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10 February 2012

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BMW 5-Series Saloon 2010 road test report

2010

The all-new BMW 5-Series has a lot to live up to after the runaway success of its predecessors. Its looks are not as radical as the previous model’s, but underneath BMW has been busy making improvements. There are also more frugal and environmentally sound engines, and there’s also stop-start engine technology for the first time on a 5-Series.

A front-facing image of the BMW 5-Series Saloon 2010

Image number 2 of the BMW 5-Series Saloon 2010

Image number 3 of the BMW 5-Series Saloon 2010

Image number 4 of the BMW 5-Series Saloon 2010

Performance

The most popular 5-Series in the UK is the 520d and the latest car comes with 184bhp and 280lb ft of shove to help it from 0-62mph in 8.1 seconds. With flexibility a keynote of this engine, it improves over the previous 520d by also including stop-start technology to reduce emissions and improve economy. For more pace, there are two six-cylinder turbodiesel in the 525d and 530d. Both use the same engine but in different tunes, so the 525d has 204bhp for 0-62mph in 7.2 seconds while the 530d cover 0-62 in 6.3 second with the aid of its 245bhp and whopping 398lb ft of mid-rev muscle. Three out of the four petrol engines are dealt with by 3.0-litre units. The 523i and 528i have the same motor in 204- and 258bhp forms respectively for 0-62mph in 7.9- and 6.6 seconds, so neither is a slouch. The twin-turbo 535i comes with 306bhp to get from 0-62mph in 6.0 seconds flat and it feels very swift on the road. All of these engines will make their driver a happy person and all are typically smooth and refined as we expect of BMW motors. There’s also a 407bhp 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine for the 550i. It deals with 0-62mph in 5.0 seconds to be incredibly fast, but is of limited interest to most UK buyers. An eight-speed automatic gearbox is an option to replace the standard six-speed manual, though the 550i has the auto as standard.

Ride & Handling

The BMW 5-Series has long been the benchmark for balancing a sporty drive with supreme comfort, though the Jaguar XF has proved to be a thorn in the BMW’s side. The latest 5-Series manages to be a little more supple over bumpy ground than its predecessor yet it also supplies copious amounts of grip in corners. The steering is precise to match this agility and the BMW feels a little sharper going into corners than the Jaguar, so the German has a slim advantage at every measure. What impresses most about the 5-Series is the way BMW has made a large saloon feel so light-footed and nimble when it comes to changing direction. This may not count in daily driving, but if you have to perform an emergency avoidance manoeuvre, the BMW is the perfect partner. All sources of noise intrusion have been very effectively sealed out of the cabin to make the 5-Series a calm oasis of hush.

Build Quality & Reliability

As you’d expect, the 5-Series is put together with crafted precision and all of the materials, plastics and fabrics feel absolutely spot-on. Wherever your hand touches the car, it feels substantial and built to last. This should prove to be the case as the 5-Series shares much of its mechanical parts with the 7-Series and GT models.

Safety & Security

BMW uses a collision warning system in the 5-Series that alerts the driver via a warning light and audible alarm if it thinks an accident is imminent. If the driver does nothing, the car will prime the brakes for instant stopping. There’s also a pop-up bonnet to improve pedestrian safety and the 5-Series comes with traction control and electronic stability systems. Optional safety kit includes a head-up display, night vision, lane departure warning, adaptive headlights to see further round corners, and a speed limiter to cap the maximum possible speed of the car. There are six airbags fitted to all models and some have extra rear side airbags included. An alarm, immobiliser and deadlocks take care of security.

Space & Practicality

A bugbear of previous BMW 5-Series models has been rear legroom. This has been more than amply addressed by the new Five, which is based on a shortened version of the 7-Series platform. However, five people will not be completely comfortable in the rear of the 5-Series as the transmission tunnel is large and limits foot space for the central rear passenger. Up front, things are much rosier as the driver has a superb driving position with masses of seat and steering wheel adjustment. The seat itself is superbly comfortable and vision is good in all directions. There’s standard reverse parking sensors to help in tight spots. A big boot is accessed through a large opening.

Ownership & Value

Anyone lucky enough to find the BMW 5-Series on their company car list – 70% of 5-Series are sold to business users – will benefit from the new 5-Series’ EfficientDynamics. This is BMW’s system of reducing energy use and maximising economy by charging the battery from regenerative braking as the car slows and only using energy when needed, such as with the electric power steering. It adds up to small but significant savings to lower carbon dioxide emissions to very low levels for the executive class. The 520d also comes with BMW’s Auto Start-Stop that switches off the engine when the car is at a standstill in traffic. This helps lower the 520d’s emissions to 132g/km and up economy to 56.5mpg, which are impressive figures for this class of car. To begin with, the 5-Series will only come in SE trim, which includes leather upholstery as standard, along with air conditioning, cruise control, rear parking sensors and Bluetooth connection. An M Sport version is expected to follow on later in the year. Strong residual values make the 5-Series a sound bet for those paying for it with their own cash, though the 550i is likely to take a big hit due to its emissions making it pricey to tax.

