435d vs 640d vs e350cdi coupe
Discussion
So after nearly 18 months with it, I'm looking to get rid of the Z4 which I've loved so dearly.
New job and much longer commute has made me want a more comfortable diesel that can still be somewhat fun at times.
Info on me: no kids, no dogs or anything, no real requirements for storage or boot space etc.
The main thing I hate about the zed now is, it's just uncomfortable on longer journeys. I'm a 6ft2 guy so it is a bit of a squeeze in there and it's just frankly miserable on our potholed British roads when it rains nearly every day. The ride is just too firm for a long commute.
I average combined 30 mpg in the Z4 so I'd like a roughly equivalent cost at least with diesel.
Main draws:
435d - from what I read, it's basically a diesel M4. This excites me. I was always turned off to xdrive but I'm warming to the idea now after having the Z4 for a while. I do wonder if the 435d will ride too hard just like the zed though...
640d - it seems in between the 4 series and the merc. I've driven one once and did enjoy the luxury. I fear it might be too much of a boat though compared to the Z4. Assuming more comfortable ride due to the size of it. Worried about maintenance on this. Being a 65k-85k car new I'm guessing that repair bills get easily get into 2k+ for certain things. It makes less financial sense on cars that just keep deprecating like crazy.
E class coupe - bit of a wild card this but from what I've read, super luxurious but not at all sporty. Maybe this is my descent into old man cars, but sound of a comfortable ride is appealing. Concerned the infotainment could be woefully outdated on this too.
New job and much longer commute has made me want a more comfortable diesel that can still be somewhat fun at times.
Info on me: no kids, no dogs or anything, no real requirements for storage or boot space etc.
The main thing I hate about the zed now is, it's just uncomfortable on longer journeys. I'm a 6ft2 guy so it is a bit of a squeeze in there and it's just frankly miserable on our potholed British roads when it rains nearly every day. The ride is just too firm for a long commute.
I average combined 30 mpg in the Z4 so I'd like a roughly equivalent cost at least with diesel.
Main draws:
435d - from what I read, it's basically a diesel M4. This excites me. I was always turned off to xdrive but I'm warming to the idea now after having the Z4 for a while. I do wonder if the 435d will ride too hard just like the zed though...
640d - it seems in between the 4 series and the merc. I've driven one once and did enjoy the luxury. I fear it might be too much of a boat though compared to the Z4. Assuming more comfortable ride due to the size of it. Worried about maintenance on this. Being a 65k-85k car new I'm guessing that repair bills get easily get into 2k+ for certain things. It makes less financial sense on cars that just keep deprecating like crazy.
E class coupe - bit of a wild card this but from what I've read, super luxurious but not at all sporty. Maybe this is my descent into old man cars, but sound of a comfortable ride is appealing. Concerned the infotainment could be woefully outdated on this too.
You’ll want the 640d on 19s, the ride on 20s is brutal. It's a great long-distance car and very comfortable, and doesn't feel too barge-like to me, but while you can hustle it pretty fast on an a-road it's not really fun in any way, even in sport the steering is quite remote and you feel the weight a bit in corners and on the brakes.
Mines a 2011 that I've taken from 85k to 105k, mostly on 4-hour commutes up to Scotland. It's needed battery, control arms, springs and the intake manifold cleaning but otherwise it's just been servicing. It did get very niggly when the battery started to get tired.
They are staggeringly good value though, sub £10k now for 5s to 60 and over 40mpg with a big boot, comfy front seats, mine came with lots of kit, the HUD and the top-down parking cameras are the main ones I care about.
Mines a 2011 that I've taken from 85k to 105k, mostly on 4-hour commutes up to Scotland. It's needed battery, control arms, springs and the intake manifold cleaning but otherwise it's just been servicing. It did get very niggly when the battery started to get tired.
They are staggeringly good value though, sub £10k now for 5s to 60 and over 40mpg with a big boot, comfy front seats, mine came with lots of kit, the HUD and the top-down parking cameras are the main ones I care about.
Z4guy said:
435d - from what I read, it's basically a diesel M4.
I'm not sure what you've read because it's nothing like an M4. the xDrive versions don't (Or didn't at one point) have M Sport suspension either so it's not even like a diesel 440i to drive, never mind an M4. A 430d would likely handle better as a result of this difference.Z4guy said:
640d - it seems in between the 4 series and the merc. I've driven one once and did enjoy the luxury. I fear it might be too much of a boat though compared to the Z4. Assuming more comfortable ride due to the size of it. Worried about maintenance on this. Being a 65k-85k car new I'm guessing that repair bills get easily get into 2k+ for certain things.
Most of the mechanical and electrical components on a 6 Series are the same as those on the 4 Series. It has the same engine, the gearbox is the same.. so whilst it might well generate large repair bills, the 4 Series could as well.Z4guy said:
E class coupe - bit of a wild card this but from what I've read, super luxurious but not at all sporty. Maybe this is my descent into old man cars, but sound of a comfortable ride is appealing. Concerned the infotainment could be woefully outdated on this too.
I think these are really quite dated cars now.Z4guy said:
How much did all that roughly cost if you don't mind me asking? The zed has cost me roughly £1000 in repairs this year which I didn't think was too bad. Worried about the 6er being more like 3k a year which might cripple me a bit financially...
