I test drove a 2011 BMW 535xi over the weekend - what a car! Loved everything about it ... except the price and concern about long term reliability.

Any opinions on the new 535xi vs the new 2011 RL? What other cars in this class would you consider?

Thanks

Paul

 

I'll take one of each.

 

2012 Hyundai Genesis 5.0, 429hp and with a decent gas mileage too. Will top out before 45k, out September 2011.

If AWD is not a must, this car is worth serious consideration.

To me, BMW is too expensive and has shaky reliability. 2011 RL is just like the 2009, not much new or exciting.

I would seriously consider M37x or even M56x if the Genesis is not to your liking.

There is always the audi A6 3.0T. The RL is just not a very good contender in it's 2011 form. If you buy a used 09 or up you can save a ton as the buyer depreciation is huge!

If it was me...I'd be taking a long and hard look at the Genesis 5.0.

 

lol, seems like you are asking opinions on a difficult/classic comparison. I will say that from what I have read in BMW/other forums that most people seem satisfied with the overall feel and driving experience of those cars. I have never owned a BMW so I can't attest to these opinions.

I will say that my ownership of my Honda Accord and Acura TL has been wonderful. My experience has lead to my decision to purchase an Acura RL in the near future.

I know that doesn't concretely discern the difference between the 2 cars you are asking about, but ultimately the opinion will fall into these categories to be as objective as possible.
Cost of depreciation, cost of maintenance/ownership (gas, tires, brake pads, oil changes... I know BMW covers these for a given time period but take into account when this period is up and if you are going to still own either car past that time.), leasing/purchasing incentives, and personal satisfaction with the fit/finish and driving experience. If there was a category I failed to mention sorry about that. Remember I am trying to be objective.

Good luck with your potential purchase!

 

LMAO!!!! 037, do you work for Hyundai?! I agree that the Genesis 5.0 will be awesome, I just think it's funny how many posts of yours have related back to it as of late.

 

when something is stuck on my mind I tend to mention it a lot.

I've read every review on the Genesis 5.0 and it really impressed me. The next car I buy will definitely be a Hyundai, not sure if my wife will get it or me...probably her.

I can't yet justify getting rid of the RL since I've customized it to the way I like it.

No, I don't work for Hyundai, even though I was offered a sales job at Honda once...

 

The cadillac cts-v is sick too, and you can modify it to corvette zr1 power or more.

 

main problems would be:

1. Price
2. Fuel economy
3. Cops

 

I didn't really think you did, just laughing at the pro-Hyundai posts. I agree though, they really seem to be making some fantastic cars now. I mean, 429hp with essentially the same mpg as the RL?! No brainer!

OP, the guy I bought my RL from traded up to a 2011 BMW 550i. If you pm me, I can see if he'll email you his personal experience between the two cars. Like someone recently mentioned. If you're into switching cars every few years, you don't really need to be worried about reliability (beyond the extent of inconvenience) when purchasing a new car. If you're a long-term buyer, stick with a Japanese car. Impossible to beat!

 

Thanks for the replies!

For me, AWD is a must (we get a good amount of snow and ice), so the Hyundai is out. Also I will finance the car, and I typically keep cars for a minimum of 8 years, so I would like a reliable car with moderate repair/maintenance costs.

As for the competition: I drove the Audi A6 and hated it (noisy, and generally poor driver/dash controls; interior looked cheap too). Surprisingly I found the A4 quieter and better designed on the inside!

I've driven the Infiniti G series (but not M). Nice cars. Not really a fan of how they look inside or out, especially with that ridiculous analog clock and bulging control center.

Will the 2012 RL be out by September, and be totally redesigned?

Paul

 

lmfao too, i was just going to ask him the same thing. Hahahahah.

 

Redesinged wise on the rl I think it's gonna be pushed back a few years specially since the nsx waspostponed till further notice. They were talking about how they might bring out a more sensitive version so not all work is wasted. They technically take the accord platform, flip it so that the front is the rear and then overhaul a v6 engine to make around 400hp, or use the v8 they been using for racing, but that's not too probable.
Honda really needs to get their act together so that they can have a more competitive market. Then again with the way the economy is they might be better off not going too crazy and playing it safe.
In my opinion the pilot and ridgline should have a v8 version for heavy duty work, an rl would benefit from additional power since there is not enough distinction between the tl and rl, there is not enough size difference between them and you can even get the same engines on both model. It's not like the gen 1 rl where there was at least a good size difference. Maybe the rl needs to be broken Into two different versions. Something similar to what we have now and a separate longer version, bring back the legend name and throw in a v8 or v10 engine option, maybe even a diesel turbo engine. In EU they have an Audi q7 suv with a v12 diesel and the vw touareg in the USA had a few v10s for a few years.

