BMW’s full-size sedan comes in for a midlife update, giving the 5 Series a boost alongside refreshed competition.
Seven generations and nearly a half-century in, is the BMW 5 Series still the definitive BMW executive sedan? James takes a look at the updated 530d to find out.
Is the 2020 BMW M550i xDrive Pure the German brand's best-kept secret? A real wolf in sheep's clothing – that isn't absurdly priced? James dials up the twin-turbo V8 to find out.
Conservatively styled and lavishly appointed, the BMW 530i is the archetypal large luxury sedan – though the segment has to fight harder than ever for recognition in a crowded marketplace.
Heavy-hitting performance and high levels of luxury meet in this pair of stately sedans.
While Bill Murray began every Groundhog Day at 6AM back in the early ’90s, the perpetual time warp I’m currently finding myself in starts with ‘5’ and ends with ‘Series sedan from BMW’. Since the all-new seventh-generation 2017 BMW 5 Series range lobbed locally in March, I've sampled both petrol 530i fours and 540i sixes, spent a week with diesel six-cylinder 530d in May, and attended the 530e iPerformance PHEV’s local launch in June...
It's time for the final showdown, where the winner of last month's luxury sedan test goes wheel-to-wheel in a winner-takes all fight against three of the established, premium (and German) stalwarts. That means our Jaguar XF has returned to battle for the British against the Teutonic might of the establishment: the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class...
Some big claims are made by car manufacturers when marketing their electric and plug-in hybrid cars, but how often are these marketing boasts actually accurate in the real world? For instance, BMW says its 530e plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) sedan will do 54km on full battery electric power and record a 2.3L/100km fuel consumption when using both electric and petrol power...
BMW Australia has applied another round of price rises across its most popular models – some by as much as $6000 – representing the third increase since June 2020. The majority of BMWs in the pricing overhaul have gone up by $2000, while the smallest increase is $910, reserved for 1 Series and 2 Series models...
The 2021 BMW 320e and BMW 520e plug-in hybrids have been unveiled, ahead of their European market launch in March 2021 – however, Australian launches for both models are not in the brand's local plans. Unveiled as part of a raft of Model Year 2021 updates for the wider BMW line-up in Europe, the new 3 Series and 5 Series plug-in hybrids mate a 120kW 2...
Less than six months after prices increased by up to $5000 across the range, BMW has upped prices again. Buyers will need to dig deeper to purchase a 1 Series, 2 Series Gran Coupe, 3 Series, 5 Series, X3, X4, or X6. Smaller BMW models models see increases of $1000, while SUVs and 5 Series models have gone up by $2000...
My family and I have owned this 5 Series since 2016 and it has been garaged everyday, and washed at least once every two weeks. This car has been daily driven, and after four years I can say this has probably been the best car we have owned. The inline 6-cylinder twin-scroll turbo M Sport BMW has adjustable suspension which affords different driving dynamics...
This is undoubtedly one of the best BMWs ever made. This car converted me from Honda to BMW after just a few weeks of driving. Yes, I really love driving this car and the person who sold me this car really regrets selling it. He had upgraded to a later model BMW, but keeps informing me that his current BMW isn't as good as the one he sold me...
If you decide to do a quick, cursory Google search for ‘E39 5 Series’ (or any similar phrase, really), you’ll notice that contemporary road tests and latter-day internet forums all come to the same conclusion – that the mid-90's to early 2000's mid-size sedan from the Bavarian automaker is a benchmark, and is a car that’s still used as a yardstick to this day when it comes to the development of new models...
If you’ve ever wondered about buying a used prestige car, you might find my experience interesting. There are many articles saying to not do it – you’ll get burnt. While I’d agree to an extent, if you can handle getting ‘mildly toasted’ rather than ‘completely burnt’ and don’t mind taking a risk, you may find it gives you the chance to drive something that little bit more special...
