim that was installed. Trying my patience!!...read morehide

Pros

Smooth, quiet, powerful, spacious interior, nice overall design, maintenance plan

Cons

Nightmareish fuel economy, relaibility issues, unresolved issues with dealer and car, over-rated

This is my third BMW and second 5 series in 15 years. I've always loved they way a BMW drives and feels and the reason we got this one. The nice thick steering wheel. The power. The brakes. It's the ultimate driving machine- or I should say it WAS the ultimate driving machine years ago.

This is the perfect sized car. The interior space is good. Easy to get comfortable.

The maintenance plan is a plus and the service at the dealership is top notch, until you have a problem. First fuel economy is a disgrace at 14 MPG city and 19 highway. The dealer took it in to check it and found nothing wrong but they did add an extra 2 quarts of oil for the second time which brings the total to 5 extra quarts of oil. Third we have had two unresolved issues with the brake rotors which are warpped and the dealer explained it was due to water cooling the brakes too fast after driving on the highway. Well guess what? We never had that problem before with our other cars. Now this is the second set of rotors in less than a year. Next the moon roof has the tendency to not close all the way and it forced us to put a garbarge bag over the roof to keep rain from coming in, how embarrassing! The dealer still has yet to fix the problem after 2 visits and now they are contacting BMW NA to see what they should do.

Other problems include, a bad fuel sensor, a bad rain sensor for the windshield wipers, defective power steering pump, defective engine control unit which caused the engine to shut off while driving on the highway at 75mph, a loose passenger door handle, a cracked rear window, door seals that were not installed properly and faulty climate control sensor caused ice cold air to blow at us in the middle of winter. All these things tell us quality control over in Germany has fallen to zero. Hyundai makes better cars...

Also I can say that for a car that is less than 1 year old it feels 3 years old. We take care of it but things are not as tight as they once were, a sign that BMW does not make cars like they once did. After reading all these puff PR reviews here I can say that 99% of the reviews had to be written by dealers because they don't tell the whole truth. This car is over rated and over priced. We won't be shopping again at BMW. We will be cross shopping at Cadillac and Lexus....read morehide

Pros

Excellent fuel economy for a dual turbo very powerful car

Cons

I do not have any complaints

Trully the best and fastest sedan I have ever owned. Any sedan in the mid 50s that can get from 0-60 in 5.5 seconds in my book is far above average. My 535 handles extremely well and performs every bit as well as advertised. I highly recommend this car to any one. I am a car person who has rebuilt a muscle car and owned many great cars in my 63 years. This is probably the best car in the world today....read morehide

Pros

German quality

Cons

Gas mileage on premium, overhyped, lack of power, overpriced maintainance

Well this is my 3rd BMW and the only 5 series I've own. I will not buy another one due to $$$ to purchase and maintain. I could by 3 normal cars for the price of this over-hyped boat. Fit and finish is good but for $60K you should get real aluminum trim and more of it. Too much plastic in the interior and synethic leather is a joke. It lacks power and fuel mileage is bad! Buy a porsche boxster instead.Most people who buy these cars have no auto experience/knowlegde, and want a Snobby administrator image. Break conformity and by an audi or even 2 VW GTIs instead....read morehide

Pros

powerful, exciting to drive, the best sedan ever

Cons

none

I've driven Lexus in the past and this by far is the best sedan ever. If you are looking for a performance car that is a thrill to drive than this is the car for you. It is not just about driving a car from point A to B, it about enjoying the drive from point A to B. If you are not a BMW enthusist, or have never driven on the autobahn, then you will never understand. In order to relate and understand BMW you have to drive it. Ironically, if you haven't driven one on the autobahn, there is nothing further to say. I love my car and it is BMW for life...read morehide

Pros

Engine, idrive, tech toys in the cabin (memory seats, bluetooth, steering wheel buttons)

Cons

gas mileage, limited storage in middle console

To start: 535i w/ sprt and prm pkg, ipod usb connector, black leather with bamboo anthro trim. I am leasing the car, not buying so depreciation is not of my concern (euro cars like this one are made to perform NOT last, be honest with yourself. If you want a car that's gonna hold it's value go get a toyota or honda). Don't understand all the complaints about the idrive, if your 1/2 way tech literate you can figure it out in less than an hour and find it's actually very easy and convenient to use. My blackberry sync's perfectlly and fast with the car. Handles and accelerates like a champ. 10 fold upgrade from my Audi A4 2.0T, both in the vehicle and customer service. Leg room is plenty both back and front seats. Mid console could have more room. Remote to open the trunk is tricky to work (ended up holding the button down to long and set off the panic button). You would think trunk close button would be included also. Twin turbo engine is SICK!!!...read morehide