2025 BMW 5 Series

Pros 

• Handling and a comfortable ride.
• More space for goods than most of its rivals. 
• Several everyday technical parts of a car. 
• Among its competitors, it boasts the greatest gas mileage. 

Cons 

• It’s hard to use or understand some on-screen settings.

How does the 5 Series engine work? Our test car was a BMW 530i with the M Sport option that had rear-wheel drive. The supercharged four-cylinder engine makes more than enough power. On our test track, it took our 530i 5.7 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph. The engine’s high torque, which works perfectly with the gear ratios, makes the 530i feel very fast around town. The six-cylinder 540i is much faster, but the vast majority of buyers will be happy with the 530i, which is less expensive. 

Our test car also handled and stopped very well. The M Sport option’s better brakes and suspension are great, but the chassis as a whole is so well-designed that any 5 Series should feel safe, whether it is going quickly or carefully.

What kind of comfort does the 5-Series offer? The 5 Series is great at making you feel comfortable. No matter how fast we went, the ride was smooth and comfy, even with the optional sport suspension and 21-inch wheels on our test car. The front chairs are very comfortable, so you can sit there for hours without getting tired. The 5 Series is more comfortable because it makes less noise. When you’re going normally, you can hardly hear the motor. The tire and road noise are also surprisingly quiet. 

The temperature control system in the 5 Series works well, but it’s harder to use than it should be. The touchscreen controls can be difficult to use while moving, and it’s too hard to fine-tune the air vents.

How is the inside? Most of the car’s functions are controlled by the tablet. We want more real buttons, even though the touchscreen is quick and responsive and lets you change how it works. The tablet also allows for a very clear and complete surround-view camera system. 

Both seats have plenty of room for people, and the inside is big and comfortable. As is normal for a midsize car, the back seat of the 5 Series has plenty of room for most people’s heads and legs. It’s easy to get in and out because the doors are big and open wide. The driving position is comfortable and makes it easy to get to all the buttons. The seat is pretty high, and it’s easy to find the right height and angle.

How does the tech work? The big control screen is great for navigating. The head-up display and instrument cluster talk to the navigation system to give you turn-by-turn directions. You can easily enter directions using voice orders or the screen. You can also use voice commands to roll up the back sunshades, change the radio station, and change the temperature. The speech prompts work well, but the technology is less reliable than Mercedes’ MBUX or some Google-powered systems. 

If you’d rather use your phone, the 5 Series comes with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which let you connect and talk wirelessly. Both rows of seats have many USB-C ports and a charge station for wireless devices. The i5 would have gotten even better grades if some of our writers had been fine with getting CarPlay to work in our test car. 

As you would expect from a modern luxury car, the 5 Series has many high-tech features to help the driver, like hands-free speed driving. During our tests, they did a great job and didn’t set off any annoying fake alarms. Keep in mind that not all of them are common because BMW wants to save money.

How are things with the storage? The trunk space in the 5 Series is one of the biggest in its class. The temporary extra tire takes up some space, so if you need more cargo space, take it off. The cabin also has enough closet space. You can put your key card, sunglasses, and other things there. The small box in front of the cupholders might be able to hold two phones. It should also be a good fit for people with young children. The anchor points for the seats are easy to get to, and the back seat is roomy enough to fit bigger rear-facing child safety seats.

How much fuel does it use? The BMW 5 Series is expected to get great gas mileage for a car of this size. The EPA says the rear-wheel-drive 530i gets 30 mpg in the city and on the highway. In the real world, our test route, which got us 34.1 mpg, was much better. The 5 Series is one of the most fuel-efficient cars in its class. The 540i with all-wheel drive, which is more powerful, gets an average 28 mpg.

Is there a good deal on the 5 Series? It’s just as nice inside the 5 Series as it is inside the Mercedes E-Class and better than other midsize luxury cars. The style is great, and everything you touch or see is amazing. The LED light panels on the doors and interior make the car look nice. It’s hard to find places in the 5 Series, even in the base model, where it looks like corners were cut. 

The 5 Series is priced reasonably and is hundreds of dollars less than the E-Class, even though it is better built. Just keep in mind that many of the extras you might think would come with this price, like high-tech driving aids, do not. The basic and engine warranties on BMW cars are about average for their class. They cover four years and 50,000 miles. BMW is better than most luxury cars because it offers maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles and roadside help for four years or unlimited miles.

The BMW 5 Series has long been the most popular medium luxury car. The newest version can still do great on a winding back road, but driving one is still unpleasant. This is due to a high amount of cohesion. Also, the design of the 5 Series is more moderate than the designs of many other BMW cars.

It makes sense to go with the 530i, but the 540i xDrive also makes sense. It’s a luxury car with all-wheel drive that has 375 horsepower and gets 33 mpg on the highway. We might be pulled into the mix because it doesn’t make sense. According to BMW, the 540i xDrive can also go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds.