Lighter, quicker and more advanced BMW 5 is worth the price

You may already be familiar with the 2017 BMW 5 Series. It starred in that horribly irritating pop-up ad that until recently shot sideways across every webpage you summoned. That alone would have been enough to make me buy Mercedes-Benz.

But let’s be generous at the outset. Whatever the numbers and letters on the back of the variants – 520, 530, 540 or 550; d, e or i – the 5 is a serious executive saloon for serious executives and guarantees quality, comfort and luxury. It is more agile than of old, quicker, lighter and more efficient. And so it had to be, with the Jaguar XF, Audi A6, Lexus IS and Mercedes E-Class all ganging up to boot the 5 Series back to Bavaria.

Slightly longer and wider than its predecessor, this is the seventh generation of a model that in 45 years has never gone out of fashion. It disguises its muscle by being sleek and svelte, with a low-slung aspect reflected in the driving position. Its curves captivate, its bodylines invite you to linger and its LED headlights and twin-kidney grille combination means it smiles like a shark.

The 520d comes in a basic iteration and as the US$599,000 Sport Line, which we tested. Ours was powered by a two-litre, four-cylinder engine producing 190hp and 400Nm torque at 1,750rpm. That might not sound too intimidating, but thanks to what BMW calls its TwinPower Turbo it feels like more than enough to keep the motorway speed cameras in a job.