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Old 01-25-2008, 07:53 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gresch
the 535xi starts at $54k, for that money, i would be more interested in the x5 3.0... imho.
Leaving aside the options and buildup, which of these E70 3.0 features and benefits is most attractive compared to the 535xi Touring?

The 40 hp reduction?
The benefit of not having to decide manual or automatic?
The lack of a power tailgate?
The 6 mm (.25") of additional headroom?
The 400 kg (880 lb) of additional road-hugging weight?
The 2.2 additional seconds it takes to get to 60 mph?
The 8-12% additional fuel consumption?

Seriously, there are a couple of real E70 benefits:

The trailer-towing capability
The 100-120 litres of additional luggage space
Not having to explain to your friends that you drive a touring

The comparison will get a lot closer when the twin turbo 3.0 gets to the E70, but for a driver's car, the 535 has to come out on top. No explaining public opinion, as people are convinced that SUVs are cool, and station wagons aren't. Europe figured it out.

All in fun, I like the E53, the E70, and the E83. I just think more people should at least consider the benefits of a 535xiT over an E70 before making their purchase.
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