550i F10 pricing vs. "Competition"

Originally Posted by quackbury

FWIW I would add the CTS-V to your list. Amazingly competent car, with great room, steering, braking feel and throttle response. It also has traditional niceties like a full sized spare. On the downside, the number of buttons and switches will make you homesick for iDrive, and the instrument lighting is a bit garish. But I would take one over an Audi (hate the thumping suspension) or a Merc (been there, done that, and the maintenance costs are obscene) any day.

Then again, for 75 large you could get a Genesis AND either a decent BMW motorcycle, or a 5-year old Grady White. Just sayin'

quack, I'm glad you brought up the CTS,(though you cite the "V" which competes more with BMW's "M5.") a car that I have recently purchased. American cars are generally dissed on this forum and mostly deservedly so. Cadillac deserves being bashed in respect to a good portion of its product line which is made up of quite honestly some antique old boats. The CTS though is a change of direction for Cadillac and I hope that they bring the fresh and competitive ideas to the rest of the line.

My '06 530i was about to turn 100,000 miles and it was time to look for a new car. I've bought and sold cars and trucks in five decades now and selling the bimmer was the first car I ever had a bit of a cry over. It was like parting with an old dog. In the hunt for a new car I drove the F10, the E350, the Lexus equivalent and the CTS. The F10 felt "big," and felt very much like the Benz/Lexus. I didn't feel like I was riding on rails and I didn't have that "in the cockpit" feel I had in the E60. Sorry, but that's just the way it felt to me.

Granted, a basic CTS doesn't offer much, but I chose an almost fully dressed out CTS. With the sport package, and the 19" performance summer tires, and with the ventilated Recaro seats, the car starts getting pretty close to the feel of my old E60. The recaro seats are actually more comfortable than my old comfort seats. The top half of the seatback does not articulate like the old and the headrest is manually operated but otherwise the seats are very much the same. I have a suspicion that Recaro makes the comfort seats for BMW but don't know this as fact. Maybe someone here knows.

Anyway the car listed for a bit over $52,000 with all the accouterments and I was able to buy it at invoice (about 48,000) + take advantage of 0% financing. So for less than a basic unpackaged 535i I got the fully loaded Caddy. The car has really nice "pull," 0-60 and at passing speeds. The engine gives off a nice throaty growl when you get on the gas, and gives a nice rev match when downshifting. I haven't really pushed the car in the corners yet and don't feel that the car will ride the rail like the E60, but then again I didn't feel like the F10 would either.

The weakest part of the car so far is the bluetooth which seems a bit quirky and a little more complicated to master. OnStar is really cool though, push a button on the mirror, tell the agent where you want to go, and the directions are downloaded almost immediately to the Nav. Very cool. Oh, the car also has keyless entry, keyless start and remote start which is absolutely fantastic here in Florida. I can start the car from 190 feet away, giving time for the car to cool down before entry. Very nice!

I've had the car for two weeks and to tell the truth I have been a little hesitant about posting about my purchase out of fear of the impending bashings. So please be easy on me guys.

I have two attachments that show some of the features of my car followed by some photos. The first two photos show the bimmer next to the new Caddy side by side.

The E60 was the absolute best car I have ever owned and I feel that there will be another bimmer in my future at some point. Of course I'll be hanging around here too. The fest is the best car site ever!

BTW, I'm not trying to say that the CTS is better than the F10. If my pockets were bulging with money I'd probably buy the F10. But for $Value and for having pockets not as fat as I'd like, the Caddy was a good buy for me. For those like me who are watching their wallets I think the CTS deserves a look along with the Benz, Audi, Jag, etc. that are always mentioned. Cheers!

"cayman is a joke"????????? the Cayman S has won every comparison test, in every car magazine. Most testers feel it is more of what porsche represents than the 911.

