hello everyone and welcome to the bmw 5 series otherwise known as the ultimate business barge
for those at the top of the corporate company car tree wind back 20 years and the motorways
of great britain were filled with large executive saloons ferrying their important owners from city
to city as they closed important deals and while cars like the 5 series mercedes-benz e-class
and audi a6 have been overtaken by more fashionable suv rivals in the last two decades
there's no denying that there is still some seriously good car design under the skin
there's so much this car that i'm going to have trouble covering it all off in just this video
but if you want to know more then do head over to parker stock credit uk and check out our detailed
written review of the 5 series range i'm pope ellen and this is another parker's cars review
before i get started don't forget to subscribe to the channel and turn your notifications on
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the 5 series is currently available with a very wide range of engines you can choose from the
super efficient 520d to a low co2 530e plug-in hybrid to the car we've got here which is the 530
horsepower m550i x drive and if that's not enough there's the stupidly fast bmw m5 halo models
topping off the range slide yourself into the exceptionally comfortable level driver seat
and you are greeted by probably one of the best cabin layouts in the business yes if you're coming
into the 5 series from a 10 year old 1 series then all the screens and control mechanisms may seem
a bit overwhelming but trust me it doesn't take long to get used to what this cabin has to offer
and there's a lot driving position is absolutely spot-on especially if you like to sit nice
and low electric adjustment is standard but you will have to pay more for the memory function
you've got surprisingly good visibility looking forward for such a big car mainly thanks to the
slender front pillars the over-the-shoulder view is a little bit more restricted but then parking
is made easier by a suite of cameras and sensors that really help you thread the 5 series into gaps
all-round interior quality is excellent with the materials
feeling worthy of this particular cars near 90 000 pound price tag a mercedes-benz
e-class may have a fancier looking cabin but i definitely think this one is better built
the 5 series is currently available with three trim levels ranging from se to the hugely popular
m sports to this the m550i x drive whichever one you go for however you're going to get a broad
spread of standard equipment including a 12.3 inch central infotainment screen and digital dashboard
display bmw intelligent personal assistant parking assistant heated front seats and led headlamps
as with all bmws the infotainment system is a benchmark yes the sheer amount of
features may mean it feels daunting at first but i promise that when you get used to the features
they are absolutely fantastic it's super responsive the graphics are attractive and
there's plenty of customization on offer i'm also a fan of how many control methods you get
there's the touch screen you've also got the rotary dial controller down here complete with
a touch pad there's also voice control and steering wheel control for media and gesture
control which is fitted as an optional extra on this car is that last one a bit of a gimmick
yes probably but i do like the way that you get a choice of control method and also needless to
say i'm a big fan of the way that bmw has stuck with physical heater and air con controls so much
easier than many cars where you have to dive into the infotainment system just to warm up your bum
what i also like is that it doesn't control absolutely everything there's still plenty of
switches and buttons which are nice and easy to use while on the move because this car is very
highly spec'd i'm also lucky enough to be enjoying the technology plus pack and the comfort plus pack
highlights of the former include a wireless phone charger head up display and the very handy bmw
drive recorder now this can act as a hidden dash cam in the event of an accident meanwhile the
comfort plus pack nets you things like heated steering wheel we all know how much i love that
ventilated front seats rear heated seats as well so you can warm up everyone's bum in the vehicle
final checkpoint i want to mention concerns this digital dash display because while it's
easy and clear to understand if you're expecting the customization and functionality of rival
systems from mercedes and audi then you will be disappointed it is pretty limited in that respect
meanwhile cabin storage is about average you've got respectively sized door pockets a decent
glove box there and my favorite bit you've got enough space under the central armrest watch this
i'm very easily impressed i very much like that boom and boom the bmw 5 series is undoubtedly
a big car but it's very much the kind of car that you drive rather than be driven in therefore rear
seat space is good enough for two tall adults but it's not quite as generous as you'd find in an
audi a6 or a volvo s90 for ultimate rear passenger room you'll want to have a look at the bmw 7
series the 5 series is boot capacity measures up at 530 liters but this is a different story in
