BMW 5 Series Review 2023 | Performance & Pricing
The BMW 5 Series is a fabulous car to drive, even if it’s not quite the last word in comfort
In town
The 5 Series is a long, wide car with quite a big turning circle, but it’s actually pretty easy to drive around town. The only potential issue is the large blind spot that the windscreen pillars create, which can block the view to the side at junctions (a problem on pretty much every modern car).
How much that affects you may depend on your exact driving position. Fortunately, there’s a wide range of adjustment in the seat and steering wheel so it’s easy to find a position that works for you.
SE models – which have smaller wheels and softer suspension – give a lovely, smooth ride over rough roads. M Sport models feel much firmer, but they never tip over the point of being uncomfortable, in part thanks to the fabulous seats. Adaptive suspension that can be either soft and smooth or firm and sporty at the touch of a button is available as an option.
There are no issues with any of the engines for town driving, though the diesels always have that characteristic slightly clattery sound. If you do lots of urban driving, though, the plug-in hybrids are best as they have a battery-powered range of around 30 miles that allows you to drive around in silence without burning fuel.
On the motorway
The 5 Series is the kind of car you can drive the length of France in a single day and get out at the end feeling none the worse for it. You may not even need to stop for fuel if you get one of the diesels. While you’re probably not going to tackle that kind of journey, the point is that, however long a trip you do in the UK in a 5 Series, it’ll be comfortable and relaxing.
All the engines are more than up to the task. The more powerful ones inevitably feel stronger and will pile on more speed quicker when you need it. But the 520d has performance to spare and will be the most economical by quite a big margin, depending on how much you’d be able to charge, and how you would use, a plug-in hybrid. Every model has an eight-speed automatic gearbox that changes gear absolutely seamlessly but responds snappily if you stamp on the throttle pedal.
The only real annoyance is that adaptive cruise control is only available as part of the optional Technology Plus Pack, which costs an extra £5,000. However, it’s worth considering because BMW’s adaptive cruise is certainly one of, if not the best such systems there is. The pack also comes with a stack of other features.
On a twisty road
How the 5 Series feels on a twisty road underlines its status as a consummate all-rounder. It may be big and comfy, but you feel like it’s a smaller car than it actually is, because it feels really agile in corners. Especially in models with four-wheel-steering, which turns the back wheels in proportion to the fronts to improve agility and stability in fast corners.
Rear-wheel-drive models have plenty of grip, but the xDrive four-wheel-drive system fitted as standard to 530d, 545e and M550i gives a reassuring feeling of security when roads are damp or slippery. It’s also available as an option on the 530e and 520d if you want it.
The softer suspension on SE models means it leans over more in corners than M Sport models do, but the pay-off is that M Sport cars offer a noticeably harder ride quality. Not so much so that the car gets bounced around by lumps and bumps but, again, you may want to consider the optional adaptive suspension to give the best of both worlds – comfort or firmness when you want it.
You can make really rapid cross country progress in any 5 Series but the M550i is bonkers fast and a lot of fun. Enough to make you wonder if it’s really worth spending another £30,000 to get an M5, which is arguably a bit too fast and firm for the UK’s narrow, tired roads.