 

If you want to make new friends in BMW's service & parts department and see them on regular basis, then it has to be 535. If you prefer to drive car mostly to various destinations other than your dealership then go for RL.

 

It appears to me that if the present RL was a brand new design then many of us would rate it as a great car. It looks classy, reliable, has great features etc.. It is the "expectation" of something better from Acura that has been the spawning of the negative comments. The enhancements on the MMC have moved it to a real competitor but still it receives the bad press, particularly on this forum.
If I did not have an RL and was looking at the competion then it would be very high on my list. BTW 037 - have you sat in the Genesis? It's not an RL. Yes it is great on paper but the interior was a downgrade for me.
I am also surprised at how many people want to buy a sick car. I usually sell mine when it becomes sick especially when the sickness is terminal or too expensive.

 

BMW new 5 series is really a gorgeous car... RL outdated and the facelift isnt helping and its underpowered (for its class) engine just isnt doing it anymore.... This is why i stepped over to the German side.. If you are looking at the 535 Xi go check out the new B8 platform Audi S4 thats what I did and Im happy

 

I actually haven't sat in or drove the Genesis yet...I'm all hyped up about the specs but there will be a time when I get in and either love it or not...

good catch.

 

If you're planning to keep it for 8 years and are at all concerned with maintenance on the BMW you should take a look on one of the 5 series forums. The new model is too new but you can get a general idea of what kind or maintenance is involved with these cars by looking at the E60 and E39. I owned a 540 for 7 years and loved how it drove but the maintenance it required was overwhelming. A lot of owners would expect about $1500-2k in maintenance per year. From what I've read the E60s were even worse on problems.

 

Regarding a CTS-V:

1. Nah, it's cheap compared to its competition.
2. Yup, it's abysmal.
3. Uhhhhhhhhhh you are always five seconds away from felony speeding.

Regarding the RL vs a BMW 535xi: The RL wins in my book. a) if you're going to buy a 5-series, do it right and get a RWD version IMHO, the handling is much better and the car is lighter as well. b) reliability if you want to keep it in the long run...RL wins. If you keep it only during warranty, the RL vs. BMW is a wash as BMW covers basic maintenance while Acura doesn't, but is more reliable. c) SH-AWD wins over BMW's active torque vectoring system, every time.

Just my $0.02.

 

Bob, I was comparing to RL, Genesis 5.0 etc not AMG or M series.

 

A 2011 BMW 535Xi, optioned out to match the RL Tech/Advance Package, comes in at around $69k. Ouch.

 

It really depends what YOU are looking for... sports sedan with AWD or a luxury awd sedan with less "sport" in it.

The performance of the BMW 535ix is amazing, in my opinion! This is a true sport sedan. The RL does not stand a chance when it comes to power, acceleration, responsiveness, torque curve (twin-turbo), fun-to-drive, etc, etc. The BMW 535 is a rocket compared to many cars in its class. The RL, on the other hand feels.... "slow" when compared to many cars in its class 2010/2011 models. It's not very fast on paper either. Btw, with a simple $600 chip, the BMW 535i, can become a lot faster!

The 535x handles very well too, even without the fancy SH-AWD system. BMW just knows how to build good suspension and well balanced cars. The AWD 535ix is not far behind the RWD 535i when it comes to road manners. I've driven the 535x and 535i and i was impressed by the power delivery and how they hug the road.


