2018 BMW 540i xDrive: What's It Like to Live With?

What do you want to know about?

• Introduction
• Monthly Update for November 2017
• Monthly Update for December 2017
• Monthly Update for January 2018
• Monthly Update for February 2018
• Monthly Update for March 2018
• Monthly Update for April 2018
• Monthly Update for May 2018
• Monthly Update for June 2018
• Monthly Update for July 2018
• Monthly Update for August 2018
• Monthly Update for September 2018
• Wrap-Up

Introduction

What Did We Get?
Is it possible that middle-child syndrome can apply to the automotive world? Are midrange models overshadowed by their siblings? The BMW 5 Series is in that position, but it's still a star in its own right by offering affluent shoppers exceptional levels of refinement and performance in a spacious sedan.

There's no getting past the fact that most shoppers these days are more interested in crossovers and SUVs, thanks to their elevated ride heights and larger cargo capacities. Yet sedans such as the 5 Series have advantages when it comes to handling, fuel economy, overall performance and maneuverability. Is it enough? We got a 2018 540i xDrive to find out.

What Options Does It Have?
We opted for a midrange version of the 5 Series, which in this case is the 540i with a 335-horsepower six-cylinder engine. It's bookended by the base 248-hp 530i and the burly 456-hp M550i xDrive. Prices for the 530i start right around $53,000, and the M550i kicks the price of admission just past $74,000. Our 540i started around $59,000.

To that, we added BMW's xDrive all-wheel-drive system ($2,300). Then came the options including Mediterranean Blue metallic paint, the Driving Assistance package (head-up display, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning), the Driving Assistance Plus package (forward collision warning and mitigation with pedestrian detection), the M Sport package (19-inch wheels, LED foglights, adaptive dampers, some unique exterior and interior flourishes, keyless entry, heated front seats, SensaTec dashboard, satellite radio, gesture control), rear sunshades, Apple CarPlay, a wireless charging pad and a premium Harman Kardon surround-sound system.

The final MSRP came out to $72,695. There was no negotiating the price down since BMW lent us the car for the year.

Why We Got It?
The 5 Series has long been one of the benchmarks in the midsize sedan category, so anytime it gets a complete redesign it's worth looking into more closely. We want to know if this generation has moved the dial in terms of luxury, performance and a number of other usability metrics. Is it still a driver's car or has it been watered down to garner broader appeal? What do we love or hate about it, and what might break?

We'll find out over the next 12 months as we aim to log 20,000 miles. Follow along as we post our progress on our long-term road test updates page as well as on our Instagram account.

The manufacturer provided this vehicle for the purpose of evaluation.

Monthly Update for November 2017

Where Did We Drive It?
Last month we picked up our brand-new 2018 BMW 540i xDrive long-termer, courtesy of BMW, and this month we put on a solid 971 miles shuttling between our Santa Monica office and Orange County and Bakersfield. Most of those miles were spent sitting in traffic, but the 2018 BMW 540i xDrive was a pleasure to take on long drives to visit family and friends scattered across the state.

Staff Writer Dan Frio spent a weeklong stretch with the 540i, hustling between Orange County and the office in Santa Monica and logging 526 miles. I spent the remaining 445 miles driving from my home in the South Bay to the office with a quick one-day jaunt to a Thanksgiving dinner in Bakersfield.

The 2018 BMW 540i xDrive is a joy to drive when traffic is moving. Smooth acceleration at speed and a relatively quiet cabin make it fairly easy to converse with a passenger, take a call over the hands-free Bluetooth system or listen to music.

As Dan noted, one of his favorite parts of the 540i is the upgraded audio system. Nestled in the center stack is a 10.2-inch digital display controlled by BMW's iDrive:

"The audio system in the 540i is superb. It's a 16-speaker Harman Kardon surround system, and for $875, it's a bargain. You could spend twice that for a comparable aftermarket setup. That might get you more power output (i.e., volume) and maybe better speakers, but as a factory option, this system hollers.

"The 600-watt amplifier is enough to fend off distortion and maintain clean, detailed sound with most music, even as you twist the volume knob to infinity. I tried it with different stuff like the latest Metallica and David Bowie albums (great production, sound quality), Kendrick Lamar and Big Boi (obligatory bass testing), symphonic Mahler, and Oz Noy's swirly guitar funk. Excellent body and clarity all around, which you can further soundshape using the seven-band equalizer and iDrive control knob. There's even a cool graphical display of the EQ curve as you tweak the different frequencies.

"The system really only struggled with absurdly deep, compressed hip-hop bass tones, and that's not a huge surprise since the system offers just two 8.5-inch subwoofers under the front seats. That works for the regular bass and midbass spectrum, but it's not enough speaker mass or enclosure space to move the kind of air that hip-hop sub-bass requires. If you wanted to play your hip-hop loud and clean in the 540i, you'd want a 12-inch subwoofer in a trunk-mounted enclosure and a separate amp to power it (wondering how I can convince my colleagues that this is a worthwhile project endeavor).

