BMW claims that the Sport shares a similar suspension set-up to the surprisingly supple M5, making the only explanation for the 535’s harsh ride, once again, the run-flat tyres that the M5 does without. On the motorway, taut damping quells some of the fidget that troubles SE models, but at lower speeds the Sport’s reaction to broken Tarmac is little short of appalling. Though the car’s structure is unshakeable, the suspension thumps, the parcel shelf rattles and passengers are jolted around. It’s just not good enough, especially at this price.
The junior M5 theme continues inside with anthracite headlining, an M Sport steering wheel and kickplates, and sports seats that combine comfort, support and a huge range of adjustment. The chunky steering wheel is a pleasure to use; the column stalks less so because it’s easy to confuse the cruise control and indicator levers. Otherwise it’s standard Five: a stylish dashboard, simplified iDrive controller, space for tall adults front and rear and effective climate control which provides warmth quickly for a diesel-powered car.
The 530d is good enough to stand comparison with every one of the current crop of executive diesels, and the 535d’s pace makes it a natural rival for top-end petrol execs, too. Against the similarly performing £44,485 Audi A6 4.2 S-Line, £44,500 BMW 545i Sport and £45,010 Mercedes E500 Avantgarde petrols, its £39,200 price looks reasonable. It’s even better on contract hire: at £686 a month, it undercuts those petrols by at least £175, and is only £25 more than the 530d Sport.
Euro4 compliance and CO2 emissions of 211g/km puts it in the 28 per cent company car tax bracket (the petrols are taxed at 35 per cent) and though the extra turbo hurts fuel economy, our 27.7mpg average test figure (5.9mpg down on the 530d’s) remains hugely impressive for a saloon with this performance.