plug-in hybrid versions where total space drops to 410 liters you'll also have to bear in mind that
the boot opening isn't as practical as an estate or suv while you need to pay around 400 extra
for split folding rear seats now before we take the bmw 5 series out on the road we've got a quick
usability test as per usual in the form of hope's car olympics so against the clock i've got to
fold down the rear seats so they're flat tuning the radio to absolute fm and set the sat nav
to take me to buckingham palace so i can visit queen lizzy now this is going to be fun with all
the control methods i'm feeling confident but let's see how i get on start the timer please
okay okay so i got it down to the boot it's electric boot so
oh yeah how slick is that sexy sexy pull that nice noise a little bit of a cooking
the seats are now loosely goosey so they can pull down like that
i'm doing well i'm doing well slide into the comfortable level seats like so oh my
goodness right now i'm gonna i'm on the sat nav already so i'm just gonna go on to oh no
oh gosh menu um i'm not i'm not used to this just yet menu nav it's not the car it's me
being a donut search full stop oh no what's up um voice control buckingham palace
i found several destinations yes you did and also loads of tripadvisor
um reviews too which is fantastic also i'm gonna use the voice control again because i like it
absolute radio the nerves the nerves are getting to me
i think she's confused because i hesitated
absolute radio sure 100 000. i did it so
with a bit of uh getting used to the car and the functionality that would be an absolute breeze um
so as we mentioned earlier on someone who's coming into this for maybe a 10 year old one series
may be a little bit kind of overwhelmed by it all and i could actually kind of see that firsthand
but you would get used to how the car works you can customize it to work for you and you would
get on really well and it would be an absolute hoot let's go to buckingham palace shall we
hands up the bmw 5 series that i'm driving right now is probably not going to be the
version that most people will buy and that's because it's the 530 horsepower
m550i x drive model and believe me when i say it is blisteringly fast
seriously though this thing has pretty much the same power output as a gt3 racing car
zero to 62 miles per hour takes just 3.8 seconds which is crazy and top speed is limited to 155
miles per hour what gets me though is how smooth and effortless the engine is it's a 4.4 liter
twin turbocharged v8 and it glides along so nicely yet you always know there's tons of
power and torque if you need it and because it's all-wheel drive as standard there's no question as
to how it transfers that power onto the road you just squeeze the accelerator a little bit and all
the cars in your rear view mirror become smaller and smaller if you're doing a lot of motorway
driving in a short period of time i honestly can't think of many cars that would be better than this
even with the big v8 petrol engine fuel economy is pretty good achieving 33 miles per gallon on
the way up to the shoot this morning as for the other engines in the range the 520d and the 530d
diesels are as always are really good and the 530e plug-in hybrid really is a highlight also fitting
firmly into the highlight category is the way the 5 series blends handling and comfort into one
very well judged package all m550i models come with adaptive suspension but this particular
car has the m adaptive suspension pro option and that adds active roll stabilization and rear wheel
steering the benefits of this is a more stable and agile handling car also with a surprisingly
tight turning circle for other models in the range i'd recommend getting the optional variable damper
control as it really makes the ride a lot smoother especially on those models with larger wheels
note that however this isn't an option on the 520d the 520i or any of the se spec models
regardless of spec though the bmw 5 series really is very refined and it keeps you nicely
insulated in this luxurious cabin again with the larger wheels you are going to
increase that road noise but it's not enough to spoil what is a really relaxing place to be in
so maybe now you're thinking of buying yourself a bmw 5 series well if that's the case which version
do you go for here's my top three recommendations for you so the cheapest version you want to go
for the 520i s e spec model if you are a company car user then i'd recommend that
you check out the 530e plug-in hybrid with its 11 bik tax rate and if you're a little
bit of a speed demon like me then you need to have a look at the m5 competition model
the automotive world may be flooded with high-end luxury suvs but for those that want something
a little more traditional the bmw 5 series is still one of the finest cars that money can buy
honestly i really wish i didn't have to give this car back it's so fast so comfortable and
so packed with clever gadgets and technology it really is very hard to find fault with it
if it were up to me this 550ix drive model would be a dream spec mwah but i also think you'd get
plenty of value if you went for the 530e plug-in hybrid or the 530d with the m sport pro pack
do i really have to give it back
you