The Executive Economist

As the current BMW 5-Series goes into its last leg of production, does it still have what it takes to remain the benchmark executive car?

The 5-Series is a house-hold name in the luxury segment. It always held an aspirational yet tangible value that the upper middle-income executives drooled over. And for good reason — it’s German, practical and most of all, a good drive!
But with the current crop of 5-Series vehicles, BMW designers seem to have desperately backed away from the Bangle-era styling quirks, and, in the process, also estranged man and beauty. The 2015 528i we’re testing this week is supposed to be a BMW in the ‘classic mould’, and this “Ultimate Driving Machine” has all the technological adaptations of the age and remains a driver’s car — at least, that’s what the billboards advertise. So, naturally, we’re putting all that to the test.
DESIGN & AESTHETICS
The F10 5-Series from birth was nowhere as emphatic as the E60 predecessor. In fact, we called it the king of boring. Even though the once plain and austere look has matured to understated elegance in our eyes, it’s still no showstopper. Dimension-wise, whether you’re a five-member family or a newly-wed, the 5-Series will serve you well. Unlike the bizarrely large 7-Series, this one is just 4,899mm long and 1,860mm wide, making it much easier to park and manoeuvre.
On the subject of styling, up front, it’s an all too familiar BMW set up, with the dual-kidney grille spread across the face and dual-HID lamps with encompassing ‘halo-style’ daytime running lamps, which now appear as circles with sliced off tops and bottoms. These adaptive headlights can adjust their throw and bend around turns too. Round fog lamps with shavings of chrome populate the lower apron, which is mostly black plastic. And on top, the hood gets smooth creases set over a sheet of steel — nothing too obtrusive. The 3-box silhouette has smoothed edges, while the door panels get sharp creases that incorporate the door handles nicely.
The base car comes with under-whelming 17” wheels, but most people would want to opt for the big, immacu-lately finished 19” ones that add traction and aesthetics. We like the 528i’s rear half thanks to the tail-lamp cluster, which are bunches of LED strands layered one over the other. You won’t get the 535i’s dual round tip exhausts or the 550i’s trapezoidal tips, but the 528i’s twin round exhausts — set to one side — are purposeful and not half bad-looking. In a nutshell, the 5-Series is truly a bench-mark of the executive car that emphasises style without being gaudy, and sets itself apart from the crowd with the brand’s signature styling cues.
The cabin interiors follow through with the exterior design ethos. Quality is seen in the marriage of rich materials and ergonomic placements of controls. Only problem is, you can’t tell the difference between the 7-, 5-, 6- or 3-Series. Not great for people looking for distinction. 
In an era where manufacturers are 
giving their un-sporty cars racy steering wheels, BMW has stuck to its standard round 3-spoke shape. You can opt for the beautiful M-Sport steering, but it’s round as well. The shift lever is the most peculiar looking thing — comparable to a dollop of ice cream or the greatest gamer joystick of all time — while the instruments, in true BMW fashion, are very legible and lit in amber to reduce fatigue. To keep the driver’s line of sight in line with the road, there’s a colour heads-up display to show speed, navigation, etc, on the windshield. There’s also a large infotainment screen embedded in the centre-console angled towards the dri-ver. We’re not sure if it’s of much use...
The dashboard surface is shared between soft-touch plastic and a layer of ash wood veneer, underlined by satin finish trims — all very neatly done. Unfortunately, the leather quality isn’t the best. It is resilient, but we prefer the suppleness of the upholstery in the 
Audis and Lexuses. Those feel like you’re sitting on a leather couch, this is more like a leather-wrapped chair. Luckily, there’s plenty of power adjustability to fit all sizes and frames up front. The rear seats are smaller than those in the Passat, Accord and Camry. It’s a lot less congested than the 3-Series, and enough for three to sit abreast, but it’s best for three kids or two adults — mostly because of the knee room, which could be improved.
POWERTRAIN & PERFORMANCE
In the early years, you’d expect the 528i to have a 2.8L engine, and a few years ago you could expect a down-rated 3L engine, but now it’s a whole new ball game. The new 528i has a lightweight 2L 4-cylinder engine with a TwinScroll turbocharger, Valvetronic and double-VANOS technology that fiddles with valve timing and lift, and direct injection, of course.
The engine has substantial power and torque output observed evenly across the revs, and no perceivable turbo lag, except when driven hard. Connecting the prop shaft to the crank is a traditional 8-speed. We noted that the paddle shifters behind the wheel are too distant for your fingertips; you really need to reach for them. Not cool, BMW!
On the go, the 528i feels pretty sprightly for a turbocharged 2L — anyone who has driven a GTI would know. Nothing too quick to scare anyone off 
the roads, but enough to sprint alongside sports cars in traffic. BMW claims that the 528i gets to 100km/h from a stand-still in about 6.2 seconds — we clocked sub-7 second times quite often — and tops out at 250km/h, when the electronic speed limiter kicks in.
Double track control arms at the front axle have replaced the MacPherson struts, while the rear gets a traditional multi-arm axle. The new electric steering saves fuel, but robs some of the organic steering feel BMWs were known for. That said, the car remains eager to surge in traffic gaps and swerve in any direction without much fuss. It’s a tempered driving tool that is just as useful in navigating the traffic-foiled Dubai roads as it is for empty freeways.
Much of its well-rounded performance can be credited to the braking mechanism, which provides a reassuring feel when you stomp the brake pedal in urgency. Large 348mm rotors up front and 330mm ones at the rear bring the car to a stop without a squirming rear end. And with a repertoire of braking electronic tools like ABS, Dynamic Traction Control, Cornering Brake Control, Dynamic Brake Control etc, you are in safe hands.
The tank capacity is a substantial 70L and will quite easily get you across 1,000km — theoretically. In the hands of you and I, expect 600-plus on a 
good day. What helps this car achieve the respectable 6.5L/100km economy is a brake regeneration system that uses the energy recovered from braking to power all electrical systems, taking the load off the petrol engine. The CO2 emissions are low too, at 150-160g/km.
FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY
Surprisingly, even with the sunshine 
and a leather interior, we didn’t get roasted to medium rare, at least, not after the first two minutes of stepping into 
the car. The A/C works fine and you get automatic dual zone climate control. In terms of luxuries, the 528i can spoil you rotten with the many online services on offer, including Google search, real time weather updates, Office functions, etc. You can also option the car with rear seat entertainment, which comes with two individual headsets and two fixed iPad-like screens.
What makes this 5-Series a success is its practicality. It has a 520L boot, and like most cars in its class, you can drop the seats down for a lot more room. You can even tow as much as 2000kg! But, to be honest, we have never seen that happen in this part of town. To help you park are parking sensors, rear camera and surround view — what we call bird’s eye view. Or, you could just leave it all to the electronic parking assistant, which will do the parking for you. You can even opt for BMW Night Vision, which detects people and animals, although, if you can’t spot a camel on the road in Dubai, you shouldn’t be driving.
The 528i is built like a German tank, warning you of a collision and also braking, if necessary. It comes with active cruise control that will keep a safe distance from the car ahead, Stop & Go, and lane departure warning. In the event 
of an accident, it will even call emergency services if you don’t! You also get eight airbags, seat belt tensioners, etc.
VERDICT
The 2015 BMW 528i is very much the quintessential executive car that it sets out to be. It’s got that endearing exterior design, with great conveniences on the inside. And, as mandated, it has that taut BMW chassis and a sufficiently 
potent powertrain to keep driver involvement high. It even promises cash savings on the fuel economy front. But unlike the many things in life, what is likeable may not be lustful… such is 
the 528i.

• On The Road