Around town, where most driving will likely be done, with the transmission in automatic and the car’s dynamic mode set to the default ‘Comfort’ setting, the BMW 535i can feel a bit lazy.
The twin-scroll turbocharger allows for better response at low revs, but driven this way, the 5 tends to feel heavy and somewhat reluctant to do anything quickly. Even the steering feels slow, the car seeming to need more effort than normal, particularly when negotiating tight roundabouts.
Changing to ‘Sport’ mode lessens this sensation, but makes the throttle more sensitive and encourages the car to hold gears longer â€" neither trait being particularly suited to urban driving.
None of this makes the 5 a bad car, mind you. It’s just that because the package presents with so much promise on the surface, as if the ageing model has somehow dipped a toe into the fountain of eternal youth, when you do find the occasional grey hair, it only makes you search to find more.
Yes, the cabin is modern and ergonomic, but the iDrive interface, and even the new digital instrument cluster, while clear and easy to use, just don’t feel as special as they should.
We’ve seen the new version of iDrive in the recently released 7 Series and while the system in the 535i, including the excellent Connected Drive functions, is still good, there’s nothing really ‘cool’ about it any more.
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