Vehicle: 2011 BMW 535i with Sport Pkg, Technology Pkg and Dynamic Handling Pkg
Price as tested: CDN$77100

Performance: As with all the 5-Series has gone before, its available with 3 different powertrains. The mild 240hp 3.0 liter straight-6 DOHC with 240 horses, the spicy 300hp 3.0 liter with twin-scroll turbocharger and the extra spicy 400hp 4.4 liter V8 twin-turbo; which are available in 528i, 535i and 550i, respectively. The highlight of our tester is BMW’s new N55 3.0 liter with twin-scroll turbocharged engine with 8-speed Steptronic gearbox, which we think it will be the best-seller within the 5-Series range. Since we have driven the 550i in the pointless GT trim, we won’t bother to review this powertrain all over again. As refined as the base 240hp mill, its an underwhelming unit given 5-Series’s curb weight. Its the 300hp and 300 lb/ft of torque that is the real deal with the 5. Unlike the previous BMW twin-turbo mills we have driven in both 3, 5 and 7-Series. They have finally done what a good turbocharged engine does, that’s get rid of that annoying turbo lag. Along with all those advacements like Double VANOS and Valvetronic one expects from Bavarian, this straight-6 twin-scroll turbo finally delivers of what we believe its the best turbocharged effort from Munich. This engine is able to move 5′s 4090 lb Teutonic leather and wood lined of luxury with authority. The throttle response is quick. It has an urgency whenever driver needs to push this 535i around. It also pushed around the mid and upper range without losing its composure. The 8-speed Steptonic has worked amazing with this I-6 turbo, which has 1st and 2nd gears set low enough for peppy acceleration (as well as to eliminate turbo lag), while leaving 7th and 8th tall enough for comfortable cruising. However, we felt it has too many gears as the gear ratios from 3rd to 6th have seem redundant even if they keep the turbo engine in full boil. The paddle shifters mounted on the steering have encouraged any enthuisastic driver to use all the gears whenever needed. Whether anyone has the patient to flip around 8 gears are beyond my knowledge.

Handling: BMW has known for building solid foundation for their platform. Their latest 5-Series is no exception. The platform is both rigid and solid, without any hints of cracks and rattles. What makes the sedan different than the pointless GT silibing is the driver position and the tuning philosophy. With the GT, BMW has tuned more toward blvd cruiser instead of a capable handler. With the sedan, it finally receives the dynamic attention of what a 5-Series should be. Even with the annoying run-flat tires, the 5-Series rides surprisingly civilized with the optional sports suspension. The sports suspension is both comfortably compliant when riding on rough pavements, while firm enough for any enthuisastic driving mannners. We are glad our tester doesn’t have the controversial Active Steering, which has taken all the feedback and precision from its steering. With this sports and dynamic handling packages; its already good enough for any kinds of black top twisties. The Active Steering isn’t worth the extra dough to get it as a proper option. In the meantime, the steering isn’t as sharp and precise as what a BMW should be even without Active Steering. The latest generation 5-Series electric power steering just doesn’t have the direct feedback and ultimate precision as its E34 and E39 predecessors did, although it already provided better feel than the system currently offers in Toyota Corolla and Matrix. Unfortunately, which isn’t saying much about this 535i’s rather numb and darty steering. If one without Active Steering already felt like crap, imagine how numb and uncommunicative with that annoying option. Combined with 5-Series’s rear-wheel-drive 50/50 perfect weight distrubution, an uninstrusive DSC-4 dynamic stability control and you have a pretty delightful dynamic package. Both the body rolls and under/oversteers are well-tempted given the weight of the entire car.

Brakes: With 4-wheel discs and ABS, the 5-Series stops decently well given its weight. The stopping distance is short while pedal feels alive. The pedal actually have some lives to it when drop the anchor. After a couple of hard stops, it doesn’t exhibit any fades. ABS acts accordingly, as it doesn’t step in unnecessarily.

Interior: With the shortened 7-Series platform, BMW has claimed 5-Series has improved its much-criticized space problem with both rear trunk space and legroom. While you won’t find the same limo-like legroom in the latest 5-Series as its A6 and E-Class rivals; it has improved at a reasonable rates over all the generations have gone past before. E34 has to be the worse offender when it comes to comical rear legroom. Finally, those who sit at the back of the 5-Series won’t complaint of why a less expensive Camry has better legroom and elbow room.

As with the rear legroom, the trunk has become larger. At long last, a 5-Series is able to swallow luggages comfortably with the rear passengers without losing any dignity. However, the liftover is high for loading luggages. That’s despite the side sills are boxy with fold-down rear seats and proper hinges.

When it comes to interior materials and workmanship, the latest 5 finally addressed some of the cheap pieces in the center console. The switchgears are much higher quality with tactical feel. There are plenty of soft-touch materials on the dashboard, center console and door panels. Although the tactical feedback won’t make Audi back to the drawing board, its certainly a huge improvement when it comes to material choices. But, it has to be a big *BUT* with the quality of fit-and-finish with the latest 5-Series. We have witnessed the loose rear armrest in the 550i GT we drove, as well as horrible wood trim rattles. Oh dear, how consistent is that with BMW quality these days. We witneesed exactly the same drama with this 535i sedan. Make things worse, the wood trim on the door panels actually make more rattles on a railroad track than the GT. When you are buying a 70 grand German luxury car, I expect something much more than those quality problems.

Conclusion: After 7 years with the underwhelming outgoing car, BMW finally replaced it with a much improved iteration. It looks much better (finally, even if it looks bland), the interior has got the attention it always needed, the annoying turbo lag is gone with N55 over N54 and handles relatively well.

Then here lies the rough. 5-Series used to be the standard which others used to judged in the middle luxury segment. Even if the latest car has improved so much, its no longer the trendsetter that it used to be 2 generations ago. That’s exactly the case with both 5 and 7-Series. If you aren’t lusting after the blue and white propeller emblem, perhaps Infiniti M37 is a better choice if you are looking for a rear-drive mid luxury sedan.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2011 BMW 535i
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Performance: 5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4.5/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 3/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5
Value-for-money: 3/5

Overall rating: 4/5