"There's also an optional Bowers & Wilkins surround system. It, too, has 16 speakers but also 1,400 watts, multiple individual amp channels, dynamic EQ that uses a cabin microphone to constantly optimize sound quality, and other hi-fi nerdiness. I'm sure it's spectacular. It's also a $4,200 option. I think we made the right choice."

While the audio system in the car is pretty great, Bluetooth audio cutting out — say when you're calling your parents in Maine to wish them a happy Thanksgiving — is not so great. Everyone on the opposite end of the line had a hard time hearing anything said in the car. That made the conversation a bit frustrating for both parties and forced us to end our well wishes early.

The somewhat clunky gesture control that allows you to change the volume by waving your hand in a circle in front of the center stack also makes for an interesting experience, particularly if you are a hand-talker. More than once while chatting with my passenger, I accidentally cranked the volume by waving my hands in front of the infotainment system.

The biggest complaints I had with the 2018 BMW 540i xDrive were a few of the safety features. The lane keeping assistant is overly aggressive, waiting too long to make a correction, then overcorrecting and resulting in the ping-pong effect from one side of the lane to the other. On my drive to Bakersfield, I had to turn off the system because I got so tired of fighting it at 70 miles an hour over the Grapevine.

Additionally, the adaptive cruise control leaves something to be desired. In stop-and-go traffic it creates too much of a gap between vehicles (even when the system is cranked down to the smallest gap), then accelerates as if you're getting on the freeway when it senses the vehicle in front moving forward. I gave up on it in traffic and only used the cruise control when the road ahead was relatively clear.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
We put the 2018 BMW 540i xDrive through a variety of traffic situations, and it got an average of 15.5 mpg for November. That's pretty well below the EPA-estimated combined 23 mpg, but that's likely due to the rotten bumper-to-bumper traffic that I drive in daily.

We logged 971 miles in November and added 62.6 gallons of 91 octane in the tank. Our 15.5 mpg for the month puts it below last month's 19.5 mpg.

Average lifetime mpg: 19
EPA mpg rating: 23 combined (20 city/29 highway)
Best fill mpg: 26.4
Best range: 351.6 miles
Current odometer: 3,050 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights
Performance
"I've been driving the 540i in Comfort mode. Dabbled a bit in Sport but will save its intricacies and the individual adjustments for another drive. For now, I just want to get a good sense of how it performs in standard Comfort mode. Surprise — it performs really well. Fast. Ride feels great, the right balance of firmness and comfort. The eight-speed transmission feels a bit unnecessary, unless often traveling at autobahn speeds. If you need quick passing power, you need to grab the paddles and crack off two, three downshifts to get back into the meat of the powerband. But it's a nice thrill you can tap into every day." — Dan Frio, staff writer

Technology

"Bluetooth CarPlay! No wires, no cables. Don't have to bring one, don't have to leave one in the car. Control CarPlay functions wirelessly. Brilliant. Been waiting for this. Only problem I've found is that the display freezes up often. You'll be listening along, then glance over at the display to find that it's displaying info from a song you were listening to five minutes ago. The track advance/return function still seems to work, but no amount of switching between different sources can unstick it. Only way I found was to disconnect from CarPlay, connect to iDrive, then disconnect from iDrive and reconnect to CarPlay. An inelegant work-around. A glitch, a bug — whatever it is — it's annoying but not a buzzkill. Still great to have CarPlay functionality via Bluetooth protocol." — Dan Frio

Monthly Update for December 2017

Where Did We Drive It?
Our crack Edmunds team logged close to 2,000 miles in our 2018 BMW 540i in December. In addition to our normal commuting, I used the 540i for a Christmas family road trip, plus a blitz up to Northern California to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi with a friend (had I known how the film turned out, I needn't have bothered).

We've got great comments this month on everything from the 540i's technology to its trunk space.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
Abundant highway miles boosted our fuel economy in December when we averaged about 25 mpg. I did a 285-mile round-trip drive that was all highway, and even with speeds averaging 70-plus mph, our 540i posted an impressive 32.3 mpg, which is better than the EPA's highway estimate and our best tank yet.

I suspect this will be a high point for our car for a while unless someone specifically attempts a run for great fuel economy. Otherwise, our staff seems to enjoy dipping into the turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder's seductive power too much.

