BMW 5 SERIES SALOON REVIEW

My car

I recently bought this car after owning a 320d SE for 4 years. This car is a quantum leap forward in terms of refinement, ride quality and feel good factor. The actual buying experience wasn't much fun and that must be a cause for concern because I think some people would walk away just on that basis alone. Anyway the first thing i would say is that the cabin is absolutely sumptuous and the standard leather and seats are much better than the current 3 series. The auto box is seamless and soundproofing in the cabin is scarily effective. I opted for the VDC which is vastly superior to the standard passive dampers and lets you adjust the car to suit the road conditions and your mood. The 3l diesel engine is an absolute beast and could get you into serious trouble! The gizzmos in the cabin are very tasty indeed. the Satnav and professional stereo are expensive but excellent, the reversing camera is useful,the standard bluetooth works a treat and the standard 7 inch screen is big enough. Gripes? Shallow door pockets, rear seat bolsters which push you inwards, no standard lumbar support, crappy standard headlights, nowhere to put your spectacles, fiddly isofix fastenings and those essential options (Satnav, Auto box, VDC) are very expensive and add £4000 to the price before you choose anything else.

My car

520d SE 4dr sports auto with VDC. Only had the car 1 week, here are my first impressions. Positives: Incredibly refined car, smooth delivery of power via the 8-speed auto box. I drove a demonstrator without VDC, but added VDC based on the WhatCar review. I am glad I did as VDC definitely improves ride and handling over the standard car in all but Comfort mode. The slightly jiggly ride is greatly reduced in Normal mode, and eliminated in Sport mode. The car corners very flat, the steering weights up and the autobox hangs onto gears for longer and changes down earlier on acceleration (I know the steering and engine changes are not down to VDC, but the flat cornering is). The ride in all settings is great at absorbing bumps in the road, making for a very comfortable ride. By comparison; I ride share with a colleague who drives an Audi A6 S-Line. This has a teeth-shattering ride by comparison with my new 5 series, something worth bearing in mind on our pot-holed British roads! Regrets: Having spent my options budget on the auto box and VDC, I went for gloss black paint. Wish I had gone for a metallic in truth as they look nicer and something like silver or space grey would be easier to care for. Also just stuck with standard seats, which I now know lack the level of lumbar support I like. Should have added lumbar support, or maybe gone for sports seats. Then again, lumbar support should be standard on a car of this price! Overall: Very happy with my first BMW!

My car

After 5 months/11,000 miles I`m delighted with my 535d. The new F10 model is smoother and more sophisticated than the previous E60, with even better performance despite lower fuel consumption (for me over 35 mpg versus just under 33 before) and emissions. I opted for sports auto and adaptive drive, which combines active stabiliser /roll control (“DD”) with ability to select damper settings (“VDC”). The handling and ride are excellent, the latter a great improvement on the E60 maybe owing to the latest run-flats (18 inch on my car). I think the DD makes a crucial difference to the handling. I didn`t go for active steering, on which opinion seems to vary greatly, and am very happy with the standard set-up. The eight-speed auto-transmission is very silky and versatile and its manual modes are smooth and effective but the auto is so good that I use the latter far less than on the E60.

I have been afflicted by three separate cabin rattles – all now fixed but never encountered on my four previous 5 series. Otherwise build quality is as good as you`d expect.Minor gripes - no storage on centre console other than phone/cup holders, audio on/off button no longer on steering wheel (whereas the for me redundant cruise control switches are), traffic news doesn`t function if radio off and under-bonnet headlight crossover switches no longer fitted – useful if you go to Europe regularly.

If you like the E60, you`ll be knocked out by this.

My car

530d se Sports Auto . 6 months old and 22,000 miles covered. After 3 years and 2 different Jaguar XF's ( 2 because the first one broke down so much it had to be put down ) going back to BMW was the right choice . In comparison to the XF it is quicker , rides just as well and the interior is light years ahead of the XF in terms of quality . I had forgotten you could do 20k plus miles without visiting the dealer every few weeks, its been a breath of fresh air . All of the options are worth it if you get the choice but if you dont just stick to the Prof Navigation ,its superb, and sports seats . As for the ride on 19 inch wheels in normal trim its just as good as the Jaguar ( and I did over 100,000 miles in total with the 2 XF's ) the VDC option is good but if you use the car on motorways and basic A roads you will not see much difference. Overall a great car and a real pleasure to be in over long distances.