I've done most of the work myself apart from the springs for the MOT, so I'd guess I've spent maybe £1k in 2 years but that's mostly just for the parts, and none of the jobs have been too painful once I'd worked out the problem. A diagnostic kit paid for itself very quickly. I do have a trusted bmw specialist less than 5 minutes from where I live so maybe not so bad. If the guy above is correct and the 435d is roughly same running costs I'm massively being swayed towards the 6er now. There's a few near me with less than 70k miles for around the 13k mark. Going to test drive one tomorrow methinks. The one I did test drive a while ago had a problem with it I think. The gears just weren't moving up correctly so hoping this time it'll be a much better drive.
If you are going for a BMW rather than the Merc, go for the 6 series. I’ve just moved from a 640i to a f82 m4 and the 4 series is considerably worse than the 6. All the switch gear , leather , standard extras just made the 6 series a better place to be. The 4 is the same as a 3 and not actually that different to a 1 series inside. Once you get to the 6 series everything feels much better.
I did 1000s of miles up and down the m4 motorway and other than a brake dust cover it never went wrong.
Look out for a face lift model if the budget is there as they look better to my eyes, different headlight.
I traded it in towards my m4 and every time I see one (which isn’t that often as they appear to be fairly rare) I still wish I had mine.
I did 1000s of miles up and down the m4 motorway and other than a brake dust cover it never went wrong.
Look out for a face lift model if the budget is there as they look better to my eyes, different headlight.
I traded it in towards my m4 and every time I see one (which isn’t that often as they appear to be fairly rare) I still wish I had mine.
Edited by oldaudi on Friday 4th October 14:27
Big thumbs up for the 6 from me.
I've run a 2017 640d GC for the past 4 years. 55k miles and only needed routine servicing and a set of tyres (expensive RFs). I do run the BMW extended warranty as a precaution but have never used it. 45mpg overall and they do go very well. There is something enjoyable about the shove they give and the noise inside (albeit fake). It is a big car, over 5 meters long is up there with Range Rovers, X5s etc.
A perfect car for long commutes, i've also done 500+ mile stints very comfortably. On average I get 650 miles range from a tank. The interior is a different class to a 4 series and whilst subjective, I think it is one of the best looking cars BMW has made.
I will move on from it at some point but in no rush as it still feels fresh at 70k miles and the next car will be £45k+ on top.
Thoroughly recommended.
I've run a 2017 640d GC for the past 4 years. 55k miles and only needed routine servicing and a set of tyres (expensive RFs). I do run the BMW extended warranty as a precaution but have never used it. 45mpg overall and they do go very well. There is something enjoyable about the shove they give and the noise inside (albeit fake). It is a big car, over 5 meters long is up there with Range Rovers, X5s etc.
A perfect car for long commutes, i've also done 500+ mile stints very comfortably. On average I get 650 miles range from a tank. The interior is a different class to a 4 series and whilst subjective, I think it is one of the best looking cars BMW has made.
I will move on from it at some point but in no rush as it still feels fresh at 70k miles and the next car will be £45k+ on top.
Thoroughly recommended.
I'm trying to find out when the lci was in this car because there seems to be contradicting info on whether it was 2015 or 2016. Just looking at cars online now. Am I right in thinking the newer nav came on the lci version? Is it possible to upgrade the old nav to the newer one at all?
the 6 Series all day long, much nicer place to be than a 4 Series for covering miles.
I had a 640i on 19's as I used to commute a lot and it was 100% reliable over the 5yrs i owned it.
Consider a 5 series too, I also had a F10 530d to cover 25k-30k/yr and again no issues apart from timely servicing... the 5 series will be a little more comfortable in my opinion
with the diesels i used premium fuel and servicing annually or every 10k-12k (whichever came 1st) rather than the long life servicing that is recommended.
I had a 640i on 19's as I used to commute a lot and it was 100% reliable over the 5yrs i owned it.
Consider a 5 series too, I also had a F10 530d to cover 25k-30k/yr and again no issues apart from timely servicing... the 5 series will be a little more comfortable in my opinion
with the diesels i used premium fuel and servicing annually or every 10k-12k (whichever came 1st) rather than the long life servicing that is recommended.
Z4guy said:
If the guy above is correct and the 435d is roughly same running costs I'm massively being swayed towards the 6er now.
I'm not saying it won't cost you money - just pointing out that most big items on the car are the same on both, so therefore you'd not expect there to be significant differences in repair costs. Think of it more that the 4 Series might not be as cheap as you think 
Some of the more 6 Series specific items like the headlights may be more expensive, but really it's just a nicer more luxurious 5 Series.
Z4guy said:
I'm trying to find out when the lci was in this car because there seems to be contradicting info on whether it was 2015 or 2016. Just looking at cars online now. Am I right in thinking the newer nav came on the lci version? Is it possible to upgrade the old nav to the newer one at all?
The 6 Series facelift was 2015. I don't think the iDrive system changed at the facelift, but it did change twice during the production life of the 6 Series. The original cars had a much older system but only for the first year or so of production. It then changed for a second time right towards the end of production, so around 2017.Fox- said:
Z4guy said:
If the guy above is correct and the 435d is roughly same running costs I'm massively being swayed towards the 6er now.
I'm not saying it won't cost you money - just pointing out that most big items on the car are the same on both, so therefore you'd not expect there to be significant differences in repair costs. Think of it more that the 4 Series might not be as cheap as you think Some of the more 6 Series specific items like the headlights may be more expensive, but really it's just a nicer more luxurious 5 Series.
Out of those choices, I’d take the 6 Series. However, if you’re happy with 30mpg, I’d be sticking with petrol. My 440i averages 30.2mpg but I appreciate the 6 Series is a bigger/heavier car and powered by the N55 rather than B58 so might not quite manage that - but if you’re on the motorway a lot, it will very easily.
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