Betrayal is considered to be one of the very worst things one can do to another. If you’ve ever read Dante’s Inferno, betrayers were dealt the harshest punishment in the afterlife. So things aren’t looking good for the new BMW 5 Series in the eyes of Car and Driver.
C&D recently published an instrumented test of the new BMW 540i, the current top performer in the 5 Series’ range. While the BMW 540i boasts impressive stats, performance, fuel economy and comfort, the staffers at C&D feel betrayed as the new G30-generation 5 Series isn’t what they’ve come to love from BMW. In many ways, they aren’t wrong.
The best generation of 5 Series was the E39, objectively. I have my love for the E28, personally, but the E39 was the best combination of comfort, dynamics and modern amenities. However, since the E39 5er, BMW has yet to get that combination right. The E60 which followed it was an ugly techno-fest whose tech was too new for it to be user-friendly. The F10 which followed that was too luxurious, too big and too heavy to feel like a proper 5er. This new car, though, the G30 generation is getting closer to that original recipe, just maybe not enough.
We recently sampled the new 5 Series in many flavors and claimed that it’s the best 5 Series since the E39 and stand by that claim. However, we realize that we’re but one publication and one small group of enthusiasts. Many enthusiasts are upset that BMW has gone too far toward technology and luxury and it’s hard to blame them. The BMW’s of yore were so wonderful to drive that it is genuinely saddening realizing that such cars will never be made again.
According to Car and Driver, the new BMW 540i hits on all the measurable points. Its 3.0 liter turbocharged I6 engine, making 335 hp and 332 lb-ft, gets it from 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds, which is damn quick. Its interior is superb and filled with great technology. It returns good fuel economy and has every feature you could possibly ask for. But it just doesn’t quite hit some of the immeasurables for some enthusiasts.
We’re actually fans of the G30 ourselves and the 540i is currently the best variant. But we’re not the only ones judging. BMW hopes, though, we’re the ones writing its fate in the afterlife.
[Source: Car and Driver]
