A year ago, BMW revised the styling of the 5 Series, including a reshaped front kidney-shaped grille, new front lighting units, a new front spoiler, new round front fog lights, new rear lighting clusters with red LEDs for improved reliability and longer service life, body-color side moldings and bumper strips. The overall shape of the 5 Series body is a well-done evolution of a handsome basic design that dates back more than two decades.
5 Series sport wagons differ visually from the sedans only aft of the C-pillar, where an extended roof and tailgate replace the sedan profile and trunk lid. The tailgate has a commendably low opening, giving access to the luggage bay right down to bumper-top level; if smaller items are to be loaded aboard, the rear glass can be raised separately. The 5 Series sport wagons offer a larger cargo capacity than the new BMW X5 sport-utility.

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The 5 Series body shell is extremely rigid, a plus in terms of both safety and noise reduction. With its low 0.30 coefficient of drag, the 5 Series is one of the most aerodynamically efficient sedans on the market. Foam-filled body cavities and well-designed door seals help keep noise at bay.

The 5 Series interior gets high marks for comfort and appearance. Trim is sumptuous. The leatherette that comes standard on 525 and 530 models is attractive, with brushed-aluminum accents. The bucket seats feel like buckets; they wrap around your lower back and derriere. Heated seats are available with a Cold Weather Package ($600 for sedans, $700 for wagons).
The 5 Series center console is much more elegantly designed than the somewhat disappointing console in the 3 Series cars. The little cubbyhole with the roll-up lid and the slot for pens on top of the console seem out of place in an otherwise beautiful 5 Series interior, however. Perfunctory cupholders show BMW is still struggling, or is not concerned, with this most American of features.

Studying the audio system owner's manual is needed to fully master the BMW Business CD Car Radio as it's called. It automatically changes volume according to speed, ties into a cellular telephone, and has tuning features useful for traveling from city to city. Once your reading is done, you should be able to tailor station selection, tone controls, and other settings to your preferences. It's a good-looking system with buttons linked to fields displayed digitally.

The map lights work very well, but a compass would be useful. A nice sport steering wheel that came as part of our Sport Premium Package is elegantly designed without the big pillow associated with older style airbags. It has all kinds of buttons on it to control audio and other functions that may require a trip to the owner's manual to fully master.