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In our line of work, it's obviously a lot easier to find shortcomings in a $20,000 car than in an $80,000 car. That high price might seem expensive for a transportation device (and it is), but once you spend some time with it, you realize that it's almost worth that sum.
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| The new 5 Series sports a softer, more organic shape. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
I say almost, because in the case of a German luxury sedan like this 550i xDrive, between you and me, a portion of the MSRP pays for the privilege of driving around in a vehicle that flaunts those prestigious propeller badges. With its Genesis, Hyundai has proven that you can build a high-quality and powerful rival to a BMW 5 Series for a lot less, but the prestige factor is not there, despite the voluntary omission of the brand's logo on the car.
The previous-gen 5 was a brilliant car, and cooking up a worthy successor probably wasn't an easy task. But hey, BMW did it.
The new 5 Series rides on a longer wheelbase, but exterior dimensions are pretty close to the ones of the old model. Yet the car looks wider and lower, more than the numbers suggest.
It keeps the frowning headlights, the svelte body and the subtle chrome accents, but the kidney grille is more prominent, the hood got more lumps and power bulges, and the taillights mimic those of the larger 7 Series.
Overall, the 5 Series sports a softer, more organic shape, and despite struggling to distinguish itself from rivals like the Audi A6 and Mercedes-Benz E-Class, I like it.
Inside, the dash and door panel design is more attractive, if still not up to Audi's level of finish and style. The blocky shapes have been rounded out and trimmed with tasteful bright accents. The Active seats are well worth the $5,500 price of the Executive Package they're included in. That group also rounds up a power trunklid, heated rear seats, four-zone climate control, heads-up display and cooled front seats. All good stuff to impress your neighbours with.
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| The Active seats are well worth going for the $5,500 Executive Package. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |