530 or 550

[TCR]

I am new to the Board. My lease is close to expiration on a 2003 X5 3.0. The car has performed and held up well. This is the first car I have owned that, although quick, is not powerful.

I am debating between leasing a 2006 530xi Sedan and a 2006 550i Sedan. it appears as though these are much the same car, but the 550 has 100 more horsepower and is not available in all wheel drive.

I live in Cleveland, Ohio where we get a fair amount of winter snow. With the stability control, etc., is the 550 still driveable in the snow? If so, are snow tires a must? I definitely like the extra horsepower but do not want a three season car. I previously drove a Corvette which, regardless of what song was sung by the salesman, was tough to keep on the road in foul weather. I drive with my kids or clients fairly often.

For the record, the salesman told me that the 550 was fine in the snow, but that I might consider snow tires toward the end of my 3 year lease, when tread wear may be an issue in the snow.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

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[Average Jae]

hey, welcome aboard.

for many mid-westerners, rwd vs fwd vs awd debate is something that just has to be done prior to purchase. i chose to go with my rwd 3er, instead of the xi variant. (i used to drive an eagle talon awd, while pretty nice due to awd, it was horrible in the snow due to my horrible stock all season tires.)

here's my advice from 3 years of rwd driving in michigan winter:
* if you could afford to buy a snow tire/ rim set, no matter how your car drives: fwd, rwd, awd etc. (because no matter the drivetrain, you'll need good set of tires to slow you down.) even a/s tires tend to harden up when the temp goes south of 40F, dropping even your dry traction.

* even if you have good snow/ cold weather traction w/ snows, if your car's too low, you are not going anywhere. (if there's more than 3-4 inches of snow on my drive way, i'm pretty much stuck, once i come to a stop waiting for the garage door to open..)

* get the same width tires for all four corners. thinner the better imo, but don't go too skinny. your dry weather traction may suffer if you run on 205s. (i chose to go w/ 225/45/17s and have done a pretty good job so far imo.)

as for your 530 vs 550. i'm a def fan of the big ole v8, but bmw's new sixer is pretty nice. and there is the price and gas milage to consider.. good luck, and if you are going from a SAV, being in a sedan maybe a different experience. i don't like SUVs, so i picked the 3, but i'd look at it from all angles before deciding on a different car class.

 

[Homeless]

I am new to the Board. My lease is close to expiration on a 2003 X5 3.0. The car has performed and held up well. This is the first car I have owned that, although quick, is not powerful.

I am debating between leasing a 2006 530xi Sedan and a 2006 550i Sedan. it appears as though these are much the same car, but the 550 has 100 more horsepower and is not available in all wheel drive.

I live in Cleveland, Ohio where we get a fair amount of winter snow. With the stability control, etc., is the 550 still driveable in the snow? If so, are snow tires a must? I definitely like the extra horsepower but do not want a three season car. I previously drove a Corvette which, regardless of what song was sung by the salesman, was tough to keep on the road in foul weather. I drive with my kids or clients fairly often.

For the record, the salesman told me that the 550 was fine in the snow, but that I might consider snow tires toward the end of my 3 year lease, when tread wear may be an issue in the snow.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

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Mind if I ask why you choose to lease over owning?

Im a HP nut, so the bigger car wins out and I would go for the 550 even in the snow.

 

[BigGbigO]

I moved from an M3 to a 550i and I have been completely blown away by the acceleration of the big V8. I know on paper the M3 has better accleration, but it was always achieved in the sport mode and actually quite violent. In the 550 it's just instant acceleration without the violence. In regard to snow, I think you need to plan on purchasing some good all season tires. The Michelin Pilot AS would be a good consideration.

 

[ramseju]

I took ownership of the 550i last month. Black on Black. While the 530 is certainly a quality car, it's hard to compare apples to apples with the 530 and the 550i. The 550i's 360 HP V8 gives way to the slogan "The Ultimate Driving Machine". If your budget is limited, I would recommend going with the 550i model and using your budget for core "machine" performance (Active Steering/Roll, etc.)...and perhaps opt for less jazzy niceties on the interior. I've always been a fan of HP and performance, however. : ) Certainly no buyer's remorse with the 550i. Good luck with your purchase!

 

[Talk2USoon]

I am new to the Board. My lease is close to expiration on a 2003 X5 3.0. The car has performed and held up well. This is the first car I have owned that, although quick, is not powerful.

I am debating between leasing a 2006 530xi Sedan and a 2006 550i Sedan. it appears as though these are much the same car, but the 550 has 100 more horsepower and is not available in all wheel drive.

I live in Cleveland, Ohio where we get a fair amount of winter snow. With the stability control, etc., is the 550 still driveable in the snow? If so, are snow tires a must? I definitely like the extra horsepower but do not want a three season car. I previously drove a Corvette which, regardless of what song was sung by the salesman, was tough to keep on the road in foul weather. I drive with my kids or clients fairly often.

For the record, the salesman told me that the 550 was fine in the snow, but that I might consider snow tires toward the end of my 3 year lease, when tread wear may be an issue in the snow.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

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My husband ordered his 2007 550i based on how much better the mileage was over the smaller engines. We put snow tires on our '94 530i but store the '04 330ci convertible during the winter months.

 

[tool fan]

I have never had an issue in the snow when I had my 530i, then again we don't see as much snow here as you do.

 

[528 wagon]

I asking my self the same question. I just sold my 528i Sport Package. I expect that from street light to street light the 550 would be a blast, but it most time is spent on X-way then the 530 will never be boring. I drove a new 530 and found it very fun at 50mph+. The 530's 6 cyclinder is also very reliable. I live in Detroit and never got around to putting winter tires on my 528i and found the traction controll worked well. I would not worry about getting the 2wd version of the 530.