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Ken Gratton30 Aug 2010
REVIEW

BMW 535i

Style and presence make a welcome return to the latest generation 5 Series range

BMW 535i


Road Test


Price Guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $128,900
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Integral Active Steering $3600, Automatic tailgate operation $1300, Electric glass sunroof $3200, Lane Departure Warning $1400, Lane Change Warning $1400, Surround View $1300, TV function $2800, Voice control $700, Adaptive Drive $7000, Four-zone climate control $1300, Front-seat heating $900, Extended connectivity of the music player in the mobile phone $220, Professional Navigation $1600, HiFi system Professional $1600, Exterior mirrors with anti-dazzle function and fold in function $700, DVD changer $1300
Crash rating: five-star (Euro NCAP)
Fuel: 95 RON ULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 8.4
CO2 emissions (g/km): 195
Also consider: Audi A6 3.0 TFSI quattroJaguar XJ, Mercedes-Benz E350


Overall rating: 3.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 3.5/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 2.5/5.0
Safety: 2.5/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.5/5.0
X-factor: 4.0/5.0




Depending on one's personal view, the F10 5 Series is either a bland pretender or a revival of the true BMW legacy last seen in the mould of the well-regarded E39 generation. We adhere to the latter opinion.


The new 5, with the TwinPower six and the eight-speed ZF transmission in the 535i tested, is a very competent car with plenty of presence and pizzazz. Unlock it at night and the indicators flash before the headlights flick on. In the dark, the headlights shine like the gleaming eyes of some carnivorous predator.


The 535i is very composed and quiet on the move, with the suspension in Comfort mode and the cruise set to 100km/h. Or you can toggle forward the suspension to Sport/Sport+, flick the gear lever left and use the shift paddles for a bit of fun.


In either mode the 535i satisfies; there's no driveline noise at all cruising along a freeway and the softest suspension setting provides a ride quality the dynamic equivalent of Prozac. Driven hard in Sport mode, the 535i delivers plenty of straight-line performance, appropriate steering feedback, excellent turn-in and rear-suspension grip that seems unshakeable.


If there were one issue with the 535i, the vehicle tested seemed a little vague at the straight-ahead -- and since in our international launch review the car was praised for its on-centre feel, we have to assume this particular car may have had a front-end alignment problem.


Unlike some rear-drive Germans, there was no hint that the rear-end of the 535i would step out on a trailing throttle, even in the wet. We did induce the beginnings of power oversteer with heavy application of the right boot to the accelerator pedal, but the stability and traction control systems rounded up any yaw before it got serious.


On that point, the twin-scroll turbocharged six doesn't lack grunt and sounds very sporty when pushed. It's willing to rev as well and, in combination with the ZF box, works like a charm. For its part, the smooth-changing transmission quickly adapts to your driving style and will hold a gear on the overrun, as it should.


According to the trip computer, fuel consumption for the week was 14.0L/100km.


The nett effect of engine and transmission in sync, and properly conceived underpinnings is a car that feels more like a 3 Series to drive than a 5 Series. That, of course, is in Sport or Sport+ mode, being hurled around corners on country roads.


In the other drive modes (Normal or Comfort) the 535i adopts more of a Doctor Jekyll persona. While the ride is undeniably at its best in Comfort mode, there's not much to pick in steering, throttle or shift points between Comfort and Normal. Change from Normal to Sport, however, and the transmission drops back a gear and the steering assistance is reduced appreciably.


The details we liked about the car included the head-up display, which also integrates satnav route instructions rendered graphically and textually. Then there were the well designed seats that provide tonnes of comfort and support, plus the Bluetooth facility and HVAC controls in the rear. We can highly recommend the amenity of the reversing camera with Top View and the side-looking cameras at the front. All these features met or exceeded our expectations.


While the car's dash still bulges outward around the centre fascia, the controls and instruments are all angled slightly toward the driver, like BMWs of old but unlike the outgoing E60's design. The front-seat passenger can still access the controls in the centre fascia, but the layout is just a little more driver-oriented and that's a return to the good old days of BMW.


Even iDrive is improved. The functions performed by this system are often executed faster and more efficiently than a conventional interface would manage. BMW's Favourites buttons, which are easily programmed and useful for those menu items you want to access frequently, are clever and welcome.


The driving position, unlike some, can be easily adjusted to suit the driver's physique and the steering wheel rises automatically to facilitate egress. And BMW's all-in-one gear selector is easy enough to use too, once you've adjusted to it. Adaptive headlights are, as usual, excellent, but we missed High Beam Assist in this car.


Aspects that we found to criticise are very few. Although it's good enough for adults generally, this writer -- sitting behind the driver's seat set for his own comfort -- found the rear-seat legroom slightly less generous than expected. In respect of headroom, however, the rear seat was certainly accommodating enough.


The bootspace is something of a curate's egg. While it lacks massive volume -- and is a little narrow specifically -- it's well finished (fully lined) and is deeper than we anticipated for a rear-drive car. It also extends forward some way and features bins with light nets to hold smaller objects on either side of the compartment.


We could wish that the Adaptive Cruise Control button was co-located with the cruise control switches on the steering wheel somehow -- rather than on the dash to the right and below the steering wheel. And how about the seat memory position switches? They might be easier to reach if they were up on the door caps -- as Jaguar has done with the latest XJ.


But that's not a lot wrong in a car with so much to offer.



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Written byKen Gratton
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