During one run on the expressway, a friend, unprompted, noted how smooth the ride was. I can’t remember which mode I was in, but smooth control is something this car excels at. The silky engine has a lot to do with it; it growls pleasantly while kicking through the gears — opting for the four-cylinder would be a mistake with this car.
Though the M Sport package gives the car a somewhat athletic appearance, it remains a well-engineered road car, not a heart-pounding driver’s car. A spirited corner or two should make this clear. The car is firmly planted, thanks in no small part to the computers you can feel keeping everything in check at all times. As I look out the window while writing this, it is beginning to sleet; that’s as good a reminder as any as to why tail-happy cars are perhaps not at all times suited to every environment.
That’s all cool with me, though, because BMW isn’t even pretending the 535i is anything but a comfortable, composed tourer; note the lack of steering wheel-mounted paddle shifter that is often installed to give the driver at least the illusion of engagement.
Price is the big hang-up for me, but that’s probably because I am not yet familiar with the cost of its competitors. You get lured in by the $58,000 base — which isn’t cheap but, you know, it does have AWD — and then get sucker-punched by options. Drop the M Sport package and you’ll save $3,150 with no apparent loss of functionality.
Whether or not $60,000-plus (and plus, and plus) for a practical, rock-solid piece of transportation with that nice little roundel on the front strikes you as sensible is going to depend solely on your budget. Personally, I’d get a little wild and go the Detroit route with a loaded Cadillac CTS. But as others have said, that kind of cash gives you some options. The BMW 535i xDrive is certainly a respectable one.
EDITOR WES RAYNAL: I always wince when I get in a BMW. Runflat tires and their lousy ride have basically ruined my BMW love. And I did have BMW love back in the day. One of the first cars I remember falling in love with as a wee lad was a BMW 507. I lusted after 2002s in high school. For years I thought a 5-series wagon was the perfect car. But driving runflat-equipped 3-series over the years turned me off to BMWs.
I was impressed with this car, though. I joked with a friend this morning that it’s a fine Buick, but I was kidding. It’s nice. It looks good inside and out, the power is good (enough), I don’t know how the eight-speed gearbox could be any smoother, the chassis is rock-solid and the ride was firm with good body control but didn’t beat the heck out of me. There’s a fluidity to this car I haven’t felt in a BMW for years. It not being choppy riding and untidy was a pleasant surprise.