What i do not like about the BMW 535 and what makes me avoid them:

1. Reliability - serious fuel system issues with the 3.0l twin-turbo engine. People replace fuel pumps and injectors very often. BMW had to extend the warranty on the fuel system until 120k miles. There are so many complaints and unhappy owners - some people are taking BMW to court. Just research on google for "BMW 535(or 335) fuel system issues" and you'll see what i am talking about. It's a real problem!
On top of that, there are other small details that may fail or not age so well, such as sensors, switches, bushings, etc.
2. Interior - i personally find the BMW dashboard extremely dated/old/boring. The speedo/tach do not look much different than what you can see in a 90's BMW. It's a real shame that in 2010, a $60k BMW has such primitive dashboard look.
3. Cost - a fully loaded 535ix will cost easily $15k more than similar RL. Big difference!
4. BMW Dealer experience in my area is not great. They just do not take care of their customers as well as one would expect. Example: Loaners are cheap BMW 1-series or at most 3-series. Hard to get real attention when there is a problem. Snobby attitude.
5. Parts/repair cost after the warranty runs out are a lot more expensive than any Honda/Toyota product. An aging, high-tech 5-series will be major $$$ to maintain.
6. There is a BMW 5 or 3-series on every corner. Way too common.


The RL is a nice, safe choice that offers real luxury, modern, reliable electronics and a solid, well performing AWD system. It is not a sport sedan.
Just a very smooth, well build car with relatively easy maintenance, in my opinion. If RL offered more power/torque under the hood and better gas mileage, it would be a real winner. Some people care about the power/performance, some don't. I personally wish my 2006 RL had 30-40 extra hp and more torque at 2k rpm. Just my 2 cents.

 

The previous owner of my RL never heard from you but he gave me this review of his 550i on his recent trip to Oregon from the Bay Area over Christmas. Here it is:


I took my car to Northern Oregon and back without any problems (1,500+ miles). I was worried about all the issues I had read about and none of them came up. My steering is not pulling in any direction, there is no grinding noise or any other unwanted noises for that matter, and it hasn't burned a drop of oil in the 1,800 miles it has traveled so far. Just perfect! . . so far. I hit a moderately bad pothole at about 55 mph and I didn't get a side bubble on the tire and it didn't damage the wheel. I have the Michelin run flats on mine. Coming back I encountered torrential rain and heavy hail to a point where it scared me into thinking that it would damage the paint so I stopped and parked the car sharing a spot under the pine trees with a black M3 doing the same. In addition to the hail I drove with a little snow on the ground and the car behaved really well in spite of the summer tires on it.

Things that I dislike about the car: The visibility out is very poor mainly because of the high backs on the seats and the small side mirrors. I haven't figured out how to make the steering wheel move up when I turn the ignition off to get out of the car - it's in the way! Maybe it cannot be set to move up and out of the way while getting in and out of the car? . . I don't know. I have had some electronic glitches that perhaps were caused by my own doing or perhaps not. Sometimes the lock button does not lock the car the first time around, even when all the doors are closed properly. I put the keys in the center console getting ready to start the car and the sunroof and all the windows opened like when you hold the button down - it was raining lightly at the time and it has only happened once. My files on my USB thumb drive are not always recognized as music files and I get the "File cannot be played" message but most of the time it plays just fine.

Things I like about the car: Everything else not mentioned above.

Things that I love about the car: It's dual personality with the trick suspension components giving me a super plush and controlled ride in Normal and a Sports Car behavior but with a better ride in Sport. The Comfort setting is useless and it does not give you a better or plusher ride than Normal when the pavement is broken.

I took Highway 1 for a section of the trip - it is a road that follows the coast with lots of curves and a road that I know very well and have travelled many times in my NSX. All the people who have said that the steering is numb, disconnected, not sporty enough, etc. etc. just don't know what they are talking about or they are just parroting the sentiments of the first car magazine reviewer that made that statement. In my view the steering is a perfect example of what a modern sports sedan steering system should be. It is perfectly balanced, it tracks like an arrow, it has just the right weighting and I could feel exactly what the car was doing as I pushed it around each bend. Numb steering? Nonsense!!

The engine is just sublime - the immediate torque at just about any engine speed is unbelievable. The clutch and manual transmission are so good that my passengers did not notice it was a stick shift until I pointed it out to them. This car is that easy to drive smoothly. I read about someone who was selecting reverse by mistake when trying to engage first gear - it is really hard to believe that someone would have that problem, especially when my wife needs both hands to overcome the spring to engage reverse - the shifter feel with short throws and positive engagement is just about perfect for me.

I made the right choice when I bought this car. I only regret not getting the full camera setup to see around the car but I do have the proximity warning and the tilting mirror so it's OK but I would order the cameras if I had the chance again.

My car: 2011 550i with a 6 speed manual, M Sport and Integral Active Steering (IAS).

