Went to the BMW web site and built as close as possible a 5 series sedan to my wife's XF 3.0. It has to be a 535 and by the time I got done and got the two cars as close as I could the BMW was over $72,000, which is 10,000 more than the XF and you are still 40 horsepower down on the BMW. The color choice for the BMW was horrible. There are some really boring colors. No shade of red is even available. I just don't get this love for schnitzel wagons in the USA. I realize that the Jag is not cheap but the sticker shock I got over the Bavarian wonder wagon almost gave me a coronary.

 

It's the BMW "Db" Premium Package that raises the price on most BMWs. The Db Package (or Douchebag Package) allows douchebags to pay an exorbitant premium for the privilege of advertising that they're douchebags. I appreciate this service BMW provides, because I can instantly take my low opinion of douchebags in general, and drop it down a few notches.

 

I would venture that this type of attitude doesn't flatter jaguar drivers either. In fact, I would venture that I see more condescending comments by jaguar drivers about what others drive than any other brand.

Two thoughts:

(1) who cares what others drive, and
(2) failure to see ANY merits in the "schnitzel wagons", or any other car out there, seems very closed minded.

In this segment, all cars have their advantages and disadvantages.

 

That said, I could never imagine paying 70k for a 5 series. I am not a big BMW fan in general. Although there I wouldn't mind a v8 manual M3 or M6 convertible. I am quite partial to those. There is just something clinically quick, efficient and precise about them.

 

I crossed shopped a 550i M Sport with my current car. The only problem was that I couldn't actually find one to test drive. There are seriously thousands of 5 series on the used market and very few of the ones you actually want. Mostly because they are popular mid-level manager or desperate housewife cars. I did sit in a 535 M Sport and I have always been really underwhelmed with the interior quality of BMWs, with the exception of my brother's old E9x M3. They are just so average, and that is what tilted me toward the Jag.

So yeah, on paper the current 550i matches up decently performance wise with the XFR especially after a Dinan tune...but it also looks like almost every other 5 series out there.

FWIW my detailer told me he would take my car over an E60 M5 any day of the week after having driven two M5s and my car

 

And he has no reason to be biased...some day soon I'm going to go drive a new M5 so I can speak more intelligently on the subject. Will try the E63 as well just for fairness.

 

Exactly, he's just a car guy that has driven a bunch of really awesome cars off and on the track He joked that he wanted me to hold onto it long enough for him to buy it off me someday haha

There's an M5 in our office parking lot and even that doesn't really have the wow factor that the //R has. The new M3 and M6 to me are the only BMWs that really stand out from the rest of them...maybe the 1M but those are super rare

 

BMW has gradually moved away from its previous core values in the last 10 years. Almost all models are now: overpriced, bloated, ugly, harshly suspended but with dumbed down handling and lacking in road feel, blighted with glutinous steering completely lacking in feedback, bereft of decent throttle response, saddled with ho-hum engine and exhaust sounds, and possessed of decidedly average interior trim quality. And ALL are now turbocharged. A few models can claim an exception to some, but not all of the above.

Don't get me wrong - they are still well made and extremely competent cars compared to most, but they just ain't what they used to be. But who can blame them? The marketing and cachet clearly work, so why change a 'good' thing?

 

I could care less what others drive as long as you don't send the bills to my house. I was just amazed at how much the BMW cost compared to the Jaguar and still did not match up the Jaguar in the HP departement. I will definitely give the Germans credit in their ability to market their cars. By the way I refer to Jaguars as "Limey iron" and my MV Agusta motorcycle is a "Pasta Wagon". They are just nicknames. I am sorry I offended the "politically correct".

 

I commented on another post about someone looking to buy his wife a Jag then bought a BMW instead.......IMHO they are for those who are normal. Look at the facts, I believe (its 5am Im not looking it up) by the end of next year you will be able to buy a 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and 8 series BMW. Really ??? you need that many different models ?? I can understand some of the logic......get them in a 1 or 2 then upgrade them into a 3-4 and so on but talk about being a ***** of the market.


My business partner bought a used 2010 7 series......I wasn't impressed. He then got stuck driving a 07 XJ8L we had in inventory and thought it was a much better car. I guess the difference was the BMW was a more sports driven car and the Jaguar was more luxury driven.


Personally I wouldn't own any BMW..... like Jags they have issues and need owners who can take care of them properly. I believe most BMW owners truly buy in to the "Ultimate Driving Experience" thing and think they are special. I would rather drive something you don't see 4 of at every intersection but that's just me. Time for more coffee and just my 2 cents.

 

LOL! Dude, lighten up.

 

It's funny that you say that. One of the guys in my old college's car club just bought a 135i and he has already done a few things that are apparently pretty popular with people who buy them to take the "numbness" and issues out of the car:

- Clutch delay valve removed
- No limited slip so he is already looking at adding one ($2500+)
- Exhaust "golf tee" mod to give it more sound
- Factory charge pipe was completed coated in oil (found during an intake install) so he is looking at a catch can ($200-$500 for those cars)
- Rough idle on cold starts even after changing out the spark plugs, that has gotten progressively worse (also common on these cars apparently)

 

It drives me nuts when people stereotype the owners of ANY particular brand of cars and act as if only a moron would buy them.

 

I think it can be funny if it is done right and not meant to be malicious. We love our Jag and no, we don't have a bulldog or smoke cigars.

 

I smoke cigars....and a pipe! :P

 

What about your bulldog? Drivers of proper English cars should have a bulldog.

 

Dang no bulldog. I can barely keep a plant alive, let alone an animal