BMW 5 Series 2003 Review

What we liked
>> Exterior style grows on you
>> Open road performance
>> Dynamic Drive and Active Steer

Not so much
>> No manual option
>> In-cabin incidental storage
>> Bottom end urge

OVERVIEW
More than any other 'family', the 5 Series defines BMW. The 3 Series in its various guises may be the Bavarian marque's volume seller, but it's the 5 that really sets the tone for the brand -- in every aspect from styling to dynamics.

The new 5 was the most awaited new cars of 2003. Motoring enthusiasts of all denominations were anxious to see how controversial BMW design head Chris Bangle would deliver the replacement for what was considered by many as the best all-round saloon car in the world -- the outgoing E39 5 Series.

It's almost hackneyed to recount the mixed response to the first of the true Bangle-era production cars, the flagship 7 Series. More recently, pundits have warmed to Bavaria's maturing design language in the Z4 roadster. The 6 Series coupe has the same critics even more enamoured.

Nine months down the track and with two more engine variants set to join the launch 530i, the 5 Series has largely shut down the cafe and kerbside styling clinics. This is a thoroughly modern design, and one that is at the same time cohesive and confronting. It's a look that firmly moves the executive saloon into the next decade.

FEATURES
One of the technological highlights of the new 5 and a feature sure to find its way into models across the BMW range, Active Steering, is standard equipment on all Aussie 5s including the entry level 525i.

Though the system incorporates Servotronic, this is substantially more than just speed-sensitive power steering. Not only does the system deliver variable steering ratio (from less than two turns lock-to-lock at parking speeds to a more conventional 3:1 ratio at highway pace), but it also incorporates its own yaw sensors and computer control to intervene if the car becomes unstable.

Active Steering works on the principle of superimposed steering angle -- an electrohydraulic actuator located downstream of the steering wheel but before the conventional rack and pinion steering rack adds or subtracts to the amount of effective lock wound on by the driver.

At low speeds the actuator delivers more lock at the front wheels for a given angle at the steering wheel. The situation is reversed at higher speeds. Interfaced with BMW's DSC II (Dynamic Stability Control) but with its own computer and sensors, Active steering can even deliver up to 15 degree of corrective wheel lock... Opposite lock included.

BMW is at pains to point out this is not fly-by-wire steering -- the system retains a true mechanical link between driver and wheels. One of the highlights of the E39 5 Series, steering feel and feedback delivered by the E60 is still top of the class. Indeed, far from the contrived electro-hydraulic steering that we criticized on the Z4, the 5's Active Steering is a genuine step forward.

Interestingly, Active Steering will not be available on the 7 Series until the next generation of the big limo. Given the 5 draws so heavily on many of the 7's subsystems, that fact doesn't quite seem fair. After all, the 5 gets goodies like the 7's one-touch comfort start and indicators, and, of course iDrive (albeit a four-plane iDrive 'lite'). The double wave dash of the new 5 also pays homage to the Big Bangle.

COMFORT
The fifth generation 5 Series is the biggest car to wear the prestigious nameplate -- by a margin. Higher, longer in wheelbase and overall length, bigger in terms of track and width, the new car boasts more leg, head and shoulder room than it's outgoing namesake, and (according to BMW) it's sworn foe, the Mercedes Benz E-class.

Front seat passengers have never been short of room in the 5, and though the latest model delivers more room again, most of the step forward is out back. Rear knee room is substantially improved, not least because BMW has heavily scalloped the back of the front seats.

Though still a bit of a squeeze width-wise with three burly back-seaters, the situation has been improved. With two onboard there's room to burn.

With more than a hint of Z4's prominent central spar, the 5's dash is unashamedly focused on the driver... This is a BMW! A centre 'big screen' takes care of iDrive-related duties (climate, audio and navigation and television if fitted) while the driver's binnacle is dominated by twin main gauges.

