2006 BMW 530

When you dole out something in the neighborhood of $50,000 for a luxury sports car, you expect a lot. And BMW drivers know the German auto maker typically delivers. From the moment a driver is seated in the 2006 530, the company's most popular 5-series car, they know there's something different going on: ergonomically correct seats that have made more than one driver spend more time than needed in his or her car, luxorious features and top of the line stereo equipment.

But BMW is about driving, and with an upgraded 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine that produced 255 horsepower, the 530 meets expectations. That's a huge step up from the 525, the entry-level car in the five series.

New to the lineup for 2006 was the BMW 530xi four-door sedan, which was equipped with BMW's xDrive all-wheel-drive system. It provided improved agility and stability.

As far as styling and standard features were concerned, there were no major overhauls in the 2006 model year, but 530 drivers did note some improvements: most notably, the software for the iDrive navigation system - which got numerous complaints in previous years - seems to have been tweaked to make it "less annoying."