4.6is m62b46 or 4.4 n62b44??

[EPDM]

Don't know whether there has been a similar thread before but permit me to talk outload and see if a get it right..mostly.

I'm on my 4th m5 e39 which is a particularly nice example as it has a rare caramel interior and now have brought it back to pretty good shape. I've had a couple of e53 previously, namely the post and pre facelift 4.4l v8 in that order.

Great car even though they're not made in Germany...hold on, just opening another can or worms here...:-)

As I'm getting close to 50, which is pretty ancient, I have been thinking again of reverting to the truck as ya'll call it. Basically its easier to get into and out of, the kids prefer it and the dogs don't need to be attached to the rear bumper.

Anyway. I have some bad memories with the n62. The waterpump, valvetronic and when slowing to a stop jump these fine gearboxes sometimes do, as in the solenoids ALL happened. In contrary the older m62 had non of these issues, though the solenoids also seem to fail with this 5h24 gearbox..

Now getting to my point ( at last). Should I get the rarer 4.6is or the newer 4.4l?

4.4l pros...

x-drive and thats a big plus as we just had 5 inches of snow last night in this neck of the woods ( Finland...yes its that country near Russia).
Older system is pretty basic on ice, one can feel the wheels diagonally try to get grip, thinks fuck this lets try the other two and so forth. The i-drive does a much better job, though not exactly offroad capable.

More fuel efficient: 6 gears, don't know whether the 6th is much longer than the 5th in the m62 but it does save a bit of fuel. Really quite itrelevant with these cars anyway..

Valvetronic: yes it givs you a wee bit more torque down low...but when it fails then even your fine new presidents hair would turn grey(er). I believe with ista, one could do a mechanical wear test?

4.6is pros

More conventienal but could one say reliable technology? Well no valvetronic to go wrong but the timing belt is more prone to ware . My third m5 e39 ( dakar yellow) suffered from this and ended up catching the double chain on a broken off piece of plastic guide-> 5k in repairs.

Ok after this its gets personal...as in opinions. The radio is just playing this song "I'm in love with the shape of you" ( red haired guy who must be related to your president, no?). Anyway I prefer the look of the prefacelift compared to the flared nostril facelift grill. One can buy the facelook angel eyes headlights for the pfl and then its pretty much perfect imo. Also the grey instrument cluster background gives it a bit of M-power machoism as do the flared arches...some of them have rather special interiors, a la estoril blue with red interiors etc. After the m5 I'd like to get something in the same "philosophy"

Problem is that you greedy lot kept most of the is version to yourself. But some of them have crossed the pond to this god forsaken country. The fl n62 is more plentyfull and on average aboit 1-1.5k more expensive, rust is getting to be a problem with the m62, as with the older e39's..

Performance wise there is probably not much in it? Never drove a 4.6is as of yet.

So I'll end my monologue here and let ya'll chime in whether you agree or agree...

btw the 4.8is would be cool, but its beyond my budget at the moment..