Big and simple at first glance, these are flanked by fuel level and fuel economy sub-dials. There's no temp gauge, but an M5/7 Series style warm-up quadrant hides behind the tacho. Behind the speedo there's the cruise control telltale. Onboard computer functions read on the dash as do a host of warning lights/systems.

The steering wheel, complete with cruise and audio controls, is height and reach adjustable -- as you'd expect. A hiccup on the test car meant the latter function was inoperable. Testament to the overall excellence of BMW's ergonomics was the fact that we were still able to arrive at a workable driving position with the wheel set at full retract.

The cornering potential of the Dynamic Drive equipped 530i soon found out the limitations of the standard leather-clad seats, however. They're comfy and provide plenty of electrically-actuated adjustment but lack lateral support.

The 525i makes do with front seats that adjust electrically for height and backrest angle.

Comfort and Sport seats, each with more pronounced bolstering are available as an options as well as front seat heating, Active Seat (which offer hydraulic massaging)and seat ventilation. Kerrching!

One aspect it seems BMW boffins have overlooked is incidental storage. You'll be hard-pressed to fit a wallet in the double-decker centre console (though there is provision for optional BMW Nokia phone) and the door pockets are small and hard to access. Check out Audi's latest, guys, if you want to see how it's done. Oh and while we're at it, can't help but comment on the twin Korean-quality cupholders that rattle out of the dash ahead of the passenger. Yuck.

A little asked for factory option in the E39, split fold seats are gone from the 5's build list but an optional ($1110) ski port remains.

SAFETY
Regular CarPoint readers will be familiar with the phase, "a raft of electronic safety and driver aids." Suffice it to say the new 5 Series has all of the usual systems and then some.

Dynamic Stability Control III with Automatic Stability Control plus Traction, Dynamic Brake Control, ABS all contribute to active safety across the range as do driver aids like Dynamic Drive and Active Steering.

On the passive front there are ten airbags in total which are deployed faster thanks to smarter crash sensing electronics. Seat belt pretensioners and active head rests for front seat occupants are all standard equipment.

Standard on the 545i and optional on the 530i and 525i, adapative bi-Xenon headlamps offer the ability to see around corners (well, sort of) and radar controlled Adaptive Cruise Control is also available for fuss-free highway cruising.

A programmable colour aircraft-style heads-up display will arrive early 2005 that will allow 5 Series drivers to select important info from navigation commands to speed, etc for projection. The safety aspect of this shouldn't be overlooked (pun intended). Heads-up displays give drivers the ability to monitor this information without taking their eyes off the road.

Of note too is the improved Park Distance Control, optional on the 525i. In addition to the normal chime system, the new five gets a three-colour 7 Series style graphical representation of parking 'obstacles' presented on the central big screen. It might look a little Star Trek at first but works well.

Given there are no rub strips to interrupt the smooth flame-surfaced flanks of the new 5, our guess is owners will hope the system can be complimented by a anti parking rash force field! The natural enemy of the new look BMWs may well be wayward supermarket trolleys. PDC won't stop them.

Both the 530i and 545i get 17-inch alloy wheels (the 525 gets 16s) and run flat tyres are also standard fitment though a space saver spare is supplied.

Run flats offer an extra degree of security on the open road, but you pay for the convenience and safety. Run flat on the tyres (up to 150km at max 80kmh) and they almost always end up as throwaways. When comes time to replace the tyres, says BMW, the premium over conventional rubber is approx $100 per tyre.

MECHANICAL
Three versions of the new 5 Series will be on sale Down Under. The 530i was the first to arrive, and was the car tested by CarPoint at the October 2003 Yarra Valley (Vic) launch. It's bracketed by the entry-level 525i and V8-powered 545i.

Powered by a 3.0-litre Bi-VANOS version of BMW's signature inline six cylinder engine, the 530i boasts a healthy 170kW and 300Nm. Not big numbers in this day and age, but enough to propel the car to 100km in 7.1sec and on to a top speed of over 240km/h, says BMW.

The engine should be familiar to BMW-philes as it's been seen in 3 Series, Z4 and X5 applications. It's essentially carried over all but unchanged from the outgoing 5 Series. Not that we have any complaints. This is a syrupy smooth engine that makes up for its relative lack of urge off the line with the ability to rev, rev and rev some more.

This hallmark powerplant -- BMW's first to gain ULEV II (Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle) rating and qualify for 2005 EU4 emissions certification -- is one that's almost impossible to criticise save to say we're not sure how BMW's going to top it!

The 525i gets the venerable 2.5-litre BMW six -- a Bi-Vanos equipped mill with a claimed output of 141kW at 6000 rpm. Peak torque at 3500rpm is 245Nm

Evidence of the trickle down of technology from the 7 Series is all over the new 5. None more so than the adoption of the flagship's all alloy suspension (including damper bodies) and the arrival of hybrid (aluminium/steel) body structure.

Utilising an all alloy structure forward of the firewall, the new 5 boasts 50:50 weight distribution and a healthy 75kg saving over its predecessor. Not all the savings come from the front end, nonetheless the all-aluminium front panels, chassis rails and major componentry play their part.

According to BMW, the marrying of alloy and steel for the basic structure of the car, is a world first. New technology including electrochemical corrosion resistant techniques for bonding and friction welding have been developed to manufacture what's claimed to be the world's first the steel/aluminium driveshaft.

Heavily-webbed cast alloy front suspension strut towers point towards to the rigidity of the structure, which contributes to the car's Euro NCAP five star rating. Boy racers won't help but notice the substantial strut brace under the bonnet either.

COMPETITORS
That there was no mention of any other competitor at BMW's briefing than E-class should make it clear where the action lies in this lucrative market segment. Priced at $90,900, $106,900 and $157,000 (including navigation), BMW says the 525i, 530i and 545i compete with the E240, E320 and E500 respectively.

In each case, BMW claims performance advantages -- eg: in the 0-100kmh sprint the 530i betters the E320 Elegance by 0.6sec (7.1 vs 7.7). It also says that once equipment levels are standardized the 5 Series value proposition is even higher. Unlike the outgoing 5, which offered a Sport alternative, just one version of each model is offered.

While on-road decisions will have to wait for a direct comparison, one thing's for certain, the 5 Series is a new generation and looks it. It immediately dates the E Class.

Secondary competition comes from the all-new Audi A6, Lexus GS300, Holden and Ford luxury liners, and Jaguar recently revamped S-Type range. This is especially the case for the $90-100K 525i which delivers the 5's individual looks and thoroughly modern feel into a price bracket that top dollar user-choosers can afford.

ON THE ROAD
The arrival of the 7 Series DNA means that Dynamic Drive has arrived in '5 land.' A not inconsequential $4950 tick on the ever-lengthening BMW option list, DD all but eliminates body roll, and combined with other electronic trickery (more on this later) puts this 'cooking model' 5 close to the 'old' M5 in the twisties. Yes, it's that good.

All of the launch 5s were fitted with DD, so comment on the abilities of the stock E60 5 will have to wait for a drive in a car so-equipped. Whether you opt for DD or not, a sport suspension option is also available. It lowers the car 15mm, says BMW.

As tested the 530i was impressive. No, read: very impressive. The agility of the new car is eye-opening and Active Steering a boon -- both on the open road and when parking, or manoeurving in the very tight stuff.

DD ties the car down in terms of body roll, but there's none of the go-kart choppiness the normally goes hand in hand with massive roll stiffness. Ride is very good, but it's not the quietest car in then class - while wind noise was well controlled even at high speed tyre roar on our tester was pronounced.

Neutral with just a hint of understeer at high levels of effort, the 530i's a very rewarding drive. It's unerringly accurate and the only hiccup appears to be when fast changes of direction let you know that DD is working as it momentarily acts to tie down the car.

