The black dashboard is leather-trimmed with highly polished wood accents. Sliding into the driver’s seat - my test car had the optional contour seat package, a $1,200 option - is akin to being let into a room at the Ritz. Where BMW has always done things right is on the inside. Sure, the 535i xDrive may be frumpy in some regards, but it has elegant lines and a striking profile. The rather large rump reminds me of more traditional wagons from the past, while competitors often try to make their wagons look as un-wagon-like as possible.
#2010 535xi bmw idrive update cost series
The 5 Series is BMW’s second-largest sedan, next to the 7 Series, and the wagon adds even more bulk. (The latter one, to be fair, had a suspension-firming Sport package. But for a station wagon, it’s near the top of the heap in terms of cornering and handling.Įven the ride was more comfortable than you’d expect, and it definitely felt smoother than the last two 5 Series sedans - a 528i and 550i - I’ve tested. No, it isn’t a sports car, nor is it an M3. The steering was probably the most surprising performance aspect, because you don’t expect such a long, large wagon to carve corners like this one did. It isn’t as heavy as its sibling X3 crossover I tested the week prior, and during high-speed driving the steering wheel feels incredibly natural and intuitive - like a good sports car’s. The 535i features what BMW calls Active Steering, which happily takes away a lot of the labor involved in turning the car during low-speed maneuvers, like navigating parking lots.
#2010 535xi bmw idrive update cost manual
The six-speed automatic features a manual setting, but rest assured that even in plain old Drive, the 535i wagon shifts flawlessly and will deliver enough thrills for most drivers.īMW is notorious for heavy-handed yet precise steering. It also has a superior engine in terms of refinement. In today’s horsepower-heavy world, where cars of all classes frequently top 400 hp, the 535i’s 300 hp doesn’t sound very impressive, especially when you consider how heavy a car this is - 4,101 pounds - but it’s still lighter and more powerful than the A6 and E350. Sure, its looks scream BMW inside and out, but so does the sweetly smooth acceleration coming from the twin-turbo six-cylinder under the hood. What sets the 5 Series wagon apart from the A6 and E-Class is the way it drives. Its sedan counterpart can be had in 528i, 535i or 550i configurations the 528i and 550i are covered separately in ’s Research section. The 5 Series wagon comes only in all-wheel-drive 535i xDrive form. It’s hard to fathom why anyone would purchase a $55,000-$75,000 station wagon, but if you’re going to, it would be hard to go wrong with this one. BMW’s 5 Series wagon provides plenty of each and elicited raves from our staff, my family and even me. Those probably include a high level of luxury, features, performance and, yes, some utility thrown in. If, however, you’re shopping the all-wheel-drive 535i xDrive or its competitors - the Audi A6 Avant and Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon - you clearly have an entirely different set of priorities. Normally, a wagon is a practical choice for families looking for utility with improved mileage versus a similarly sized SUV. In the world of luxury station wagons, there isn’t much sense in trying to justify the price tag. To see what’s new for 2010, click here, or check out a side-by-side comparison of the two model years. Little of substance has changed with this year’s model. Editor’s note: This review was written in June 2009 about the 2009 BMW 535.
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