Average fuel consumption for 1,800 miles is 18.9 mpg. Best mileage was 21.5 mpg on a section of road where I traveled at around 50 to 60 mph in 6th gear for about 180 miles. Worst mileage was the day I picked it up and brought it home - 13.1 mpg.

Hope it helps, man.

 

you do consider BMW 2011 got bald tires at 10k miles based on automobilemag long term tests. Acura SH-AWD system even with PS2 will survive 3 times that life on similar tests.
I cant imagine 2011 BMW 535 it stands agianst 2011 RL which has new 6speed Auto/more quieter refined ride and only BMW Sport suspension will match AWD handling of RL.
i dont expect fuel economy much difference.
BMW 5 may a little faster (that is big if with AWD BMW 5 as it will be heavier than RWD BMW 5). but it will need Summer performance tires/sport setup to compete against RL all season setup.
In few years there will be plenty of used 5 series in used car lot but not that many MMC RL on used car.


It is $65K RWD 535.

 

"Average fuel consumption for 1,800 miles is 18.9 mpg. Best mileage was 21.5 mpg on a section of road where I traveled at around 50 to 60 mph in 6th gear for about 180 miles. Worst mileage was the day I picked it up and brought it home - 13.1 mpg."

This would drive me to consider another car. My 97 RL got better mileage. BMW does not impress me at all...it is just a status thing.

 

400hp and 450 Lb ft of torque for similar mileage to the RL (at least in my case) is fantastic! Plus, I doubt that most people purchasing $80k sports cars are too concerned with mpg. Although I would be sweating long-term reliability.

 

Really, I don't think you can lose with either. I wouldn't mind a 5.0 Genesis, either.

 

I think we're watching Acurazine turn into Genesiszine

 

Personally I wouldn't choose either. If what you are looking for is a sporty awd car with around 300hp...the TL would be the car for you. It has almost everything as the RL and looks a lot better. Plus the 535's have had fatal turbo problems, and once this car is out of warranty it would be HELLA expensive and time consuming to get in fixed and there's no guarantee that it'll run without problems. Furthermore usually in an Acura the only thing you have to get done is the timing belt around 100,000 miles, and maybe a valve check and new spark plugs somewhere around 130,00 miles, and that's it. Good luck!!

 

There's no way I would compare a Hyundai to a BMW or Acura or any other luxury brand in this segment. Clearly this guy wants a car that has a "reputation" of being extremely reliable, and fun to drive. Sorry I just don't think Hyundai will fit that criteria until they do something ground breaking. Also just because this car may come with a bigger V-8 and 8spd tranny doesn't mean its any good. And lastly how about google-ing older Acura's and BMW's...which one do you think looks more modern, longer???? Which one is cost lesser to own???? And which one won't put you down on the side of the interstate???? I think we have a winner!!!! Acura all the way!!

 

Dude, I'm glad you love your TL but please understand that the differences become very apparent after a few days driving an RL.


Look, I hope this doesn't turn into another Hyundai thread but I think a 10 year warranty pretty much says that they stand behind the product.

As for looks, and remember that I'm an Acura enthusiast, Acura is completely failing in the aesthetic design on their cars. The grills look like something from a Transformer and that 4G TL may be the most hideous thing on the road. But seriously, in five years that "modern" look will make the whole lineup look dated and crappy. I think the design (or lack thereof) of the 2011 RL shows that Acura is focusing on the 2012 re-design instead of the current model.

 

 

If reliability is a big concern, you may want to stay away from the BMW. My wife has an 08 528i, awesome car but the service sticks. As mentioned above, "BMW Dealer experience in my area is not great. They just do not take care of their customers as well as one would expect. Example: Loaners are cheap BMW 1-series or at most 3-series. Hard to get real attention when there is a problem. Snobby attitude."

This is NO exaggeration, on her FIRST service visit to the BMW dealership for oil change, AC not blowing cold, and a lot of wind noise from sunroof...she was ready to get rid of the car. Arrogant Xssholes is the only way to describe them! I had to get involved (call Service Manager and New Car Rep, etc, etc.) to get everything fixed properly.

She never had that problem with her past three Lexus...GX350 AWD has my vote (and it starts under $50K)!

 

sorry for the quick double-post, but i was just on the Lexus website (build your own car) and you can add "F Sport" options right out of the factory. pretty cool.

 

There is a reason why 75% of BMW 5 sereis are leased.