2025 BMW 5 Series

In the world of midsize luxury sedans, the BMW 5 Series is one of the big players. This latest generation was all-new last year and BMW has packed it with a plethora of cool features while retaining and even exceeding the lofty levels of refinement that are obligatory in this class. For anyone who doesn’t need the space of a full-size luxury car yet still wants the prestige and indulgence, the 5 Series is a formidable choice.

We’ve logged hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of midsize luxury cars, including the BMW 5 Series.

Heated front seats become standard throughout. The 550e xDrive plug-in hybrid variant joins the lineup, with M Sport content as standard — which means an M-tuned suspension, front sport seats, Active Driving Assistant, upgraded brakes with blue-painted calipers, and a few other details. The BMW M5 Touring, a high-performance wagon, also makes its debut and is reviewed along with the M5 sedan in a separate article.

We’re happy enough to recommend the base 530i, with or without all-wheel drive. It’s a popular choice and we’ve enjoyed driving it.

Out of the rivals, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Audi A7 start higher — the Genesis G80 begins lower, while the Lexus ES is markedly more affordable.

Before buying a new 5 Series midsize luxury sedan, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should be paying. Resale values are about average. Recouping more money when selling a vehicle can mean a bigger down payment and lower monthly payments on the next one.

The popular 530i employs a 255-horsepower turbocharged engine, energetic enough to accomplish the sprint from standstill to 60 mph in a lively 5.9 seconds. If all-wheel drive is in the picture, shave off another tenth. The Genesis G80 is in that same ballpark, while the Mercedes-Benz E 350 4Matic is just a couple of tenths behind.

We’re compelled to add that this is perhaps the smoothest 4-cylinder engine we’ve ever encountered, with virtually no vibration. The power delivery is so sweetly linear it’s a joy to experience. It even turned out to be a little faster than our initial expectations.

BMW says the 540i xDrive can apply its 375 horsepower to hit 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. That’s only a whisker behind the most powerful BMW Z4 sports car. This happens courtesy of a turbocharged 3.0-liter 6-cylinder engine. Most of the time, maximum torque is 384 lb-ft, but a mild-hybrid system on board pushes that to 398 lb-ft for short bursts. It also smooths out the fuel-saving engine stop/restart function.

New for 2025, the 550e xDrive is a plug-in hybrid making a total of 483 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, and with the ability to hit 60 mph in 4.1 seconds.

We’ve always admired and enjoyed the way BMW’s cars manage to combine an engaging driving experience with refinement and suppleness. The 5 Series is enhanced even further by subtle braking to individual wheels for greater effectiveness through quick corners. Overall, the 5 Series is wonderfully pleasant to drive. If there was a bit more of a wow factor, though, we’d be even happier.

Fuel Economy

The rear-drive 530i achieves 31 mpg in combined city/highway driving. All-wheel drive reduces that by just one mile per gallon. To compare, the Mercedes-Benz E 350 4Matic manages a still-respectable 27 mpg combined.

The 540i xDrive is rated at 28 mpg combined. And we expect the 550e xDrive to cover around 25 miles on battery power alone.

This latest 5 Series generation brings a few innovations, like the almost-invisible air vents set into the dash and the large one-piece/dual-display feature. Although the standard seats have been designed for optimum comfort and adjustability, the 5 Series also offers multi-contour front seats, which we’ve found to be among the best in any car. And a simulated (and perforated) leather called Veganza comes into the cabin, covering seats, door panels, and the steering wheel (which is a good idea, since non-meat-eaters may not relish holding a steering wheel covered in cow skin).

Real leather is available as an option, however. And an optional M Sport package brings a mix of Veganza and Alcantara (a suede-like material). The Panoramic Sky Lounge is another option. It’s a fixed glass panel pretty much the size of the entire roof.

Rear legroom measures 37 inches, somewhere around average for the class. In real life, it’s sufficiently spacious without being remarkable. Trunk area of 18.4 cubic feet eclipses the Genesis G80 and gets close to the generous 19 cubic feet of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. A couple of golf bags will go in easily.

The entire 5 Series exterior styling plays it kind of safe, nothing too radical. We think that’s a smart move by BMW. The optional M Sport package adds larger front air intakes and 19-inch light-alloy wheels. An illuminated grille is also available. Paint choices include one solid finish, nine metallic treatments, and three special (more expensive) finishes.

Curved Display
The jewel of the 5 Series’ dashboard, incorporating a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.9-inch infotainment touchscreen into one cool, curved unit. This is standard equipment.

iDrive 8.5
The latest version of BMW’s infotainment system enhances the 5 Series with voice activation, over-the-air-updates, phone integration, and Wi-Fi. Fewer touchscreen taps are required to access the most commonly used functions. We’d prefer it if there were fewer icons on the home screen, however. Augmented reality for the navigation system is also available.

Automatic Park Assistant
Every new 5 Series has this as standard. It’s a self-parking system for both parallel and perpendicular space. The optional Parking Assistant Plus package adds more features such as a 360-degree camera system and remote real-time viewing using an iPhone app.

AirConsole
This is a gaming platform. It starts out with around 20 titles, which will be added to in the future. Players can use their phones as controllers. While the car is parked, we hasten to add.

Interaction Bar
An option in these combustion-powered versions of the 5 Series, this item is integrated into the dashboard and provides the front passenger with touch controls for various functions. It’s also part of the ambient lighting setup.

Highway Assistant
This is part of the optional Driving Assistance Professional package, bringing hands-free and feet-free driving in certain conditions. One exciting aspect, in our opinion, is Active Lane Change with eye activation. The system may suggest changing lanes, which the driver can set into motion just by looking at the corresponding side mirror. No need to click the turn signal.

The 530i’s engine is a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder unit making 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. Rear-wheel drive is the basic setup, all-wheel drive (which BMW calls xDrive) is optional. The Genesis G80 starts out with a little more muscle, but this is more than adequate.

The 540i xDrive has all-wheel drive as standard, as its name implies. It employs a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline 6-cylinder engine developing 375 horsepower and 384 lb-ft of torque. A mild-hybrid system provides a temporary boost to 398 lb-ft of torque.

The 550e xDrive pairs a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline 6-cylinder engine with an electric motor for a substantial total output of 483 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. This goes to all four wheels.

Every 5 Series employs an 8-speed automatic transmission.

There’s also an all-electric 5 Series, the BMW i5, which we review separately, as well as the high-performance BMW M5, which we also review separately.

4-Year/50,000-Mile Warranty

BMW covers its new vehicles and their powertrains for four years or 50,000 miles, whichever happens first. This is typical among European luxury car makers. The 550e’s hybrid battery is covered for eight years or 100,000 miles. There’s also roadside assistance for the first four years, with unlimited mileage, plus three years or 36,000 miles of free scheduled maintenance.

Safety Ratings

This generation of 5 Series has been named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the agency’s second-highest accolade. Standard safety equipment includes forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane departure alert, and Active Blind Spot Detection with rear cross-traffic alert. Our one gripe here is that adaptive cruise control costs extra in what is already a high-priced luxury car.