BMW always seems to be more expensive but they pay for the maintenance and subsidize lease by low month factor and high residual.. For July, 5 series residual are in the high 50+% and money factor are 0.0023 (roughly 5.52%) for 3 yrs/15k mi per year lease. Mercedes rate for E class is 0.0028 (roughly 6.7%) with similar residual. lexus and Caddy generally has very low residual (high 40% to low 50%.. I am leasing an 08 LS460 now and my residual is 40%..).. so if you are changing car as the warrenty period end, you are a prime candidate for leasing instead of buying.. In California, sales tax is only pay on lease payment (as oppose to the value of the entire car if puchase), so there is a few thousand dollars saving on sales tax by leasing... I guess my point is that pricing of the car is one part of the cost of ownership, but so is maintenance, resale value (or residual value for lease owner), finance (interest rate for purchase and money factor for lease). And they all play a role in determining the ownership cost of a car or suv.


2011 BMW 528i Sedan
24 Month – Residual 64% of MSRP – .00230 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00230 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 44% of MSRP – .00230 Base Rate
60 Month – Residual 37% of MSRP – .00230 Base Rate

2011 BMW 535i Sedan
24 Month – Residual 64% of MSRP – .00230 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00230 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 41% of MSRP – .00230 Base Rate
60 Month – Residual 35% of MSRP – .00230 Base Rate

2011 BMW 550i Sedan
24 Month – Residual 60% of MSRP – .00230 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 54% of MSRP – .00230 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 42% of MSRP – .00230 Base Rate
60 Month – Residual 35% of MSRP – .00230 Base Rate

Originally Posted by x5mr

My impression of the E550: Solid car, "richer" looking interior than E60 5 series (I can't yet compare to the F10), but not as nice as the interior in my GL450 (which is pure S-Class). The engine is very responsive and the kick down is smooth. Normal upshifts are extremely smooth and almost undetectible. The ride is firm, but comfortable. It "feels" faster than my 335, but I always felt the throttle response on the 335i (or perhaps it's the "non-existent" turbo lag) was a little slow. Mashing the accelerator in the E550 immediately presses you back into your seat. If I do the same in my 335i the power comes on a little more gradually (at least in every day driving scenarios where I'm not reving the engine upon downshifiting). I didn't get much of a chance to test the handling of the Mercedes. I think there are 3 or 4 curved roads in all of south florida and none of them are near the Mercedes dealer. It certainly felt bigger, heavier and less nimble than my 335i (as you would expect) but it also felt bigger, heavier and less nimble than an E60 535i and 550i. Overall I really liked the Mercedes. If I was back in the mountains of Virginia, I'd pick a BMW hands down, but for commuting, accelerating onto the highway, and driving around town in south florida, the E550 is a nice option.

Next up is probably the Infiniti

With regards to test driving the Mercedes you can always try getting "on and off" at I95 and Copans. Champion Porsche uses this exit for their test drives, additionally you can take the back road around Dixie Hwy and the Execxutive Airport, again known test drive routes for Champion and Mercedes of Pompano.

Interesting thread. Dec/Jan I will be making the decision in this segment as well (Our small firm is going to win a significant contract making this possible ). So time for some bling... lol


In Canada, here is a comparison with the Jag XF and 535i. The two cars I am considering

535i
with Sport Package, Technology Package and Interior Package
$73,700

Jag XF Premium Luxury
includes 440w Stereo
$72,000

Not too bad!!

Originally Posted by mdsbuc

quack, I'm glad you brought up the CTS,(though you cite the "V" which competes more with BMW's "M5.") a car that I have recently purchased. American cars are generally dissed on this forum and mostly deservedly so. Cadillac deserves being bashed in respect to a good portion of its product line which is made up of quite honestly some antique old boats. The CTS though is a change of direction for Cadillac and I hope that they bring the fresh and competitive ideas to the rest of the line.

Hey, Buc, good to hear from you! The ride looks very nice indeed!

I really, really like the CTS-V. My test drive was arranged by Bob Lutz, so the dealership treated me like royalty. But when I was looking, Cadillac's future was very much in doubt. There was no leasing option, and I did not want to own a CTS-V if the General went under, so ultimately I passed.

