MCohen7554

If so, what swayed you to the Benz?

I'm currently deciding between an '08 M5 and and '07 CLS63 and having the hardest time coming to final decision.

My biggest concern about the CLS is how out-of-date the comand system is when compared to the idrive setup in the BMW

I'm a new member, btw, so hello everyone

apdesign

what swayed me was the overall design. the cls is very polished in its design. plus I don't see much around compared to the M5. i'm 100% in agreement with you about the Navigation (German/Mercedes in general) have the worst comand system especially when we paid so much for the darn car.

soldier2304

In my opinion, if your gonna base your decision on this type of cars on who's got the better command system, you might as well buy a Lexus.

LSM777

I personally liked the i-drive much better than the non joy stick version in our CLS...The new i-drive in the new 7 is phenomanal...As far as the cars....Ive owned 2 M6's and 1 M5 a CLS55 and a CLS63...For purely driving enjoyment, the BMW's are definately more in every aspect...Steering feel and handling feel much tighter...On the flip side, the CLS seems like its a different class of car, feels, looks, seems and is more expensive and drives fairly well..Thats my assessment, BMW's drive better, CLS looks and feels more expensive...Of note both the M5 and CLS63 will be replaced in the next couple years

Lou

figerbenz

I was literally in the same boat. 2006 M5 or 2006 CLS55 AMG. I went with the CLS after driving both cars 2x. The CLS is indeed a more exclusive looking and feeling car. Performance was splitting hairs in my opinion unless you plan to track the car or something. The SMG was not very smooth and literally pauses between gears while the CLS just smoothly takes off like a rocket. I purchased mine 2 weeks ago and I could not be happier. If you want to go M5 I found the ULTIMATE deal in Illinois and can pass info.

LSM777

After MY2006, BMW "fixed" the pausing of the 2006 M's....The 2007 SMG is much much better, although not as smooth as duel clutch applications, I didnt find much problem with my 2007's....And to the handling, i didnt feel it was splitting hairs, the M's have way tighter steering and handling

Lou

Full Throttle

Clearly you're not considering these cars based on their performance. I suggest you purchase a GS class Lexus.

MCohen7554

If I was using performance as the sole base for a decision, I wouldn't have anything to decide because the M5 would be the clear choice.

MCohen7554

The SMG in the '08 model I'm considering is very smooth, but not as smooth as the M3's DCT. I agree with you on the CLS being more exclusive and a better looking car though.

trboda6

the BMW Idrive/ navigation sucks!!!! im still driving my 530i and will soon buy my cls when i find the right oportunity for a white on blk right price right miles..

I have driven an 08CLK and played with the nav and it didnt seem all that bad... BMW's nav is wayyyy outdated.. zooming in and out is rediculous...

in my opinion Lexus has the best NAV right now... my sister has an is250 with NAV and the interface is very user friendly. I love the fact that its touch screen.. its is very similar to just using google maps on your phone.. cls

I wish cars would just come with google maps its sooo much easier... in my opinion merc and BMW are behind in this category Lexus is >

get the cls.. i also toyed with the decision and posted a thread here a while ago.. search it by my name its a poll of M5vsCLS55

MCohen7554

I really don't understand these types of comments. This car is going to be my daily driver, so I'm looking for a great level of usability and all the techno bells & whistles thats expected in a luxury car. If I wanted something just to be a performance monster, 4200lb luxury sedans certainly wouldn't be under consideration.

Full Throttle

The LS460 has a nice navigation screen as well.

MCohen7554

Thanks for your input, I'll be sure to search that thread.

In the 5 series, iDrive got an update in the '08, '09, and '10 models. Each upgrade has made it considerably easier to use and more intuitive than the one in your 530i. I'd even say the nav in the '10 models are superior the ones in the Lexus models and can accept direction sent directly from Google Maps.

From the M5 board

MCohen7554

Are you purposely being dense or just not understanding where I'm coming from?

figerbenz

Just went to see the new S4 and the NAV is FINALLY very very nice...they really hosed the car with the V6 though.

Full Throttle

I have no clue where you're coming from. Which car has the best navigation system is not something i consider when purchasing a car.

Igor180

LOL that was the deal breaker for me.

I love the M5 and the CLS equally, so much that I'd buy both if I could, but I went for the CLS because the iDrive in 2007 even 08 BMW's sucks compared to the 09, and that's not something you can just upgrade, the iDrive knob and the buttons are completely different, then entire entertainment center is completely revised for 2009 and it's extremely user friendly compared to the 08's. With that said, I can't afford an 09 M5, and I refuse to get the 07/08's because of the iDrive. This is a car that I'll be driving daily, so I'll be getting used to the smallest of things, and such a huge thing like Nav and the Entertainment system would annoying the living **** out of me if It wasn't upto par. At least with 07/08 CLS's you can choose to upgrade to the 09 Nav if you ever wanted to, on the BMW you can't.

Jocampo

For me it's as simple as park them next to each other. The m5 gets lost in a crowd of cars, the cls does not.

While you may be able to distinguish a real m5 (from other 5's), it still doesnt IMHO have the curb appeal of the CLS.

While i can appreciate the v10 engine of the m5, i believe it lacks the jaw dropping appearance/effect from onlookers that you will see when driving the cls.

It all depends on what you want in a car.

S-Clusiv

Scrap the car idea all together, save a few thousand and buy your Acura a brand new TomTom..problem solved! You can Paypal me the difference.

soldier2304

+1

MCohen7554

This car will be my daily driver, so I want one that is well-rounded and strikes a nice balance between modern technology for convenience, luxury and performance. I'm not buying it as a weekend toy. If I wanted that, I'd get something spartan like a S2000 or a C5 z06 and make a nice project out of it.

MCohen7554

Both systems upgraded to a hard drive in 2009, and as far as I know, neither can work in the previous models.

MCohen7554

I agree with you 100% on the looks of the CLS, its stunning compared to the M5.

MCohen7554

You probably thought that was hilarious, but it was actually pretty idiotic.

MCohen7554

Not to be rude, but I'm not sure why you're in this thread offering completely useless advice. You don't own a CLS63 or a M5 and the two Benzes you do own have Comand systems that are leaps and bounds better than the one in the CLS63s, so I can see why your decision wouldn't be affected the issue I'm having.