Francis B

Reviewed a 2010 BMW 550i Sedan RWD on Nov 2, 2010

Not every day you get the chance to drive a brand new BMW 520d. (CarIQ doesn't know there are diesel BMW's around one would say). This particular car was my brothers new car. I actually got to drive it for more km's than he drove it: he gave me the wheel at 100km and I gave it back at 160km, while the first 35km were driven by BMW. This car is impressive. Excellent quality feel, superb build quality, state of the art technology and cosy, comfortable interior. I drove the BMW at night in the pouring rain back home. It has an excellent road holding, but not sporty. There were two points of improvement. The first was that the car easily stalls when accelerating from a standstill. The engine seems to lack initial couple to get some movement in the heavy sedan. You have to drive it like a petrol engine: gas and then clutch, which seems awkward in a diesel. The second point of improvement is clearly the steering at higher speeds. To drive the car straight, you have to constantly correct your steering actively to keep driving a straight line. Very annoying. It didn't have anything to do with the pouring rain or winds during part of our drive. Although I wasn't particularly fond of some Bangle-designs, I was disappointed in the styling of this new 5 compared ot the old one. The new one could be mistaken rather easily with a 7, but it doesn't have the same character as the previous 5 series had. The visual drama is not so present. I liked the old one's convex & concave contrasts, while this new one really has nothing special about its looks. A missed opportunity. The old car will remain a design icon.