Looking for some impressions from owners of this car. I'd be looking for a 5-spd one of these. Unfortunately there are none close enough for a quick test drive.

What is acceleration performance like?
Handling in the twisties?
Highway comfort and daily driver duties?

Thanks!

I've had one of these for six months after coming out of an e46 328 5 spd. My impressions:

Acceleration is decent, better than the 328 but not as fast as your e36m3 or the 330 (different gearing doesn't help). Third gear on up - it is fast.

Handling is NOT anything you're used to now. It takes a few months adjustment to the larger car and its handling. Suspension is great though, compliant and forgiving over bad roads yet still tight with sport package. If you get your thrills throwing a 3 around in the twisties, this is not this car's strong suit although it's better than most cars on the road.

Highway comfort is unrivaled, really shines compared to the 3, which wanders with the pavement and is noisy. 530 is a cruising tank that is well under control at high speeds.
This is a good daily driver if you have a decent highway commute, if you're on back roads and need to zip around in tight areas, you're gonna miss the 3, no doubt.

I'm looking to sell mine due to the handling/fun factor but honestly you get acclimated to this car over a couple of months and appreciate what it does well. The ideal solution is to have both, but when that's not feasible the decision is difficult - I wish I never considered and got one b/c I waffle back and forth on what I want - e46 or e39.

530 is a well built practical sedan but it's just not as fun as a 3 series.

Get an e34 and combine the best of both:buttrock

Which model? E60 or E39? I have both with sport packages -- both are also non-manual.

Acceleration is good -- for me at least in both. On paper, the Lexus ES350 I have can do 0-60 in 6.2-6.5 depending on which car mag. you read -- the 530i is around 7.1 supposedly. However, it 'feels' much quicker.

Handling is very good for the size. It will not carve as good as an E36 or E46; but, unless you are going 9/10ths on the street, you will not notice the difference. I can still hit corners that are rated at 45 and come out above 100 fairly easily on all-seasons. The car does push a bit because of the weight ...

I bought the E60 since my fiance did not want to put too many miles on her ES350 -- so, the E60 was a nice daily driver that she can use and split duties with the ES350. The E60 is used when it is raining, etc. I bought the E39 for myself to daily drive -- it's very comfortable, gets good gas mileage, and is fairly fun to drive. I also have my fun car - but, you do not necessarily want a manual if there is potential for huge traffic jams. I get approximately 25-27 mpg on the highway in the E39.

I am tempted to get another E39 M5 -- but, hard to justify it when it gets poorer gas mileage, higher in cost to maintain, and, is a PITA to drive in traffic. There is a reason why the 5-series is considered the best luxury sports sedan by many individuals -- it does everything very well. It's not a true sports car -- but, is far sportier than the G35, Acura TL, GS series, and E series that I drove. Plus, I think bang for buck, the E39 is a very good buy now for the price you can get them for.

Only issues with the E39 that I know of are Final Stage resistor (had to fix that), and cooling system. I would, at least in my opinion, avoid the V8's for the E39 -- higher cost to maintain overall. The 5-spd should make the E39/E60 more fun to drive -- but, i like the cars even in automatic form.