2011 BMW 5 Series User Reviews

Pros

Prestigious, technology is great, quiet ride, power at passing, fuel economy

Cons

This car is like a super model - stunning looks, super high maintenance

Purchased As New

I love this car and I hate this car. I like the lines, the engine, the responsiveness, the agility, the fuel economy (2011 535i X drive - 34 mpg highway), road feel, quiet, safety features, technology, fit and finish. It handles better in snow than my Tahoe. My 535 i X is 8 months old, I bought it brand new and it's been in the shop 6 different times for four different issues. Three "check engine light issues", one that resulted in the car being completely reprogrammed because the "Efficient Dynamics" profile wasn't charging the battery enough and I got a "replace battery message". That was 2-3 days down time. Then another check engine light came on and it was tied up for another 2 days. Then the drivers side door would not latch in cold weather. That was three trips to the dealer and about 4-5 days of downtime. It was a defective door latching cable that had to be replaced. Of course they didn't have the part and they had to airfreight it in from Dusseldorf or wherever and that wasted more time. I swear that the "check engine" light is on as much as the automatic headlights.I got the car back from the shop after the door cable fiasco and a week later, another check engine light came on. This time is was a an emissions discharge switch stuck closed. Back to Dusseldorf again and another 3-4 days up in smoke. I dropped the car off on Friday and it MIGHT be done late Monday but I was told it could be as long as Wednesday. That will be another 4-6 days in the shop. I have literally taken this car to the shop every 6 weeks for the last 8 months. I have driven every BMW loaner they have on the lot. I baby this car, it's garaged, I wash and wax it obsessively and I check fluids weekly. Regardless, it always manages to pull it's "super model" act and act like a high maintenance bitch. I want to love this car but it's gotten so damned annoying with all these varied mechanical problems that I'm almost afraid to start the engine because I KNOW another "check engine" light is imminent.The dealer is "reviewing my case" and is supposed to get back to me on Monday with some sort of answer. Frankly, it's going to take something really dramatic - like a new replacement car - to retain me as a BMW owner and loyalist. This car is really close to "lemon" status and the amount of time I have wasted bringing it to/from the dealer is aggravating. To be fair to the dealer, they have not gotten back to me yet, they have been cool with the issues and I could be astonished with their actions. I am thinking of leaving the car unlocked in a bad part of town with the key on the front seat. With my luck, some would be thief would not be able to get it started and it would sit there for weeks. Then again it's been at the dealer for weeks already so what's the material difference?...read morehide

Pros

All most everything about this machine.

Cons

Storage spaces.

Purchased As New

It's been about 9 months since i fell in love with this ULTIMATE MACHINE. It has the power and the style all in one package. Only one problem i see about this that it doesn't have too much storage space in front. Other than that.... there's no comparison out there for this price range....read morehide

Pros

Smooth shift, nice power, great look.

Cons

No cons

Purchased As New

This car is amazing, I love it, like others I cannot wait until the M5 comes out.

Pros

Perfect Balance of Speed and Comfort

Purchased As New

Gorgeous looking car, that has the perfect balance between comfort and speed. I can't wait till the new m5 comes out. All m5's have a history of being the ultimate sports sedan and I am really looking forward to it

Purchased As New

Great car that has great performance and looks. I wish if it had more legroom in the back.

Purchased As New

I bought it new, had the older 530 i,
Was struggling between S350 but decides for 535i
enjoy driving, very powerful engine, very comfortable seats( it has 7 series seats), insides you couldn`t expect more. Outside it`s vert sporty.
I had to change back shock absorber after 2000 km,
run flat are disaster, very rough, had to change all 4 tires after 6000 km, runflat doesn`t fit to our streets(living in Cairo).
second the two knobs for shifting gears, I think it`s waste of money and could be saved, as long you have your triptronic gear.
third, the engine is toooo low (which is an advantage), but when you stop your car, start collect your belongings, and leave the car, you don`t hear the enginge and leave it running, it happened twicew left the engine for more that 6 h running!!! BMW should do something, like enging stops auto.when still running after closing with your remote, something like parking light getting off.
Fourth, inside the trunk, baggage area, there are places not being colored with same car color, just being left...looking very poor.

But otherwise enjoing this car...read morehide

Pros

All up a very nice car, gas mileage better than I had expected. about 28 all up and 32 on a trip.

Cons

great deal of windshield glare, balky transmission

Purchased As New

Great, comfortable, good looking car BUT..two things are not good.
1. The trans is balky, very balky. I had a 335i and it was silky smooth. this one is not.Test drive the car before you buy.
2. If you get the head up display like I did, note the reflection(all day long) in the windshield. If I had noticed I would not have gotten the option...read morehide

Purchased As New

I have just purchased this car a few month agos in Thailand which cost me about $130,000 at first it was my first BMW for me once i drove it for a while i noticed that there is a problem with the break ( every time when i step foot or release my foot it will make a very loud noise) so i took it back to the BMW dealer to get them check it up and do the service , they did check it and they said all the European car is like that.. So i went to my friend who own BMW as well and swap the car to test drive his car doesnt have the same problem as mine and he said i should complain to the dealer then i called them and they just ignore it , So i just want anyone to know and make sure you have a second though before u decide to buy this one especially the price that i have to pay and the promise that BMW can not do when they said BMW is joy which is not so joyful for me.....read morehide

Pros

Great seats, love the on screen display, looks great, great hndling

Cons

Some concern about not having a spare with the run flat tires

Purchased As New

Our first BMW (2011 535i xdrive) is everything I hoped it would be. No problems at 10,000 miles. It has almost all of the options available and we think that was a good decision. The night vision option is the only one at this time that I might question. Car looks great (lots of compliments), the ride and handling are far superior to any car we have owned and it has all the power and speed that we need. Great gas mileage we got 31 mpg on two trips and probably 22 mpg around town. I am sold on BMW....read morehide

Pros

Sounds great, very comfortable

Cons

Too hard to find any

Purchased As New

Great fuel economy because of the 8 speed auto. Wish I could have gotten the 550 and it's 400 horses of fury :(