Insurance Group: 40
MPG: 44.1
CO2: 149
0-62 Mph: 6.5 secs
BHP: 245 BHP
Range: 679 miles
PROS: A powerful car with a super efficient engine. The estate comes with loads of space and serves as a practical family or company car.
CONS: The extra cost involved in buying the dampers to improve the drive is disappointing and takes away a lot of the value for money of the 5 Series. The diesel engines are also much more efficient.
As you would expect from a BMW, the drive of the 5 Series is smooth, powerful and refined, although it does require a lot of extras to reach its potential.
The suspension on the 5 Series is not as supportive as you might expect but there is a rather expensive option to add Variable Damper Control to the four-cylinder models and Adaptive Drive to the six-cylinder models, which is worth the money for the difference it makes in the performance and handling.
The cabin is insulated from the outside noise of the engine, tyre and suspension, although there is a little wind noise at high speeds. An eight-speed automatic gearbox lets the car accelerate responsively up through the gears smoothly and quickly.
The 528i SE has a 245 bhp engine delivering 258 lb-ft of torque at 1250-4500 rpm and reaches 0-62 mph in 6.6 seconds with a top speed of 137 mph.
The BMW cabin is arguably one of the best available and the 5 Series is made with high-quality materials and beautifully finished. This is an estate offering the elegance and practicality of the BMW badge on top of great performance from the engine.
The iDrive system is much easier to get to grips with than before and all the controls are angled towards the driver. The system also features electronic controls for the seat height and backrest angle, although you still have to slide back and forth using a manual lever.
The 528i SE estate comes with leather seats, power steering, stability control, cruise control, climate control, alloy wheels, stereo, MP3 connectivity, rear parking sensors and Bluetooth as standard, with optional extras including satellite navigation for £1,580. The backseat entertainment option includes satellite navigation.
Safety is top rate with standard equipment including a minimum of six airbags, Dynamic Stability Control inclusive of ABS, cornering brake control and dynamic traction control. An optional extra is the Active Security Package (with lane changes and lane departure-warning systems), with an alarm, deadlocks and locking wheelnuts as standard. The 5 Series also comes with a spring-loaded bonnet, which makes it much kinder to pedestrians in the case of a crash.
In terms of cabin space, the 5 Series is a practical car with loads of room in the front and back. Although BMW claim it is a five-seater, the middle back seat is not ideal as it has to accommodate the large transmission tunnel which runs through the centre of the car. The boot is sizeable too, offering 560 litres of space.
The ‘Efficient Dynamics’ technology that keeps the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions low includes an automatic stop-start system, brake energy regeneration, tyres with less rolling resistance, along with improved aerodynamics, while manual gearboxes have an Optimum gearshift indicator to help drivers know when to change gears.
With so many systems in place some buyers may be concerned about the chance of the car developing technical faults. Luckily, BMW are known for their reliability and with a standard three year warranty for 60,000 miles buyers will have little to worry about.
The 5 Series benefits from BMW’s Efficient Dynamics technology, which makes it a great business car option with economic running costs and low CO2 emissions. The 528i SE model costs £37,410 and has a combined economy of 41.5 mpg and CO2 emission rate of 159 g/km.
The 528i engine is speedy and powerful, with great economic running costs providing decent value for money, but the diesel engine will always outclass in performance and low running costs.
There is always the downside to the 5 Series that it requires a few expensive extras (i.e. the suspension modifications), which completely alter the performance of the car and are definitely worth buying, but do add considerably to the price.
A BMW is a good car to invest in due to the assured quality and service and the 5 Series currently has good resale value.
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