Buying a 5 series estate?
Discussion
So after going around and around for ages deciding what to change my Mk7.5 R Estate for (CX60, XC90, 340i estate, X3), I'm thinking of going for the do it all latest gen 5 series estate in 3.0d flavour. Does anyone here have one as I have some questions!
1. Am i mad? I'm not a company car driver, and not mega mileage but I want something comfortable with nice gadgets that I can lug a load of bikes and paraphernalia incl the family around in. I think 3 series slightly smaller than the R and the like for like interior on a 17 or 18 plate looks nice in the 5?
2. Used prices seem pretty decent compared with SUVs but are they inflated at the moment? I'd like to spend as close to £25k as possible for less and 40k miles. Is this realistic?
3. What packages/add ons should I look out for. I like listening to music and DVD would be handy but I am utterly confused by all the media options (nav, pro, etc etc)
4. pano roof - is it ok, or avoid?
Any other tips will be handy I'm sure. Thanks.
1. Am i mad? I'm not a company car driver, and not mega mileage but I want something comfortable with nice gadgets that I can lug a load of bikes and paraphernalia incl the family around in. I think 3 series slightly smaller than the R and the like for like interior on a 17 or 18 plate looks nice in the 5?
2. Used prices seem pretty decent compared with SUVs but are they inflated at the moment? I'd like to spend as close to £25k as possible for less and 40k miles. Is this realistic?
3. What packages/add ons should I look out for. I like listening to music and DVD would be handy but I am utterly confused by all the media options (nav, pro, etc etc)
4. pano roof - is it ok, or avoid?
Any other tips will be handy I'm sure. Thanks.
I did similar to you. I had been through successive cheap leases with Mk7 Golf R Estate and then Leon Cupra Estate but could not find anything which I considered interesting or good value on the lease front last spring. In the end, I went with the big luxo-barge estate idea as I liked the look of them and they seemed to offer reasonable performance, acres of space and comfort.
I started off looking at 5 series but so many were low spec I turned to Mercedes and ended up in an E350d Estate Premium Plus with the optional larger wheels. If you can find a Mercedes with the Premium or, even better, Premium Plus pack then they have almost all the toys you could ever want. An example below.
https://www.inchcape.co.uk/used-cars/mercedes-benz...
The engine is great in the Mercedes. Easily a match for the 530d equivalent. You could look at E400d as well albeit these may still be a little out of budget which is a shame as the engine is brilliant with 340hp and mountains of torque.
Another alternative if you can't find the right 5 series estate is the Jaguar XF Sportbrake. Might be worth a quick look perhaps.
Best of luck with your search.
I started off looking at 5 series but so many were low spec I turned to Mercedes and ended up in an E350d Estate Premium Plus with the optional larger wheels. If you can find a Mercedes with the Premium or, even better, Premium Plus pack then they have almost all the toys you could ever want. An example below.
https://www.inchcape.co.uk/used-cars/mercedes-benz...
The engine is great in the Mercedes. Easily a match for the 530d equivalent. You could look at E400d as well albeit these may still be a little out of budget which is a shame as the engine is brilliant with 340hp and mountains of torque.
Another alternative if you can't find the right 5 series estate is the Jaguar XF Sportbrake. Might be worth a quick look perhaps.
Best of luck with your search.
madmatteo said:
I did similar to you. I had been through successive cheap leases with Mk7 Golf R Estate and then Leon Cupra Estate but could not find anything which I considered interesting or good value on the lease front last spring. In the end, I went with the big luxo-barge estate idea as I liked the look of them and they seemed to offer reasonable performance, acres of space and comfort.
I started off looking at 5 series but so many were low spec I turned to Mercedes and ended up in an E350d Estate Premium Plus with the optional larger wheels. If you can find a Mercedes with the Premium or, even better, Premium Plus pack then they have almost all the toys you could ever want. An example below.
https://www.inchcape.co.uk/used-cars/mercedes-benz...
The engine is great in the Mercedes. Easily a match for the 530d equivalent. You could look at E400d as well albeit these may still be a little out of budget which is a shame as the engine is brilliant with 340hp and mountains of torque.
Another alternative if you can't find the right 5 series estate is the Jaguar XF Sportbrake. Might be worth a quick look perhaps.
Best of luck with your search.