Please keep us posted on your experience. It is nice to have a legitimate American alternative to Audi, MB, Infiniti, etc. Over time, I'd be particularly interested in how much you miss iDrive, and what the service / maintenance experience is like.

Originally Posted by quackbury

Hey, Buc, good to hear from you! The ride looks very nice indeed!

I really, really like the CTS-V. My test drive was arranged by Bob Lutz, so the dealership treated me like royalty. But when I was looking, Cadillac's future was very much in doubt. There was no leasing option, and I did not want to own a CTS-V if the General went under, so ultimately I passed.

Please keep us posted on your experience. It is nice to have a legitimate American alternative to Audi, MB, Infiniti, etc. Over time, I'd be particularly interested in how much you miss iDrive, and what the service / maintenance experience is like.

Thanks quack for your kind words. Since the mid 70s my autos (excludes some pick up trucks and vans) have all been European with the exception of one Japanese Honda. The 530i was by far the best vehicle I have ever owned. A major reason I purchased these cars is that Detroit was building garbage. We all know it. Lately reviews of some of the American produced cars have been very good, and the CTS is included on the list. Partially out of a sense of "Patriotic" duty I decided to test drive the Caddy. I was totally impressed.

Just like I wouldn't want a 5er without the sport package (and now add the dynamic handling package to that) I probably wouldn't want the CTS without the sport package. With the Caddy there are two levels of Sport called FE2 and FE3. The FE3 adds
HID headlamps, steering wheel mounted paddle shift controls (MX0 6-speed automatic transmission only), fog lamps, 19" x 8.5" polished wheels, P245/45ZR19 Y-rated performance summer tires, performance cooling system, sport performance suspension,
limited slip differential and performance brakes. Add the Recaro seats and you get a really good looking, high performing sport sedan at the price of a strippy 535. And it's "American" too; which is not necessarily a bad word today.

The "V" must be a beast and I'd love to have the opportunity to drive one. I do miss the i-drive but am getting more comfortable with the plethora of buttons the more I use and drive the car. Cadillac asks, "When you turn your car on, does it return the favor?" At this point my answer is "Yes it does!" The big question though is "Will I love this car in 5 years" like I loved my bimmer? I hope so, but only time will tell. I'll try to give an occasional update in the General Automotive forum as to continued performance, reliability, quality and service of the car.

Thanks again for your compliments, and for adding the CTS into the mix of European and Japanese cars in the discussion.

Originally Posted by mdsbuc

limited slip differential

That is something I always wish for when the DTC cuts in powering out of a corner. Too bad it's not available on any BMW non-M car...

I wonder if that X6 torque vectoring thing-a-mi-jig does the same thing as effectively as a LSD?

Originally Posted by x5mr

It was a 7 speed. I didn't even realize there was a 5 speed.

It's intersting you mention the comments on the MB boards because I've since noticed them too. I think there's probably a couple factors at play.

First, change always brings criticism. Go to any automotive board and people long for the "good ole days" and complain about changes to the new model.

Secondly, I test drove the E550 over a month ago on a whim when I had my GL450 in for service. I wasn't seriously looking for a new car at the time and didn't spend a lot of time poking and prodding for hard plastic and cheap materials in the interior.

3rd, and this is probably the biggest factor for me, is that I own a GL450 with the full leather package. Leather dash, leather door inserts, wood trim everywhere, and the seats are of a very high quality leather. As I posted earlier, it feels like an S-class cabin. So some of my memory of the E550 from over a month ago may be warped by my image of the GL450 that I drive just about every day. I also test drove a CLS (which has since been ruled out because my wife hates the way it looks) so I could be mixing 3 MB interiors in my mind for my impression of the E550. When I go back to do another test drive, I'll certainly take better note of the interior.

Oh, and a 4th factor. I'm comparing the interior to an E60 5 series (and also a e90 3 series which is my daily driver) not to the previous E class.

How could your wife hate the way the CLS looks.....lol. I love the CLS but ordered the new 5er because I liked it more.

How close to ED invoice are people able to get on the F10? Is it too early still?