BMW 5 Series Review: Strong Package With Some Misses

BMW 5 Series Review: Buyers looking for a new luxury sedan priced around ₹80-90 lakh have multiple German options to choose from. These sedans come with a sporty exterior design, have a feature-rich and plush interior, and offer a sporty driving dynamic. If you are looking to get a new luxury sedan around this price and want to get chauffeur-driven and drive it as well on weekends, then the BMW 5 Series is a good choice in the market.  

The BMW 5 Series has been on sale for more than for almost two decades, and has been a popular choice among luxury car buyers. It is known for its great driving dynamics, performance, and to increase the rear seat comfort, BMW launched the 5 Series with a long-wheelbase version, to compete with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class in the market.

We recently got our hands on the BMW 530Li and took it for a spin around the city and highway, testing its performance, comfort, and features. Here are our thoughts on whether or not the BMW 530Li is worth every dime it demands. Let’s get started!

What’s Good

Performance

The BMW 5 Series comes with a 2.0L inline four-cylinder turbo petrol engine, which makes 258 bhp and 400 Nm of torque, paired with an eight-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. Earlier, it was offered with a diesel engine as well, but now it is only offered with a single engine option.

Since BMWs are always known for their performance, the 5 Series continues to offer a great experience. The engine is smooth at idle, and the NVH are so low that you don’t feel the car is even on ignition. However, with little throttle inputs, the engine is responsive, and you get instant power output.

During our 800km drive, we enjoyed the engine performance. The low-end lag is well contained, and the mid-range performance is the sweetest. In the top-end, it pulls effortlessly, and the exhaust note feels a bit sporty. The gear shifts are smooth, and since the 5 Series has multiple driving modes, the engine character varies in each mode.

Mostly, we kept it in the Efficient mode, but when we required performance and more power, we switched it to Sports mode, and the engine’s character changes drastically. On one side, the efficient mode is calm, and the 5 Series feels composed. On the other side, the Sports mode is brutal and aggressive, and it redlines around 6,500 RPM.

Features

The BMW 5 Series is a feature-rich luxury sedan in the market. Some of the key features on offer are a panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting, multiple driving modes, a wireless charger, four-zone climate control, an 18-speaker Bowers and Wilkins audio system and others.

The 14.9-inch infotainment screen is slick to use and is inspired by the elder 7 Series. It has a crisp display, and since it comes with wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, it has a full-screen display, unlike the Mercedes-Benz E Class, which has a rectangular display for the CarPlay. The iPhone gets connected instantly, and using the menu apps is also not an issue. 

Though you have a touchscreen infotainment, you also get an iDrive controller, which is easy to operate and feels premium. The 12.3-inch instrument cluster behind the steering wheel has multiple themes and displays. It is easy to read and shows multiple pieces of information.

To elevate the overall cabin experience, the ambient lighting with multiple colours offered a more premium and luxurious cabin experience. The colours can be changed with the driving modes, and at night, you’ll enjoy the cabin of the 5. For music lovers, as we mentioned, it has an 18-speaker Bowers and Wilkins music system. We enjoyed listening to music during our long trip, and the vocals, bass, and overall music quality were clean.

Design

Talking about the design, the 5 looks premium and sporty on the outside. The front has an aggressive design, with a kidney-shaped grille that now gets ian lluminated border.  The LED DRLs and the projector LED headlamps have a good throw at night, and the overall front design now looks more sporty compared to the previous models.

Coming to the sides, since it is an LWB sedan, it is almost 4.9m in length. You get traditional door handles with a passive entry function, and there is a subtle ‘M’ badge on the fenders, since it is the M-Sport variant. It runs on 18-inch alloy wheels as standard, and you can even opt for 19-inch alloy wheels, which are optional on this sedan. Since the overall length is long, it results in better rear-seat cabin space and more boot space. 

At the rear, it has a clean design, with subtle 530Li badging and the BMW logo. The LED tail lamps are bright, and the indicators have a glowing function instead of a dynamic swipe function. Talking of boot, it has a good amount of space on offer, thanks to its longer wheelbase. The bumpers have sharp cuts and creases, and have silver finishing on each side to reduce the visual bulk.

Ride and Handling

Since BMWs are always known for good ride and handling, the ride quality of the 5 is slightly on the stiffer side, giving it a more sporty dynamic. Though the suspensions are tuned on the stiffer side, it still offers good comfort on the inside. During low-speeds, the potholes do filter inside, but at triple-digit speeds, it inspires confidence to push more.

During cornering, it maintains its line, and the body roll is well contained. However, since it is the LWB variant offered in India, there is a bit of tail wag while making quick overtakes and U-turns aggressively. Overall, the handling is well calibrated as the steering wheel offers good feel and feedback. It changes lanes instantly, and there is good grip on offer.

What’s Bad

Fuel Efficiency

Since earlier BMW offered the 5 with a diesel engine, it is now only available with a petrol engine. Though BMW claims the 5 has a fuel efficiency of 15.7km/L. 

However, in the real world, during our 800km drive, we got 8.2 km/L. Moreover, if you drive it sedately in the Efficiency mode, you can get somewhere around 10-12 km/L.

Fewer Rear Seat Features

Despite BMW having made the 5 a LWB sedan as it competes with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, it misses out on multiple feel-good features for the rear occupants. 

For starters, it misses out on sunblinds for the rear passengers, no recline function or ventilation for the rear seats, and others. Moreover, the 5 misses out on soft-close doors, massage functions for front or rear seats, and other convenience features.

What is the price of the BMW 5 Series?

The price of the BMW 5 Series is ₹84.31 lakh (on-road, Noida) and is offered in a single 530Li variant.

Conclusion

Now, coming to the main question, should you consider the BMW 530Li M-Sport or not? Our answer is Yes! The interiors of the 5 are luxurious, the exteriors are similar to the EV counterpart, and they have a good performance on offer. The engine is silent, but it misses out on a diesel engine. However, the rear seat could have been offered with more features compared to its main rival. The ride quality is on the stiffer side, but BMW India could have provided better ground clearance. If you are looking for some other luxury sedans, you can check the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Audi A6. 

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