For many years, the BMW 5 Series was the obvious choice.
Sure, you could also get a Mercedes E-Class, the Bimmer’s main rival, but the 5 had something special about it. It wasn’t as absolutely comfortable as the Merc’, but it was a joy to drive.
As a teenager I took my driving test in a BMW 5er. It was an E28-chassis 535i with a manual. By today’s standards, not the fastest thing in the world, but it handled well and pulled hard, and was basically the complete package. The 5 Series of old seemed worthy of BMW’s tag line: the ultimate driving machine.
However, with every generation cars get larger and larger, to the point that the svelte nimbleness of that 1980s sedan is something of a distant memory. The new 5 Series features (literally) tonnes of technology, from a turbocharged engine, to all-wheel drive, to a heads-up display, and automatic emergency braking.
Things have got considerably more complex beneath the sheet metal of BMW’s executive sedan. Is it still an obviously good choice?
Design
After the simple perfection of the E39-chassis 5 Series from the early 2000s, BMW design wandered in the wasteland for years. The cars traded smooth sophistication for quirky elements, especially headlights and tail lights.
Happily, the new car has most of its mojo back. Or rather, it doesn’t attempt to express any attempt at mojo-ing. The sole element of feistiness to the design is a pair of low-mounted vent features located behind each of the front wheels.
The rest of the five is a relatively bland take on BMW’s design language – but this is not a criticism. The 5s that arrived to succeed that E39 car were all overwrought and underbaked, with “flame-surfaced” styling that only worked from a few angles.
This new car is more like a well-cut business suit, which is exactly the job it’s supposed to be doing. You’d order it in charcoal, avoid the urge to pair it with a snazzy tie, and blend in to the company parking lot.
The sole nod to sportiness here are the 19- and 20-inch alloy wheels, staggered with the larger rims out back, and the twin exhaust pipes. The former are a bit like the current obsession for a big, shiny watch. Other than this mild jewelry, the 5 speaks softly.
Environment
From a pared-down driver-first cockpit to a tech-heavy wunderkind, the 5 Series has most evolved on the inside. Essentially, the 5 borrows nearly everything from the larger 7 Series, making for an interior that puts luxury first.
Comfort is excellent up front, and if the rear seats give a slight amount of room up to the longer 7, you’d have to be quite tall to tell the difference. To anyone used to squeezing into one of the older cars, the new 5 is as big as a concert hall.
And, to that end, it also comes with a suite of technologies to make your drive that much more comfortable. Being a German marque, there are plenty of costly options to add, with my tester equipped with ventilated and massaging seats, a semi-autonomous cruise-control mode for handling traffic slowdowns, and a powerful Harmon/Kardon stereo.
There’s also a new generation for iDrive, which incorporates gesture controls. Waggle your hand in a certain way, and you’ll be able to crank up the volume, or skip to the next track on your phone, or what-have-you. It seems a bit silly at the present, but consider what most car touchscreens look like after use: fingerprint-smudged messes.
Like the original iDrive, which took a while for BMW to get right, gesture control is probably the first step towards us being able to control our cars with big swipes like Tom Cruise in Minority Report. In the meantime, let’s get old-fashioned and grab the steering wheel.
Performance
At 100 kilograms lighter than the outgoing model, the 5 Series manages to increase luxury levels without turning into a complete ocean liner. However, the initial experience is of relative softness, and isolation from the road.
If you’re a Bimmer fan, you can’t help but react with an “uh-oh.” After all, every car company exists with a primary directive from the accounting department – fun cars are interesting and all, but you’re here to make sure we turn a profit. It’s no secret that BMW has long looked at Mercedes-Benz’s balance sheets with envy, and they could have just turned the 5 into a wafting E-Class.
To some extent, that’s exactly what has happened. Despite the big rims, the 5 rides with utter smoothness, and the light steering offers little initial feedback or bite. Facing down the hustle and bustle of rush hour, it felt a bit like an isolation chamber. That’s good for broad appeal, but less good for a driver-first focus.
Happily, just beneath the 5’s well-polished manners is something a little more exciting. Let’s start with the 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six, which makes 335 horsepower at a plateau from 5,500-6,500 r.p.m., and 332 foot-pounds of torque from 1,380-5,200 r.p.m.
That doesn’t sound like a lot, not when the top-spec M5 versions have been making more power for something like 30 years. However, it’s sufficient shove to propel the 5 to 100 kilometres per hour in just 4.8 seconds (or a bit quicker, actually – BMW often underrates its performance). That’s less than a heartbeat slower than the V10-powered M5 from several years back.
Thanks to BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive, there’s nary a hint of wheelspin, and the inline six is relatively muted. You just get freight-train pull as the 5 whisks up to speed.
However, BMW’s weren’t only about engine power; instead, the best ones represented a balance between power and poise. Equipped with adjustable dampers and optional Msport brakes, my tester certainly had the potential for speed.
On the surface, a luxury cruiser. Press on it a little though, and the spirit of the old 5 is there. The steering wakes up a little, the lateral grip is plentiful, and if you’d like your 5 to pivot like it was a 3 Series, there’s even rear-wheel steering to make the wheelbase feel even shorter.
The only really unfortunate thing is where this performance exists. Prod the 5 to life and it’s almost too fast for its own good. Competence is way up, but speed limits haven’t changed much over the years.
Still, the 5’s ability to do double duty as a comfortable executive sedan but still hustle when called upon is admirable. It’s still got the bloodline.
Features
At $69,000 for the 540i xDrive, and options packages bringing the total to $90,400, the 5 is a pricey proposition. There’s an entry-level version with BMW’s competent four-cylinder turbo, but you might as well stick with the six, just for the character of the car.
Official fuel economy figures are a respectable 11.4 litres/100 kilometres in the city and 7.8 l/100 km on the highway, with premium fuel is required. As with all turbocharged cars, the lighter your right foot, the heavier your wallet remains.
Green light
Subtle styling; comfortable cabin; still provides vigorous performance.
Stop sign
Performance enhancements are optional extras; can get very expensive; more luxury focused than previous generations.
The checkered flag
Lighter and quicker, yet more comfortable. Worthy to be called a 5 Series.
Competition
Mercedes-Benz E-Class ($61,200): Always enemies, the E-Class and 5 Series have drifted closer and closer together as their mission statements get broader. Now, there’s considerable overlap, depending on what trim you go for.
Want some driving pleasure in your Mercedes? The AMG models have you covered, with the new E43 AMG having plenty of zip without the ludicrous power of the bigger V-8s. But even if the E is more punchy than ever and the 5 Series has softened up a bit, the Bimmer still feels quickest on its feet.