Thanks MadMatteo, its funny as almost every single review of the 5 estate says somewhere in it "the boot is not as big as the cavernous E class". I'd kind of written them off as I'm not sure about the interior. How do you find it all - is it easy to use (the infotainment) and does it all feel premium? I started off looking at 5 series but so many were low spec I turned to Mercedes and ended up in an E350d Estate Premium Plus with the optional larger wheels. If you can find a Mercedes with the Premium or, even better, Premium Plus pack then they have almost all the toys you could ever want. An example below.
https://www.inchcape.co.uk/used-cars/mercedes-benz...
The engine is great in the Mercedes. Easily a match for the 530d equivalent. You could look at E400d as well albeit these may still be a little out of budget which is a shame as the engine is brilliant with 340hp and mountains of torque.
Another alternative if you can't find the right 5 series estate is the Jaguar XF Sportbrake. Might be worth a quick look perhaps.
Best of luck with your search.
They do feel Premium & with your budget you'll get a nice AMG :Line Premium Plus, the infotainment is easy to use & the heater controls are still separate.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011276...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011276...
I've had it since July last year and done approx. 8k miles in it. All have been good so far.
Interior is holding up well and at nearly 40k miles, I can't see any obvious signs of wear including to the seat bolsters etc. I know some are funny about Mercedes using "fake" leather in their cars but, to be fair, it looks and feels like leather and seems to be hard wearing as far as I can tell. My children have yet to destroy it anyway which is a good sign. Also, the interior feels like a much nicer place than my old mk7 Golf R or Leon Estate.
As for driving, the car is obviously slower than a Golf R or Leon Cupra and the gearbox can be a bit dimwitted sometimes but with nearly 460lb/ft torque it shifts pretty well when up and running.
Infotainment is pretty good from my point of view albeit I am sure the BMW would likely be similar. I don't think I prefer one over the other really.
To be honest, I would probably have been happy with either the 5 series or E-Class. However, the E-Class just edged it by the fact that Mercedes having been grouping their "key" options in packs (premium and premium plus) for quite a few years whereas BMW have only just started to do so. This means a lot of 5 series estates I found were either bog standard or had 1 or 2 options ticked. This made the Mercedes feel like better value.
Interior is holding up well and at nearly 40k miles, I can't see any obvious signs of wear including to the seat bolsters etc. I know some are funny about Mercedes using "fake" leather in their cars but, to be fair, it looks and feels like leather and seems to be hard wearing as far as I can tell. My children have yet to destroy it anyway which is a good sign. Also, the interior feels like a much nicer place than my old mk7 Golf R or Leon Estate.
As for driving, the car is obviously slower than a Golf R or Leon Cupra and the gearbox can be a bit dimwitted sometimes but with nearly 460lb/ft torque it shifts pretty well when up and running.
Infotainment is pretty good from my point of view albeit I am sure the BMW would likely be similar. I don't think I prefer one over the other really.
To be honest, I would probably have been happy with either the 5 series or E-Class. However, the E-Class just edged it by the fact that Mercedes having been grouping their "key" options in packs (premium and premium plus) for quite a few years whereas BMW have only just started to do so. This means a lot of 5 series estates I found were either bog standard or had 1 or 2 options ticked. This made the Mercedes feel like better value.
I’ve got the E class estate albeit in E220 guise. Brought it from new and when I was test driving it, I drove it to the BMW showroom to look at the 5 series estate and the dealer said as soon as he was me coming in the E class, he knew he was beaten for space. Don’t expect driving dynamics but for a family car, I would strongly recommend it. Well specced too and very relaxing to drive.
madmatteo said:
I know some are funny about Mercedes using "fake" leather in their cars but, to be fair, it looks and feels like leather and seems to be hard wearing as far as I can tell. My children have yet to destroy it anyway which is a good sign. Also, the interior feels like a much nicer place than my old mk7 Golf R or Leon Estate.
BMW have been using pleather on standard seats in most models for some time, too. I think if you option elec memory seats you tend to get a better quality.I had pleather in my E89, and it was pretty good actually. You forget about it quite quickly.
Volvolover said:
If you like driving then the 5 is the winner, if you want a practical tool with a great engine and a nice interior the Merc 350d is the winner on standard sized wheels for me
This is a good summary. I had the same wish list as the OP recently and bought an early E400d estate - great interior, lovely smooth ride, incredibly refined, loads of torque. 530d also a nice motor, I'd had a few BMs and fancied a Merc for a change.I had a golf mk7.5 R estate and needed something bigger and more luxurious - I have had a few 5ers in the past, but as other posters - I too went for an E-Class, albeit in 2015 S212 E63S flavour.
