I’ve Rented A Thing

"RPM esq." (rpm3)
02/22/2018 at 12:14 • Filed to: Turo, BMW, good ideas, 5-series

I’m visiting family in the Bay Area and needed some wheels to get around, so I gave Turo a try. I wanted something small (because I’d be parking it in the city and mostly only transporting myself) and fun (because duh), preferably with a manual. I first had my eye on a Golf R, but when I went back to make the reservation it was no longer available. So then I tried to reserve a Fiat 500 Abarth, but it turned out it was in the shop. When that request was declined, someone at Turo reached out to help with some similarly-priced options from owners know to be very reliable...so what I ended up with is very nice but neither small nor particularly exciting.

It’s a 2011 535i xDrive, which has been less than ideal to park but very nice to cruise around in. It didn’t cost much more than renting some boring compact with insurance due to the insane airport taxes here. And the pickup went off without a hitch—the very pleasant owner picked me up at the airport and politely asked me to drop him off at the nearest train station. Apparently he and his wife have made Turo a small business, with a fleet of about ten cars at the various Bay Area airports. Nice guy, nice car.

Anyway, Turo is neat and AMA you’re dying to know about a 2011 5-series, I guess.

DISCUSSION (18)

DayManFighterOfTheNightMan > RPM esq.
02/22/2018 at 12:34

I have driven this thing before and this thing is a very nice thing.

random001 > RPM esq.
02/22/2018 at 12:36

That’s a pretty cool story.

arl > RPM esq.
02/22/2018 at 12:36

Does it have any driving excitement left in it at all, or is it a fancy Camry?

Klaus Schmoll > RPM esq.
02/22/2018 at 12:36

Any thoughts on the seats? I hate those in my stepdad’s F11, but that might just be a question of picking the right options.

BeaterGT > RPM esq.
02/22/2018 at 12:43

Is the blinker stalk noticeably cleaner than the rest of the interior?

404 - User No Longer Available > Klaus Schmoll
02/22/2018 at 12:47

Did the one you were in have the Sport Seats with the adjustable leg bolsters? I keep hearing on the Bimmer forums that it makes a world’s difference.

Future next gen S2000 owner > BeaterGT
02/22/2018 at 12:51

Obviously.

RPM esq. > BeaterGT
02/22/2018 at 12:57

I’ve certainly been using it, despite how annoying the BMW blinker mechanism is. I did see a nearly identical 528d driving like an asshole on the Bay Bridge last night.

RPM esq. > Klaus Schmoll
02/22/2018 at 12:57

I find them comfortable, although they’re not the sport seats, which are better.

RPM esq. > arl
02/22/2018 at 12:59

A little. I think xDrive is mostly the culprit, actually. But basically it’s a fancy Camry with more responsive steering. Torquey, though.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > RPM esq.
02/22/2018 at 13:22

Now I want to move to a more tourist traveled area and hope on the Turo bandwagon. My wife does love Denver... I’d just buy like a couple used WRXs and Xdrives.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > RPM esq.
02/22/2018 at 13:25

Based on my 2011 328i Xdrive. I would imagine this is indeed a very nice thing, just a bigger faster version of my car. Although I have a manual trans and snow to play in, so mine’s a bit more fun.

Klaus Schmoll > 404 - User No Longer Available
02/22/2018 at 13:33

Kinja'd!!!

Do you mean these slidey out thigh support thingies? It had them and heated and cooled leather, but I have no idea which option code those seats are. I have yet to get his VIN and run it through bimmer.work to check that.

The problem was that the thigh support was way shorter than in my E61 with the optional comfort seats. I’m quite tall, so these thing matter to me a lot while the average person might not even notice.

RPM esq. > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
02/22/2018 at 13:46

That would definitely be more fun. This is a very comfortable highway cruiser. It’s certainly not slow by any reasonable standard, but it doesn’t FEEL fast. Please note my opinions on these matters have been completely ruined by daily driving just about the shoutiest, sideways-set car imaginable.

404 - User No Longer Available > Klaus Schmoll
02/22/2018 at 14:01

Yeah those are the ones... I have them in mine and they work well for me, I’m 6 ft. tall, and the bolster is not fully extended. Maybe the F30 ones are actually a bit longer.

RPM esq. > RPM esq.
02/22/2018 at 14:37

Sideways-est*

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > RPM esq.
02/22/2018 at 14:39

Yeah, highway comfort comes at the experience of feeling fast. My 328 is just as, if not faster, than my Galant VR4, but it’s so insulated and smooth that it doesn’t feel as fast. Not to mention the major difference in power delivery between a trubo4 and an NA in-line 6.

But my 3 is by far the most comfortable car I’ve ever owned by a long shot. On the second day I owned it I drove 5 hours non stop, and didn’t feel tired or sore at all. Which I usually do in Out Honda Fit.

Klaus Schmoll > 404 - User No Longer Available
02/22/2018 at 15:38

I’m 6 ft 4 maybe those 4 inches are what makes the differences, or I’m just weirdly proportioned. His seats seemed smaller in all dimensions than the captain’s chairs in my E61, so I hope that they aren’t the top of the line for the F11. His car is well specced (radar cruise, pano roof, heated/cooled leather, HUD, Harman Kardon stereo...) but it is second hand so I don’t really know what exactly the first owner chose.

My mum’s F31 has the standard seats not even the sports seats and they aren’t any worse than those in his F11. To be honest, having driving both cars and knowing what they paid for them (both a year old and at around 25k kms), I’d rather get the F31 than the F11 as I don’t see the value for money in the F11. It just didn’t feel that more roomy or luxurious.