Average lifetime mpg: 22.2
EPA mpg rating: 23 combined (20 city/29 highway)
Best fill mpg: 32.3
Best range: 480 miles
Current odometer: 5,061 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights

Performance
"I've been driving our 540i for a couple weeks straight and just realized that I had never taken its turbocharged inline-six engine past 5,000 rpm or so. Engine redline is 7,000 rpm! There's so much midrange torque that there's no practical reason to wring it out in every gear. It's not like the old days of naturally aspirated [non-turbo] BMW inline-sixes. Those motors begged you to drive like the redline indicator was a 'Shift here!' indicator. This one's more of an 'Ehh, shift whenever you want' engine." — Brent Romans, senior editor

"I had the chance to drive our 5 Series on a track and was actually quite impressed. Sure, the steering is completely artificial but the chassis feels great. It feels light and lively, and pitch and roll are dialed in very nicely. The body doesn't stay perfectly flat, but it's better for it thanks to the precision of those movements. It's especially nice to have so that the car can communicate with you since the steering can't tell you anything." — Will Kaufman, associate writer

"Our 540i is like a bullet train on the highway. It's so stable that you'll find yourself zipping along at 100 mph, thinking you're going 70. Cruise control is necessary to keep your speed in check." — Brent Romans

Comfort
"Our long-term 540i has the M Sport Design package. This includes, among other features, sport front seats. These seats have thicker bolstering than the regular seats to provide more lateral support. I like them quite a bit and find that they provide both comfort for long-distance drives and support for enthusiastic cornering. But while I fit fine, I'm also 5 feet 10 inches and 150 pounds. The extra bolstering could be annoying for a larger driver. I recently sat in a new 5 Series that had the standard seats and there's definitely a difference." — Brent Romans

Interior
"After my first night in the 540i, here are the things that stuck out to me the most:

1. The seats feel great. Had about a 1-hour-45-minute drive home and never got sore. That's unusual.
2. The interior design is a mixed bag. I'm not a fan of piano black trim, so all that shiny black trim on the center console is a turnoff. Not a fan of the gauge cluster either. Just too much going on there.
3. The chassis and suspension are fantastic. No complaints.
4. It has Apple CarPlay but not Android Auto? That's very odd." — Carlos Lago, senior writer

"The sun visors aren't extendable. Really? How much does this car cost? And it has side and rear sunshades for the rear passengers. But the driver? Granted, it's only about 1 inch of missing coverage, but it's still a curious design choice." — Will Kaufman

Technology-Audio
"The default music interface in our 540i (not Apple CarPlay) has been oddly buggy when playing music from my iPhone 7. It's slow to access and play music and will occasionally reset. In the past, I've been impressed with iDrive's music interface but the latest version, at least with my phone, has been disappointing." — Brent Romans

"Something strange happened when I turned on the 540i last night before heading to the gym: The infotainment touchscreen screen didn't turn on. It just showed black nothingness. Making inputs on the iDrive controller didn't do anything, but oddly the touchscreen still responded when I tapped it by playing the chime it normally does. The radio was playing and I could adjust it through the steering wheel controls, but the screen remained black.

"Restarting the car (while staying in it) didn't do anything, so I simply drove off. Fortunately, I didn't have a long drive ahead of me. After returning to the car from the gym, the screen operated normally. Strange glitch." — Carlos Lago

"Props to the camera and screen technology in the 540. This tech still works to differentiate luxury cars from the pretenders. The BMW's system is crisp and clear, and has a good contrast and excellent dynamic range to show you where you are and where the risks are located." — Kurt Niebuhr, photo editor

"I like the head-up display in our 540i. It displays all the info I'd want, such as speed, navigation routes, audio, cruise control and driver assist information. The color graphic design makes it easy to read, too. You can get it as a stand-alone option ($1,100), but the better way is to just order it as part of the Driver Assist package ($1,700), which also gets you blind-spot monitoring and lane departure warning." — Brent Romans

"There aren't any USB charger ports for the rear passengers in our 540i. That's disappointing. There are two power ports back there, so a work-around is easy enough. But rear-seat USB ports are increasingly common, so it's odd that a recently redesigned midsize luxury sedan, and one packed with technology at that, doesn't have them." — Brent Romans

Cargo Space

"I've loaded up our 540i's trunk a couple times now for road-trip duty. It's reasonably sized and should be good for a few suitcases plus some extra duffel bags and the like. The cargo area is fairly long, but the width narrows about halfway in. Depth is a little shallow, too." — Brent Romans

"I wish there was a better place to put my phone inside our 540i. There's no true front cubby, so the next best option is putting it in one of the front cupholders. That's fine until you've got two water bottles. I've found that I have to wedge it between the water bottles and the front center stack, which isn't ideal." — Brent Romans

Miscellaneous
"Our new 5 Series makes a very good first impression. It rides quietly and comfortably over the broken roads I drive every day, while the engine feels powerful and responsive. The transmission shifts smoothly and quickly, and most of the interior relays the sense of luxury you'd expect from a vehicle of this nature. Overall, I'm really impressed with this car." — Kelly Hellwig, manager, content production

Monthly Update for January 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
January was another busy month for our 2018 BMW 540i. It stuck around town for most of the month, racking up the majority of its 2,079 miles in the early part of the month. I added 800 more miles at the end of January, driving from my home east of downtown L.A. to Cupertino in Northern California, and was surprised by the 540i's excellent fuel economy throughout the trip.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
The 540i managed an impressive 25.6 mpg over the 2,079 miles. That's the best monthly average to date, raising the lifetime average from 22.2 to 23.1 mpg, or a tick over its EPA combined rating. We didn't set a new fill record (that was done by Senior Editor Brent Romans in December), but the two fills from my road trip weren't far off.

