It's always best to start at the heart of the matter - or hearts in this case. The hearts of the BMW 5-Series are its wide choice of smooth, powerful engines. Beginning with a 184-hp 2.5-L inline-six cylinder base engine, power comes on easily with ample torque, at 175 lb-ft, to bring it from an onramp into the fast lane in short order, especially when mated to the standard 5-speed manual gearbox. The 3.0-L I-6 under the hood of the 530i, new last year, is a jewel of an engine as well. There is none smoother at idle, and few that let out as satisfying a howl at full throttle. Its 225-hp comes on smooth and effortless, with no peaks or valleys on the way to redline. While not appearing as robust as some of its competitors on paper, when push comes to shove it performs as if it's not telling the whole truth about its output. Likewise is the 540i's 290-hp 4.4-L V8. When speed is of the essence its 324 lb-ft of torque shoot you forward with a vengeance - a joy to run through the gears of its Steptronic sequential shifting automatic transmission. And just when you think it can hardly get better, the 394-hp M5 with its short-throw 6-speed manual has left me forever underwhelmed by any sedan that has even tried to entertain me behind its wheel since.
And it's not just the power. It's the balance of power and chassis that makes the 5-Series so special. Whether traversing a mountain highway in a 525i or 540i Touring (wagon), or carving corners in the all-powerful M5, the 5-Series reacts to each input with intuitive reflexes. A sport-tuned, multilink front and rear suspension system evens out the rough patches making molehills out of mountains along the way. It's as if the car knows what to do despite the shortcomings of its driver. Funny thing is that this is partially true. BMW's DSC III (dynamic stability control) and ASC+T (traction control) keep the car in check when an over-enthused driver pushes it beyond its limit - and every car has one. Its standard 16 x 7-inch alloy wheels on 225/60R16 all-season radials add to the performance quotient, improved upon by optional 17 or 18-inch wheel/tire packages.