Indeed, such are the abilities of the 530i's running gear that the sensational six-cylinder powerplant is almost overshadowed. As noted above, this is a wonderfully capable powerplant and mated to the new six-speed autobox, hard to fault.

If we have one criticism we'd like to have more urge off the bottom. Mind you, isn't that what V8s are for... Roll on June 2004 and throw me the keys to that 545i.

BOTTOMLINE: 5 for the price of 3 -- our pick of the two sixes

With the arrival of the 525i it seems BMW's has managed to pull off the impossible, or at least the improbable. Though with a near 20 per cent power deficit, the new entry level 5 is nowhere near 20 per cent less of the car that launched the new 5 Series range last year, The 530i. Indeed, after a week behind the wheel we'd place the approximation at 98 per cent, for all but the true petrolheads among us.

For one thing, the performance of the 141kW 525i is most situations is more than adequate, and best of all, refined. It's hard to rationalize that this is the same basic powerplant with which we were less than enamored in the SMG-blighted 325ti.

In the entry level 5 the 2.5lt all-alloy four-valve straight six-cylinder engine is mated to a fuss free autobox with six well-chosen ratios. And though it might not have the outright neddies of the 3.0lt car, it's never left behind in town and happily lopes along at highly illegal speeds on the open road... All the time returning remarkably frugal fuel numbers.

Good thing that it's such an impressive cogbox, however -- until the new generation M5 arrives in 2005, the six-speed auto is the only gearbox available to E60 5 Series buyers Down Under. For the record manual and SMG boxes are offered across the range in Europe. We'd be more than happy to see the little six mated with a slick shifting six speed manual box.

Unlike the launch 530i we drove, the 525 tester was not equipped with Dynamic Drive, BMW's smart suspension system. Rather than coping with kilobytes, the standard steel spring 525i relies on the time honoured suspension tuner's art. And in this case (like, let's face it, most of BMW's offerings for the past decade) the backroom boys got it right; subtle but well controlled and never fidgety, nor floaty -- both spring and damping rates are just so. FYI, the more sporting among us can opt for optional sport suspension.

We've written before about the amazing depth of the options listing BMW and its opposition marques offer, in addition to the cost thereof. Our 525i came with more than $10K worth of options, the most expensive of which was the electric glass sunroof at a hefty $3300. Electric seat adjustment with memory function for driver’s seat added $2310, 10-speaker stereo upgrade $1440 and 17-inch alloy wheels with run flats another $1550 -- pretty good value.

We could have lived without the Bluetooth Phone Kit, Adaptive Headlights, Park Distance Control (PDC) and anti-dazzle autodimming mirrors -- which would bring the 525i well under the $100,000 mark. Or in other words, well optioned 3 Series territory.

A 5 Series for 3 series money? With some smart buying the 525i could be just that.

BOTTOMLINE: The best luxury sedan we've tested, but some of its technology is too clever for its own good

Improving on what has arguably been hailed as the best four-door in the world was never going to be easy but in many ways, BMW has managed to pull it off. The visuals remain debatable but mechanically, it delivers. There is no shortage of evidence that the priority with this car was a ride and drive compromise that was, in fact, little compromise at all.

Fitted with the electronically controlled Dynamic Drive option, pushing hard through twisting country roads delivers a handling experience that could have you thinking this is a sports car, not a family sedan. Flat cornering, an abundance of grip and very good balance inspires confidence in even an average driver. On the flip side, the ride is supremely comfortable over all types of surfaces, soaking up irregularities with aplomb.

With the suspension about as sorted as it could be, the other big factor in the drive experience is steering and here the extremely clever 530i is fitted with an active system that is remarkable in its variability. At higher speeds, it runs a typical ratio that requires about three-turns lock-to-lock and delivers the weighting and feedback expected of BMW.

But slow down to urban cruising or less and the ratio and weighting decrease substantially. It's not overly light but at its tightest only requires 1.7-turns lock-to-lock, which despite the mechanical link, makes the steering feel kind of remote. Barely turning the wheel to get through a suburban roundabout is appreciated but the combination of large 5 Series sedan and go-kart steering takes some getting used to.

The 3.0-litre six is largely carried over from the previous generation and delivers a silky, seamless surge of power. Although the engine loves to rev, it doesn't shift the car off the line with an overabundance of thrust. Mated to the new six-speed auto, it does accommodate changes for driving style and the tiptronic-style sequential shift seems more responsive than in the old five-speed.

Space inside the new car is a great improvement but there is nowhere to put anything. Although the I-Drive menu controller is less complex than in the 7 Series, sticking a CD in the slot and getting it to play is still not a simple operation. Techno-overload? The active cruise control works a treat but back out of the driveway and the sound and vision park distance control appears to be having a close encounter with a third kind and is just as annoying.

Styling? It's a subjective thing and I couldn't possibly comment. Its looks set it apart from every other vehicle on the road. Whether that's a good or bad thing to you is not for us to say.

BOTTOMLINE: High on power but a big financial step over the 530i.

With a 5.0-litre V-10 engine that's safe to the high side of 8500rpm (no kidding!), the E60 version of the world's most desirable sports saloon, BMW's M5, is set to rewrite the record books when it arrives Down Under in 2005. However, until that time, performance-minded 5 Series buyers have but one choice: the range-topping V8-engined 545i.

Boasting a 245kW, 4.4-litre bent eight, the $157,000 545i demands a close-to-$50,000 premium over the 170kW 530i; the car that debuted the new 5 Series Down Under.

Claimed performance levels are not streets apart. The V8 version takes 5.9sec seconds to top the 100km/h mark; 1.2sec faster than the inline six (7.1sec). Top speeds are academic, an electronically limited 250kmh versus a claimed 242. Out on the real road, the extra urge of the V8 manifests itself via serious stoplight to (blue?) spotlight performance, and arguably more importantly, effortless open road cruising and overtaking.

The extra dollars deliver the 745i-sourced V8, obviously, with a very high equipment/accessory spec level. In addition to the already elevated level of standard/safety equipment offered in the 530i, with electronic driver aids and airbags aplenty, the V8 gets gets multi-adjustable, electric-powered 'Comfort' seats with active head restraints; adaptive Bi-Xenon headlamps that 'see' around corners; anti-theft alarm system; electric glass sunroof; electric rear window sunblind; 'Professional' cellphone with clever mobile module (works out of the car for about 200m radius); uprated 10-speaker sound system (with underseat subs) and bespoke alloys with low-profile 45-series 17-inch rubber.

What doesn't change is the relative dearth of incidental storage offered to front seaters in the new 5. Once you've filled the hard-to-get-at door pockets, it's the glovebox or bust. Korean-spec cupholders don't aid the ambience either.

In addition to this spec level, our $166,360 'as-tested' 545i came equipped with:
Dynamic Drive ($4950),
sports steering wheel ($200),
front seat ventilation and heating (driver and passenger, $2750),
Active Cruise Control ($4500),
18-inch wheels and tyres ($1500),
further upgraded LOGIC7 sound ($1760)
and metallic paint ($1700).

We've praised the benefits of BMW's Dynamic Drive before. It seems able to achieve the impossible: Sportscar roadholding, without the choppiness associated with normal 'performance' suspension. Such was the case with the 545i. Fleet-footed in the twisties, it still delivered a fair approximation of a limo around town. Given the added performance potential of the 545i, it's probably worth the extra $5k. Whatever, try buying a 545i without it -- the only way a 545i arrives Down Under without DD is by special order, it seems.

That said, the 120kg heavier 545i doesn't quite seem to have the top line balance of its six-cylinder siblings. Not having driven the cars back to back, this is a subjective observation that won't stand a court of law, but one I'd make nonetheless. Indeed, neddies aside it's this tester's opinion you'd be hard pressed to find 10 key reasons to purchase the 545i over a well-optioned 530i, let alone 50,000.