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"  After driving three luxury cars in a row with unconventional shifting systems it was good to get in one with a regular gear shift. Oh, and a third pedal. You know, the one that sits to the left of the brake pedal and is becoming an endangered species.  Yes the 2011 BMW 535i I have just spent a few days in had a manual transmission. Indeed it is the only luxury car in this segment that is offered with a manual transmission in the USA. I&amp;#039;ll happily admit I still much prefer a car with a manual, even when driving on crowded freeways in heavy rain, and that&amp;#039;s just what I did in the 535i as it happened to rain for five days in a row. At first I wished I was still in the 2011 Audi A8 I drove a few weeks ago, with its Quattro all-wheel-drive. However the 535i is equipped with the latest in electronic control systems so, even though I saw warning lights flash a couple of times, I never felt the car break away. For those who are unsure of their driving skills it shows that nowadays even rear drive cars can be just as good as a front-drive car in rainy conditions. Obviously an AWD car will still be superior, especially in snow. The other nice feature on the 535i is Automatic Hold, which automatically holds the car on an incline without needing to keep your foot on the brake pedal. It&amp;#039;s kind of ironic that as manufacturers have developed systems to make it easier for those inexperienced in the art of manual shifting, less and less people even know how to shift. Compared to the 2011 Audi A8 and the 2011 Jaguar XJ, the all-new 2011 BMW 5-series has relatively modest changes, both inside and outside. There&amp;#039;s nothing wrong with that as the car maintains its attractive lines and the interior is nicely understated \u2014 it is still most definitely a BMW. If you liked the old 5-series you&amp;#039;ll love the 2011 5-series. And, yes, the fourth-generation iDrive system is finally usable without having to resort to reading the owner&amp;#039;s manual! Related posts:   2011 BMW 535i \u2013 Driving Impression Quick Review: BMW 640i SE Quick Take: 2011 Mazda2  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/a1809/quick-drive-2011-bmw-535i-18550/>