Overview & Reviews

It's no exaggeration to say that the BMW 5 Series sets the standard for premium sport sedans. Introduced for the 1972 model year, the midsize 5 Series has long offered a near-perfect blend of performance, luxury and interior room. It's also highly regarded for its refined styling and innovative technology features.

Most BMW 5 Series models you'll come across will be rear-wheel-drive sedans, though you'll stumble upon the occasional 5 Series wagon on the used car market. In addition, all-wheel drive has been optional for some time, and many used sedans in colder climes will be so equipped. Traditionally, the 5 Series has featured an inline six-cylinder gasoline engine, but BMW has also offered V8 engines, turbocharged four-cylinders and even diesel-powered options. When people ask us to recommend luxury cars, the BMW 5 Series is invariably high on the list, new or used.

User Reviews:

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  Transmission Problems - 2011 BMW 5-Series
  By noles01 - September 7 - 12:06 pm

  This is my third BMW 5 Series and Im afraid its my last...... The transmission hestitation at low speeds is absolutely maddening. Its much worse than any turbo lag. I wish i still had my 2008 528i. Ive taken it to the dealer three times and was told "its just the nature of the beast and there is nothing we can do". Sure wish I would have read about the conerns posted here before I leased this car for 36 months. Four months and four thousand miles of misery. Doubt I can last. My new Bimmer is a Bummer. Any ideas?

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  Great When Everything Works - Over Designed - 2008 BMW 5-Series
  By timbo52 - July 22 - 1:24 pm

  Exhilerating and fun when everything works! Love to drive my 2008 535i with Sport package- when it is not in the shop. Lots of power and totally responsive. Many problems which has been worked on under the factory warranty.1) entire head lamp module (less than 1 wk after delivery), 2)fuel pump, 3)fuel injectors, 4)car suddenly went into limp (lower power) mode when entering hwy- no solution yet from BMW(fortunately I was not in heavy traffic), 5)new gear shift handle, 6) iDrive goes crazy-dead black screen. Hopefully, nothing else shows up. I love the way the car handles but the trips to the service department has become too aggravating! Selling before warranty ends!Bitter/sweet experience.

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  buyer beware! - 2011 BMW 5-Series
  By citroen3 - June 29 - 2:27 pm

  I bought a 2011 550i Xdrive in late 2010, within the last six weeks I have had 4 runflat tires (on 19inch wheels) go bust over fairly minor pot holes. they were 4 unrelated incidents. Cost to replace, just shy of $2000. Last week my car with about 10,500 miles on the clock, broke down on the highway, message transmission malfunction. One tow and 5 days, later I got it back with the rear differential replaced. One day after I got it back from the local BMW dealer, new warning 4 by 4 chassis stabilisation malfunction contact your BMW dealer , do not brake hard Given that this fully loaded, nearly $70,000 car is completely unreliabe, I am seriouly thinking of getting rid of it.

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  A Great Car-Almost - 2008 BMW 5-Series
  By gruderian - June 17 - 6:53 pm

  Great all around highway cruiser. Curves do not exist at practically any speed. Brakes are first class in every respect. Gas mileage averages around 12.5, all city driving 15.5 combined and 22.7 highway at any speed below 100 mph ( I know what you are thinking but that is how it works out ). Easy to live with and drive under any conditions. Front seats are very comfortable on long drives. Rough ride over road imperfestions. Extremely large and useful trunk. Not a single problem of any kind for the three years I had it. Some repetetive adjustments on the I drive are ridiculous. Heater will not warm your feet no matter how you adjust it. Throttle control is managed by computer.

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  Fun to Drive! 2007 530XI (6speed manual) - 2007 BMW 5-Series
  By 5pack - June 5 - 8:19 pm

  I have wanted a BMW for 20 years. I purchased my first BMW a year ago. It is a CPO. I bought the all inclusive warranty and the tire warranty. The car preformed great this past winter with the snow. I have absolutely no complaints. The handling is unbelievable. I am a person that uses the warranties. I have taken it twice for a service. I have also have had to put 2 tires on it. I highly recommend the tire warranty. One tire was for a pot hole, and the other is a nail. I am very satisfied with my purchase. I was extremely worried before hand, if someone feels the same way I do, then I recommend you go for it. Driving this car is about the joyment of driving, not getting from point A to B.

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  First...maybe last. Great to drive. Post-warranty fears... - 2006 BMW 5-Series
  By vengefultick - April 26 - 11:39 am

  I bought my 525i as a CPO with ~32,000 miles on it. By the second day I had an appointment to get the rotors replaced as they were warped. November 10 I had to have the radiator replaced as it developed a sizable whole. The transmission engages rather hard from near-stop or even a full stop at times. It occasionally shifts hard at speed. The dealership swears this is my driving style. I find it commical that I did not have this problem with a 99 Ford Escort, 98 Suzuki Sidekick, 98 Toyota Tacoma, 04 Mazda Protege5, or an 05 Chevy Silverado....but I do with the expensive BMW. The car is fun to drive, the stearing and handling are great.

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  Loves it - 2005 BMW 5-Series
  By paulmiceli - March 21 - 9:49 pm

  Owned my 2005 530i for 3 years and never had one problem with it. Drove like a dream and always loved driving it. I put on about 12,000 a year mostly city driving and it performed great. A little tight up front (Im 63) but overall the space inside is good. The interior design is very good the bluetooth always worked great with my phone and IDrive didnt bother me once I got used to it. The cup holders are ok theyre not to bad never had a problem with them. The car is also very safe I got into an accident and the car held up great. Just recently sold it with 57,000 miles I upgraded to a 2008 535xi I hope I have the same luck with it !

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  Great Wagon - 2006 BMW 5-Series
  By mycayenneturbo - January 31 - 2:27 pm

  We recently purchased a pre-owned 530xi Sports Wagon with 70k miles on it, oh what can we say, we love it! We just took it for a long trip(800 miles round trip) to visit our family and the road trip was a joy. It is very fun to drive & seats are on the firm side and supportive and it didnt give me lower back pain for driving for such long hours! The interior is very quiet(not as quiet as Lexus cars) and it rides very smoothly. We folded the back seats down and it created a great bed for our dogs and spacious cargo area for our luggage. My husband hated the idea of owning a station wagon but he likes this one, it is beautiful, probably one of the best looking station wagons available today.

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  Time to Say So Long - 2007 BMW 5-Series
  By hoosierbmw - January 29 - 9:10 pm

  This is an update to my earlier review. While I love my 525xi and how it drives... it is time to go. I had to replace a headlight BULB..xenon at $200 installed, then a backup bulb.. had to take entire light assembly out...$41 dollars. All my other cars dont ding me for small fixes.. cant afford to keep up payments + repairs.

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  2011 BMW 528 - 2011 BMW 5-Series
  By windsurfing1 - January 27 - 8:38 pm

  My previous BMW ownership included a 1998 528 and a BMW 328 convertible, owning these cars have turned me into a BMW fan. Then I bought this 2011 528 with reasonable amount of expectation, but it turned out to be a big disappointment. I only have one complaint about the new BMW, and it is a substantial one. The new 8 speed transmission has a almost turbo lag kinda delay followed by a surge of power when accelerating in low gears, probably because it has a adaptive mode trying to learn your driving style, that drive by wire feature alone kills the overall driving experience of a bimmer.