BMW 5 Series Diesel 2015 Review

BMW 5 Series Diesel 2015 Review

BMW 520d Sport
Road Test

Priced from $82,900 (plus on-road costs), the BMW 520d brings impressive levels of luxury, space and refinement to the table, along with a highly-desirable German badge. Despite newer offerings from its European rivals, the 5 Series still holds its own; it's an easy but involving executive vehicle that makes you feel important while delivering plenty of whiz-bang features – especially if you add the $3400 Professional package.

Dropping into the BMW 5 Series cabin for the first time in a long time, I'm suitably impressed. The door shuts with a soft thud, there's a serene, calm feel to the cabin and I'm quickly comfortable in the big, welcoming seats thanks to the electric adjustment.

Scanning the cockpit it's impossible not to reach and touch the dashboard, to ratify whether it feels as good as it looks. Yep, just like the seats and door inserts, it is indeed swathed with stitched leather.

Together with subtle timber accents that are tasteful as opposed to tacky, and a minimal approach to buttons and dials, the interior exudes quality and is a pleasant place to be.

Although the overall cockpit design hasn't changed dramatically with this LCI or life cycle impulse (BMW speak for mid-life vehicle update), it's still attractive and the instrument panel is now an all-digital affair which makes the car feel just a little more special.

Especially impressive is the way the numerals grow in size as the needle approaches actual road speed. It's a small touch but much appreciated… No need to fish around in my bag for the spectacles.

Switching the car between EcoPro, Comfort and Sport modes – which adjusts the steering and throttle (and ride quality if you option the M Sport pack for $1750) – also changes the colour and design of the dials. Some may find it gimmicky, I loved it.

And unlike its rivals, the Mercedes E-Class, Jaguar XF and Audi A6, this BMW 5 Series has a raised transmission tunnel and gear shifter and I must confess I like this layout. It doesn't create the sense of space of its competitors but you feel more ensconced in the driver's seat. As well as feeling further removed from your co-driver (which can sometimes be advantageous) it also adds a sense of sportiness to the driving position.

On the move, first impressions are good.

The car is extraordinarily quiet and smooth, cruising along serenely with wind, tyre and most external noises reduced to muffled, muted swishes. The only noise that intrudes into the interior is tyre roar on coarse-chip roads, a result of larger wheels and run-flat tyres.

Ride quality isn't as supple as some of its direct opponents but the suspension straddles the line between compliant and responsive. The 520d is able to absorb smaller cracks in the road and glides along smoother than a 3 Series for example.

At the opposite end of the spectrum the 5er maintains good body control through corners. It's a rewarding car to guide through bends in the road with relatively good dexterity for something this large and heavy, 4907mm in length and 1630kg on the scales.

The steering could do with a little more feel but is well-suited to relaxed, easy going driving.

If you want outright power – and have the fiduciary wherewithal to acquire it – the twin turbo V8 M5 or the force-fed six-cylinder 535i would be good options. The 520d is the baby of the bunch, a turbo-diesel four-cylinder worth 140kW so it doesn't have the machismo of its siblings, but despite being the peanut of the family power delivery is buttery smooth.

When driven in regular and EcoPro modes acceleration is refined and casual. Throttle response sharpens up appreciably when in sports mode. The eight-speed automatic is similarly talented in the art of fluidity, but offers rapid response when required.

BMW's entry-level diesel 5 Series is efficient too. The car's drive computer calculated I used 5.9L/100km which is above the claimed 4.5, but still very respectable for a large car.

Criticisms? There's a few. Rear seat leg room is average – I expected more spacious accommodations for adults in the rear. Then there's the boot, which is suitably deep with 520 litres of space, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out how to fold the rear seats down. Turns out they do, I just need my eyes checked.

It's a wide car and parking it isn't child's play, even with reversing camera, parking sensors and the 360-degree surround view trickery. The latter is part of the Professional pack, a $3400 kit that adds plenty of other useful features, and is well worth forking out the extra clams for.

BMW reckons this package adds almost $13,000 worth of extra, including keyless entry and ignition, digital radio (DAB+), head-up display, lane-change warning, self-dimming mirrors the digital dash and ConnectedDrive Freedom (read: the Internet).

The head-up display is a welcome feature, displaying navigation direction as well as road speed, and the extra functionality of ConnectedDrive through the updated, more mature and intuitive iDrive control system is impressive. As well as showing real-time traffic flow on the map – and it's generally very accurate – owners can fiddle about with a range of apps and it's all displayed on a gorgeous widescreen display.

On top of all that, the car has a level of fit and finish that surpasses the likes of the 3 Series and its contemporaries, and you feel it from the way the boot closes to the way it motivates from standstill. It may be the entry-level BMW 5 Series but the 520d – when fitted with the Professional pack – is an accomplished, clever car.

2015 BMW 520d Sport pricing and specifications:
Price: $89,300 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 140kW/400Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 4.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 119g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

What we liked:
>> Fit and finish
>> Frugal diesel engine
>> Quiet, composed motoring

Not so much:
>> Rear seat space
>> Strong competitors
>> Optional extras add up fast

Also consider:
>> Audi A6 (from $79,990 plus ORCs)
>> Jaguar XF (from $74,285 plus ORCs)
>> Mercedes-Benz E-Class  (from $80,400 plus ORCs)