With 306 bhp under the BMW’s bonnet, the Volvo driver would have needed something pretty tasty to keep up with it – the 0-62 mph time of 6.0 seconds and electronically limited top speed of 155 mph from the 535i is unlikely to be troubled by anything much that has come out of Sweden. Yes, I know about Koenigsegg but how many of them have you seen? Precisely.
BMW quotes a combined fuel consumption for the car of 33.6 mpg (this is the automatic on test, which does slightly better than the manual) and you might think that sounds fanciful. I did, but then I drove the car and found that 30 mpg was relatively straightforward and 32 mpg a realistic target.
The auto box is a new eight speed unit and is the best of its type I have driven. Country lanes are actually a very good place to test a box like this because the constantly changing driving conditions soon reveal if the box is cursed with more ratios than it needs and hunts around to find the correct gear all the time.
No such worries here, with the BMW unit sorting itself admirably and, when it needed to swap ratios, doing so imperceptibly smoothly. The test car was the sport automatic with a paddle shift which BMW likens to a Formula 1 experience, something I thought their marketing boys wanted to forget!
I don’t like paddle shifts. I think they are pretentious twaddle but in the interests of research it was essential to try them. Suffice to say they worked OK and that’s about the sum of it.
The 535i is a big car and will be a bit of a rarity in the UK. BMW says 90 per cent of the 5 Series sold in the UK will be diesels, two thirds of them the 520d starter model. So if you are a rich 5 Series buyer you won’t want the middle manager’s car. I aspire to be rich and watch my fortunes (or lack of them) on Euromillions every week so the 535i might be the car for me.
And, let’s face it, if you live in the countryside and are plagued by those peasant types driving diesel tractors you don’t want your car to sound the same. So, take my word for it, the £37,300 535i SE sounds much better although the test car’s £14,305 of options, including the £1,605 auto box, took it to a level where, frankly, the makers are having a laugh by not even offering full electric adjustment of the front seats. You can only get away with letting buyers feel stupid for so long and I reckon BMW is pushing its luck!
Maurice Hardy
I had hoped that by now BMW had sorted out the ride quality issues with its cars but the 535i, with its optional 19 inch wheels and hard walled run flat tyres was literally a pain in the neck.
The suspension is adjustable but as the standard ride was hard enough, the sport setting was out of the question. Comfort made the car pitch too much so I endured head bobbing moments all too often.
We both thought the upper back rests on the front seats lacked support and finding a comfortable position was not easy because the leg length and tilt angle are manually adjusted, with the heavy seat rolling back too easily on its runners and tilting towards the sky as soon as the handle for changing the angle was released.
Where the car does score is through its increased space. The 5 Series is in its sixth generation with this new model and none have offered the generous accommodation found in this one. In fact, they have been noted for their mean-ness of legroom in the past.
There’s still a vast boot with the toolkit tray in the lid but these days it only opens to reveal a warning triangle and screw in tow loop instead of the impressive array of spanners, screwdrivers, spare bulbs, and even the yellow duster that you used to get. It’s progress, I suppose, that even enthusiasts can’t get their hands dirty in the oily bits any more.
Annette Hardy
Car: BMW 535i SE Sport Automatic
Does it fit your ego...?
0-62 mph: 6.0 secs
Top speed: 155 mph
Bhp: 306 @ 5800 rpm
Torque: 295 lb ft @ 1200 - 5000 rpm
...and your wallet...?
Price: £38,905
Urban: 23.7 mpg
Extra urban: 44.1 mpg
Combined: 33.6 mpg
CO2 emissions: 195 g/km
Insurance Group (50 group system): 40
Best bits: smooth shifting gearbox; sprightly; spacious.
