2017 BMW 540i review

The new saloon clearly takes its influence from the latest 7 Series, adopting a much more formal - some might say more conservative - look than the previous 5 Series. The changes to the appearance help to disguise an increase in dimensions compared with the outgoing car. Length has increased by 36mm to 4935mm, width grows by 6mm to 1868mm and height increases by 2mm to 1466mm. The wheelbase is also 7mm longer than before, at 2975mm.

The increase in external dimensions has netted the new 5 Series greater interior space, notably in the rear. There is now sufficient space for up to five adults on newly developed seats front and back. Crucially, the rear bench has been reshaped to provide a more defined centre seat, rather than being shaped primarily for the two outer seats. With a longer rear overhang, boot capacity has also increased by 10 litres to 530 litres.

The new 5 Series will offer the choice of three engines from the start of UK deliveries next February, with others, including a petrol-electric hybrid option, set to follow in quick succession.

Included from the start of sales is an updated version of BMW’s traditional turbocharged 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder petrol engine. It develops 248bhp and 258lb ft of torque in the £40,120 530i and a gutsier 355bhp and 332lb ft in the 540i, which will be sold exclusively with BMW’s xDrive four-wheel drive system in the UK at a price of £46,645.

Among the diesels is BMW’s latest 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, delivering 187bhp and 295lb ft in the expected volume seller of the new 5 Series line-up, the £36,025 520d. Also planned from the outset is a 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel that provides the £43,835 330d with 261bhp and a generous 457lb ft.

Gearbox choices continue to include either a six-speed manual (standard on the 520d) or eight-speed automatic (standard on 530i, 540i and 530d). Both units have been heavily upgraded, bringing what BMW describes as greater levels or refinement and, in combination with the new engines, overall efficiency gains compared with the old model. With a combined average of 40.9mpg, the rear-wheel-drive 540i betters the old 535i by an impressive 5.6mpg.

Among the more significant interior appointments is the latest generation of BMW’s iDrive infotainment system. It uses a new 10.3in touchscreen mounted on top of the dashboard and angled slightly towards the driver. As before, its redesigned menus can be operated via a rotary controller with a touch function. Alternatively, the new 5 Series offers standard touch as well as updated gesture and speech control systems from the 7 Series as an option.

Another noteworthy inclusion is BMW latest autonomous driving function, which allows you to perform lane changes between speeds of 44mph and 112mph at the simple application of the blinker without the need for steering input. It works well, accelerating, steering and, when necessary, braking the car on its own. However, it only allows brief periods of hands-off motoring before an alarm prompts you to take the wheel again.

Our test car came with adaptive dampers, which will be offered as a £985 option in the UK. So configured, the new 5 Series offers a noticeably more cosseting ride in Comfort mode than its predecessor, both around town and out on the open road.

Switch the 540i into Sport mode and it really comes alive. The Drive Experience function primes the throttle, engine, gearbox, steering and suspension to their most athletic settings, providing the 540i with pleasantly precise, engagingly willing and, in rear-wheel drive guise at least, entertaining traits. It’s rather quick, too. Official performance claims point to a 0-62mph time of just 5.1.sec, which makes the rear-drive 540i some 0.7sec quicker than the old 535i.

The key to this impressive turn of speed is a wonderfully harmonious combination between the engine and gearbox. The delivery is creamy smooth and, without any discernible turbocharger lag to talk of, extremely linear. There’s abundant torque throughout almost all of the rev range, and with it strong flexibility well into the business end of the dial. The shifts are satisfyingly rapid and terrifically smooth, both up and down the ZF-produced gearbox.

Predictably, the steering is quite weighty in the more sporting of the driving modes, but it is also satisfyingly direct. The added sharpness brought on by the integral rear steering system, as fitted to our test car, heightens the handling, adding a further touch of agility that helps to make the 540i truly engaging when pushed hard along a challenging back road.

The stiffening of dampers in Sport enhances body control, allowing you to carry considerably higher speeds with greater neutrality through open corners than in Comfort mode. This is further augmented by the adoption of faster-acting electronically controlled anti-roll bars in place of the older hydraulically operated units as part of an optional Dynamic Drive system.