Submitted: 19/04/2010 09:19:49

Performance

The latest 5 Series will eventually be available with a choice of seven engines (three diesel and four petrol), although at launch there will be just the range-topping oilburner, the 242bhp, six-cylinder 530d with 39blb-ft of torque and the petrol-powered 302bhp, six-cylinder 535i. Later in 2010 comes the four-cylinder 182bhp 520d (which will be the biggest seller in the range), to be followed by another six-cyl diesel, the 201bhp 525d. On the petrol side, the three additional engines to be phased in over the coming year or so will be the 523i (201bhp), 528i (254bhp), both of which will be six-cylinder units, and a 550i with monster 4.4-litre V8 generating 404bhp. All versions, apart from the 550i, will be available with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard. However, the majority of buyers are likely to opt for the eight-speed automatic transmission fitted to the 550i: it’s a very smooth ‘box, although we remain unconvinced that eight gears are strictly necessary for any car.

Ride & Handling

The ride quality of the last 5-Series was often afflicted by the fitting of run-flat tyres, but a number of changes to the new model – including a longer wheelbase and a suspension taken from the latest 7 Series – mean that matters have noticeably improved. This is especially true when the optional variable dampers are fitted in conjunction with the Drive Dynamic Control (DDC) chassis configurator, which give drivers the choice of four chassis settings (Comfort, Normal, Sport, Sport+). Impressive stuff. The 5’s handling is, as you’d expect from a BMW, also impressive, but can be affected by the choices you make when speccing the car: for example, the DDC controls not just the suspension settings but also dynamic systems such as throttle response and the level of steering assistance. Talking of the steering, it is a little lacking in feedback and the Active Steer option (which turns the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the front wheels to increase stability) is probably not going to be a vital option to choose. Those caveats aside, it is a hugely composed, agile and well balanced car that is still involving enough to satisfy any potential owners.

Build Quality & Reliability

The new 5 Series is, as we’ve come to expect from BMW, a top-quality car. Robust and sturdy, it’s well-built and uses some of the best materials available to the modern carmaker. The cabin is particularly good, and is a marked improvement on that of the previous generation, having a more welcoming and less clinical ambience. Leather upholstery comes as standard and the fit and finish is superb, with great attention to detail. In terms of mechanical reliability, we don’t envisage any problems, as BMW has a very good reputation. The most recent JD Power customer satisfaction survey placed the company in equal ninth place in the league table of manufacturers and the previous-generation 5 Series was placed in 17th in the table of the top 100 most reliable models.

Safety & Security

Euro NCAP hasn’t yet crash-tested the latest generation of the 5 Series, but we expect it to do well, thanks to a passenger cell made from high-strength steel and a raft of safety features incorporating new technologies. Active and passive safety equipment includes front and side airbags for the driver and front passenger, head airbags for front and rear seats; seatbelts with pre-tensioners and belt force limiters at the front; crash-activated headrests; a collision warning system that uses crash sensors to sound an alarm and activate the brakes if it detects that an impact is likely; Side View cameras that give a better view of traffic at T-junctions and project them on to the screen in the centre console; lane change and lane departure warnings; adaptive headlights including cornering lights; Night Vision and a head-up display. In addition, there are electronic systems such as dynamic stability control with ABS anti-lock brakes and dynamic traction control; plus cornering brake control, dynamic brake control and a dry braking function.

Space & Practicality

As this latest generation of the 5 Series uses a shortened version of the current 7 Series platform, the wheelbase is now 58mm longer compared to the last iteration. This means there’s plenty of room in the cabin especially in the back, where extra legroom now means that adult passengers won’t be as cramped as they were in the past. The front seats are also hugely comfortable and the driving position is excellent. Bootspace hasn’t been compromised either, with a cavernous 520 litres on offer, enough to swallow up plenty of luggage. The dashboard is well laid-out, with all the dials and read-outs easy to see and the controls to hand, including the large rotary knob for the iDrive infotainment system. We haven’t always been a huge fan of this system, thanks to its numerous menus and sub-menus, but it has been tweaked over the years and is now more intuitive and easy to use. The head-up display is also very practical, supplying much of the information that a driver needs without them having to look away from the road ahead.

Ownership & Value

BMW’s EfficientDynamics programme of energy-saving measures is constantly raising the bar for other car manufacturers, making the company’s cars more efficient and frugal all the time. So on this 5 you’ll find features that have appeared in other BMW models, such as an optimum gearshift indicator, brake energy regeneration and active aerodynamics. The company has also been one of the pioneers of stop-start technology, but its appearance on the 520d will be the first time it has been fitted to a car in this segment. This technology means that fuel consumption on the diesels ranges from an impressive 44.8mpg on the 530d to a groundbreaking 56.5mpg on the 520d. CO2 emissions are similarly noteworthy, going as low as 132g/km for the four-cylinder diesel. Annual road tax of £120 for a BMW 5 Series will make it mightily attractive to many buyers, especially those in the fleet sector. And while the initial purchase price won’t be cheap, whichever variant you opt for, you can console yourself with the knowledge that residual values hold up very well, thanks to the 5’s desirability.

Submitted: 29/04/2010 08:59:54

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