First Trip

We took our first trip to Vegas with 4 on board and what a ride this 535i GT really is! The world around you is just that, around you. Plenty of power as this GT glides over the road in peace and quiet and handles like a BMW with all the quickness and agility you would expect!.....my oh my what other people are really missing by not driving this car is our fortune and their misfortune ....this is the best car we have ever owned and if they are still making this model years down the road we will look to do it again power, comfort, handling, sportiness, and quiet......The GT has it all!!!

My longest one-day trip so far was about 750-miles. I don't think I could have done this in too many other cars without dire results. Arrived tired, but not buzzed or stressed out. It is a very good car people discount because it doesn't 'look' the way they want. I find it fine on the outside, and great on the inside. I'm long in the torso, and it's one of the few cars I can get into and out of comfortably without bending over too far or banging my head. Taller things like the X-series have their seat too high and the headroom isn't as good even though they are taller overall. Some people love the roof, I would take the metal one to gain yet more headroom, but at least I do fit (the panoramic sunroof is optional in Germany at a cost of about 1750 euros or about $2500 or so).

Agreed beevee, these vehicles have it all. Going to book it up to Red Rock this week an plan on cruising there in our GT.

beevee, you have described the same feeling about riding in the GT that I have. When driving mine long distances, the limiting factor for me is not fatigue but bladder capacity and the need for coffee.

jad's point about it not 'looking like people want' is a valid one that those people hold to their detriment. but the 3 series GT is on its way next year and I note that there are a number of other non-BMW vehicles on the market that are showing the '4-door coupe' style as well. Those critics that say an Audi A7 is better looking are comparing a car with a 'car/SVU hybrid' which is what the GT was designed to be and then favoring the Audi for looking sleeker. Not an 'apples-to-apples' comparison and automotive journalists who make it that way are at best lazy and at worst intellectually dishonest. (Sorry, not very festlive of me on Christmas Eve , is it?)

We just had a foot of heavy, wet snow dumped on us this past weekend and my GT had no problem in any of it at all thanks to the x-drive and the Michelin winter run-flats which are no noisier on bare pavement than the summer Goodyears that came on the car.

We are off to the Philly area on the 27th (from Ottawa, Canada, about a 7 hour trip) and I look forward to the drive there and back (though I may have to share some of the driving with my wife so she can get used to it in addition to her 335 xi).

Hi Fish23

funny you mentioned the Audi A7 with its "sleeker looking".

might be so but the downside is, that you are scraping your butt on the tarmac, dogs are looking you straight in the eye (or doing other unspeakable things) and the main problem - the witdth of the driver's door. When it comes to "tight lies" you would not be able to leave this car because of the necessary opening angle of your door to put yourself through it :-)))

Here in Europe dimensions of roads, parking lots and garages are considerably smaller than in US/CAN.

so wehenever I am pregnant with buying a new car - first thing to do is a testdrive and find out if I can leave the car when parked my garage at all or at least without too much gymnastics.

And there is NO SUCH CAR in the high-end league except the GT.
Not AUDI and of course not MERC (are there others at all ???)

R

I've not sat in the back seat of the A7, but it just can't have the height of both the roof and the seat cushion of the GT...now, if you're young, you can sit in there with your knees raised, but that puts a lot of pressure on your butt! And, if you have that trouble with your knees, your head isn't going to be happy, either. The GT is a true 4-passenger comfort zone, 5 in a pinch for shorter distances for adult sized people.

No real comparison here once you leave the front seats as you have a foot well you have to climb in and out of not to mention a much smaller back seat. The overall ease of getting in and out of the GT and it's ground clearance make for the near perfect transportation vehicle. Audi is nice but little thought has been given to their getting in and out of and after all these are not race cars they are everyday drivers and BMW has figured this out. just very happy to be part of the GT crowd.

We looked at and drove the A7. I loved the exterior and interior except for the pop out NAV and limited rear seat room. I'm 6'1" and my head brushes the roof in the rear seat and leg room is limited. I HATE the steering feel in the A7, too much assit even at highway speeds IMO. We went right to the BMW dealer and drove a demo 2010 GT w/ 9k miles and never gave the A7 a second thought.

My wife and daughter took it up to MA for Christmas from Florida. They said it was real nice going up. Now coming back tomorrow they will hit snow. We will see how they do in the snow. It did give a warning to add a quart of oil, which they did. But this was the first long trip in the car. We have had it for about a month now. We got it used. A 2011 with 21k on it. We got the 550i. My daughter sat in the back because the sears are so nice and she watched DVD's the whole way up.

Originally Posted by katiesdad7

My wife and daughter took it up to MA for Christmas from Florida. They said it was real nice going up. Now coming back tomorrow they will hit snow. We will see how they do in the snow. It did give a warning to add a quart of oil, which they did. But this was the first long trip in the car. We have had it for about a month now. We got it used. A 2011 with 21k on it. We got the 550i. My daughter sat in the back because the sears are so nice and she watched DVD's the whole way up.

Need to be careful in the snow. I have an x-drive 535. With the OEM Goodyear AS runflats, it handled like a toboggan. I've got Dunlop Winter Sport 3D on it now.

A quart of oil every few thousand miles is not unusual in the 550. Dealer will top it off without charge.

I think I added three qts in a year of service. 550. 11k miles.

great car. going to replace it with another one when lease is up.

now, the secret may be out, I've seen like 5 of them in a day, and this is a small city. not sure if the dealer was burning me or what but for the past 8 months mine was the only one I'd seen. what a car.

my sentiments completely....best all around vehicle..
haul stuff,
haul people,
HAUL ASS

the GT does it all and does it very well....

I drove the A7 for an extended test drive.... the manage of Audi here lives down the block from me and knows my stable of cars...been trying to get me into an audi for years.....A& looks nice.. no where near the versatility cant come close...as far as handling and drive... not nearly as comfy to sit in front or back...does handle pretty well for its size however, doesnt come close to GT if equipped with DHP... BIGGEST issue for me was the same i find with all big audis other then S8too soft and you are far to isolated from the road.... AUDI steering has little road feel or driver feedback....

mp

Originally Posted by mpress

my sentiments completely....best all around vehicle..
haul stuff,
haul people,
HAUL ASS

the GT does it all and does it very well....

Just back from a little road trip, to/from Seattle from LA. We have some seriously crappy roads out here (admittedly not as bad as NY, though), and the GT ate the roads for lunch.

The old E60 was a nice road-tripper, but this F07 is fantastic!