BMW’s sleek new 5 Series

Norbert Reithofer is cheerfully pragmatic about what will happen in Europe’s car market this year after various countries’ car-scrappage incentive schemes expire. The chairman of BMW’s management board is confident that while the market might struggle, the outlook for Germany’s self-proclaimed maker of ultimate driving machines is definitely brighter.

“Let us not fool ourselves that the global financial crisis is over. It is not. But for BMW I am optimistic. In 2009, as a group [embracing also Rolls-Royce and Mini] we sold around 2 million cars and I believe we will sell more cars in 2010 than last year.”

One reason for his confidence is parked nearby – the latest 5 Series mid-sized executive saloon, the sixth generation since the “5” first took to tarmac in 1972. This has traditionally been BMW’s biggest single profits earner, with some 5.5 million sold over the past 37 years.

After a couple of days testing the new car on both highway and race track, Reithofer’s assurances that the car will do well in sales appear well-founded. The new “5” brings an end to some of the controversies that have surrounded the styling of BMWs since former chief designer Chris Bangle was given a brief, more than a decade ago, to devise a new “design language” for BMW. Bangle’s first effort, a new 7-Series luxury car, had a curiously raised boot line which came to be known disparagingly as “the Bangle butt”. Similar, but less pronounced, characteristics appeared on subsequent versions of the smaller 3 and 5 Series cars, while his “flame” surfacing of the “Z” sports car range also left critics divided.

Bangle now runs his own design consultancy, and Reithofer describes the new “5” as “symbolic of the future of BMW”. It is an elegant if understated design, taking BMW back closer to the executive car market mainstream. It is the same story on the inside. There is a simple logic and symmetry to both instrument panel and central console displays that others could do well to emulate.

The twin instrument binnacles convey their data clearly, even in broad sunlight, and the overload of information favoured for so long by upmarket carmakers is much reduced. The same applies to the neatly laid out and vertically stacked sound, climate control and related systems of the central console. Not least, the hand movements required for the multi-axis “iDrive” control knob – for on-board systems such as satnav – have been reduced, making its once agonisingly complex operations far more intuitive.

On the open road, the new car acquits itself with a competence greater than its predecessors. But its long-held status as the benchmark for mid-sized executive saloons is now open to stronger challenge than at any time in the past. One formidable rival has emerged in Jaguar’s marvellously fluid XF executive saloon. Another is the latest Mercedes-Benz E-Class saloon, itself far better looking, more agile and technologically advanced than any of its forebears. Yet another is the A6 saloon from Audi, Volkswagen’s executive and sporting car brand whose growth has become the envy of the global auto industry.

The Jaguar is not a rival to the 5 Series across the BMW’s price and performance spectrum – the cheapest, 3-litre Jag starts at around £34,000 compared with £28,000 for the BMW 520d SE saloon. But in terms of ride, handling and steering, it has become more than a match for the “5” right up to flagship level: BMW’s monstrously fast M5 version and the Jaguar XFR, each with over 500 horsepower. The Mercedes does not quite have the verve of the BMW, despite the Stuttgart car’s considerable strides forward in terms of dynamics. But the gap is now smaller than it has ever been and the E-Class retains the edge in terms of refinement and interior space. In this company, the Audi is best described as all-round competent, a sensible and fully defensible choice for those seeking a change from the massed ranks of BMWs and Mercedes in corporate car parks.

The “5” still scores plenty of points. Its optional eight-speed automatic transmission is a triumph of seamless gear changing, with optional manual paddles adding to the fun. Whether dampers are set in “comfort” mode for long-distance cruising or “sport” for a more vigorous dash cross-country, it will provide enough enjoyment for the majority of drivers.

It is also well specified, with standard fitments including leather upholstery, dynamic stability control, front and rear parking sensors, cruise control and fully automatic climate control. The options list includes advanced features such as a surround-view camera system, infra-red night vision and pedestrian recognition beyond the range of the headlights.

The car is let down, however, by its steering. Electrically power-assisted, it is peculiarly vague and lifeless around the dead-ahead position. Steering precision is an essential element of a saloon car laying claim to serious sporting potential and it is worth BMW pondering that some of the very best-handling cars on the road, such as Lotus’s Evora, have tried and rejected electric systems in favour of conventional hydraulically assisted power steering.

In terms of straight-line performance, fuel economy and carbon dioxide emissions, it remains hard to fault the engine range on offer. Even the smallest diesel available, the 520d, will top 140mph and accelerate from standstill to 62mph in just eight seconds, while achieving some 56.5 miles per gallon on the EU’s combined urban/rural test cycle.

So, can the “5” keep its title of ultimate mid-sized executive driving machine? Both Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz can now argue, with some conviction, that it cannot.

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The details

BMW’s most profitable car is being caught by the competition

How much?
From £28,165 (520d SE)

How fast?
0-62mph 8.1 secs, top speed 141mph (520d SE); 5 secs, 155mph limited (550i SE)

How thirsty?
56.5mpg on EU urban/rural test cycle (520d SE); 27.2mpg (550iSE)

How green?
132g CO2/km (520d SE); 243g CO2/km (550i SE)

Also consider
Jaguar XF from £33,199, Mercedes-Benz E-Class from £28,238, Audi A6 from £25,435