Absolutely love it, way over my old 5ers - including a pretty high spec 540i - it has a 100kg roof rating, so can cope with the family's kayaks, massive boot (which I really noticed going from a leased Passat estate to the golf - which is big for class, but not for my needs), just wish it could take a tow bar for the bike rack - and obviously that engine - but would still be a great car in e350d guise, which I will probably get if my mileage requirements mean the 14mpg isn't acceptable anymore! ha ha ha
Absolutely love it, way over my old 5ers - including a pretty high spec 540i - it has a 100kg roof rating, so can cope with the family's kayaks, massive boot (which I really noticed going from a leased Passat estate to the golf - which is big for class, but not for my needs), just wish it could take a tow bar for the bike rack - and obviously that engine - but would still be a great car in e350d guise, which I will probably get if my mileage requirements mean the 14mpg isn't acceptable anymore! ha ha ha
I have the older f11 5 series and it’s a lovey place to sit and waft around. For a 2.0l diesel it’s hardly going to blow your socks off, but as a big family do it all bus, it’s great, will also handle pretty well for a big cruiser.
On the 5 series a lot of stuff comes as standard- navigation, cruise control, bluetooth connection, leather, heated seats etc..... so you need to read up on the specs to see if you want the ‘better’ version on any of these- eg harmon kardon sound system.
One thing to note of new bmw’s- to get the most out of bluetooth/ car play system they have switched over to a subscription service! very annoying to pay £20k for your car and find out it costs £200 a year to have spotify work optimally! basic bluetooth still works, so does the wired/ cable/ usb, but for full controls through the steering wheel/ car you have to subscribe monthly/ annually (no thanks!)
I considered the E class, but for me the 5 was more understated, the interior quite simple and ageing pretty well. oh and one final thing is to consider the size, it’s a big old thing for parking in tight spaces!
On the 5 series a lot of stuff comes as standard- navigation, cruise control, bluetooth connection, leather, heated seats etc..... so you need to read up on the specs to see if you want the ‘better’ version on any of these- eg harmon kardon sound system.
One thing to note of new bmw’s- to get the most out of bluetooth/ car play system they have switched over to a subscription service! very annoying to pay £20k for your car and find out it costs £200 a year to have spotify work optimally! basic bluetooth still works, so does the wired/ cable/ usb, but for full controls through the steering wheel/ car you have to subscribe monthly/ annually (no thanks!)
I considered the E class, but for me the 5 was more understated, the interior quite simple and ageing pretty well. oh and one final thing is to consider the size, it’s a big old thing for parking in tight spaces!
malks222 said:
I have the older f11 5 series and it’s a lovey place to sit and waft around. For a 2.0l diesel it’s hardly going to blow your socks off, but as a big family do it all bus, it’s great, will also handle pretty well for a big cruiser.
On the 5 series a lot of stuff comes as standard- navigation, cruise control, bluetooth connection, leather, heated seats etc..... so you need to read up on the specs to see if you want the ‘better’ version on any of these- eg harmon kardon sound system.
One thing to note of new bmw’s- to get the most out of bluetooth/ car play system they have switched over to a subscription service! very annoying to pay £20k for your car and find out it costs £200 a year to have spotify work optimally! basic bluetooth still works, so does the wired/ cable/ usb, but for full controls through the steering wheel/ car you have to subscribe monthly/ annually (no thanks!)
I considered the E class, but for me the 5 was more understated, the interior quite simple and ageing pretty well. oh and one final thing is to consider the size, it’s a big old thing for parking in tight spaces!
Ah thanks Malks, so does the subscription cover android auto then? I had thought I might be able to get someone to code the android auto functionality but I'm guessing its not as simple as that?On the 5 series a lot of stuff comes as standard- navigation, cruise control, bluetooth connection, leather, heated seats etc..... so you need to read up on the specs to see if you want the ‘better’ version on any of these- eg harmon kardon sound system.
One thing to note of new bmw’s- to get the most out of bluetooth/ car play system they have switched over to a subscription service! very annoying to pay £20k for your car and find out it costs £200 a year to have spotify work optimally! basic bluetooth still works, so does the wired/ cable/ usb, but for full controls through the steering wheel/ car you have to subscribe monthly/ annually (no thanks!)
I considered the E class, but for me the 5 was more understated, the interior quite simple and ageing pretty well. oh and one final thing is to consider the size, it’s a big old thing for parking in tight spaces!
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