Average lifetime mpg: 23.1
EPA mpg rating: 23 combined (20 city/29 highway)
Best fill mpg: 32.3
Best range: 480.5 miles
Current odometer: 7,139 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights
Performance
"I've seen it written that the 5 Series has lost its luster as a driver's car. 'Too insulated,' they'll tell you. 'Not enough road feel.' Or something. Well, I'm here to tell you to pay them no mind, whoever 'they' are, because this new 540i is a towering automotive achievement. For one thing, it's impossibly quiet and refined. The ride isn't cloudlike; it is a cloud. But a taut cloud. You're floating noiselessly above the road, yet there's still a reassuring sense of control. And the engine — you hear it but you don't feel it. It is virtually vibration-free. What you do feel is the immense, shove-you-back torque when you dip into the throttle. Look, I don't appreciate the M badge on the doorsill because it reminds me of how diluted BMW's once-vaunted performance brand has become. I'm still the guy who wrote this little screed about that. But as a mainstream luxury sport sedan, the latest 540i is a 100. If there's a better all-around sedan for the money, I haven't driven it." — Josh Sadlier, senior manager, content strategy

"This turbo six-cylinder is a real beauty. It has excellent power delivery and a pleasingly high redline, and it sounds good, too. And when you're at a stop, it's so quiet and smooth that you might think it's off." — Carlos Lago, senior writer

Interior
"No surprise here, but most adults should be comfortable in the back of the 5 Series. There's plenty of legroom and a suitable amount of headroom. I would have perhaps expected a little more cushion contouring for support, but on the upside, the flatness will help out with child seat installation." — Brent Romans, senior editor

"Our 540i's cabin looks and feels premium, and the controls have a solid heft to them. It's what you'd expect from a 5 Series. I'm not particularly fond of the metallic interior trim — it has an odd geometric pattern that seems like something you might find on a Japanese car — but that would be easily solved by selecting one of the more traditional wood trims." — Brent Romans

"Our 540i has a pretty digital gauge cluster that switches motifs depending on the drive setting. Problem is, you only get a digital speedometer when you're in one of the various sport modes. Actually this isn't really a problem because I'm always in the Sport Individual setting, but I wish I could have a digital speedometer at all times. Yes, I know there's a head-up display with a digital speedometer, but it disappears when you're wearing polarized sunglasses." — Carlos Lago

Technology
"Our BMW 540i has both the Driving Assistance and Driving Assistance Plus packages. That means it has the 5 Series' full arsenal of advanced driving aids. Interesting to me is that there are effectively two types of lane departure and lane keeping systems. You essentially get regular lane departure warning and lane keeping with the Driving Assistance package and then the more advanced Active Lane Keeping and Traffic Jam Assistant with the Driving Assistance Plus package. The former is on all the time, unless you purposely turn it off, while the latter is activated by pushing a button on the steering wheel.

"This BMW video has a good overview of the Active Lane Keeping system. It's basically a more attentive lane keeping system that you can use in conjunction with the adaptive cruise control (which is included with the Plus package). It's not meant to be a fully autonomous system, but it can be useful in certain situations. In particular, I've used it on long-distance highway drives and in congested, slow-moving highway traffic when I needed to momentarily reduce my driver attention.

"Examples were when I wanted to adjust the driver's seat (or stretch a bit in the seat) or find something in the cabin that required me taking my eyes off the road. With the system engaged, the 5 Series can automatically steer enough to handle gentle curves on the roadway. But relying on it for anything more than brief help is not a good idea. The system depends on having clearly identifiable lane markings. Anytime they become less than ideal, the system becomes inactive. Overall, I found it worked as BMW says it does, but its true usefulness seems pretty limited, at least for my typical driving." — Brent Romans

"I spent a few hours commuting on the freeway in rush hour this week and relied heavily on the adaptive cruise and lane keeping/steering assistance systems. The way these features reduce your workload while driving really makes rush hour tolerable. You don't have to spend as much energy carefully watching the car ahead; you can just sit back and enjoy your music or podcast. Still, I had two instances where the lane keeping/steering assistance system wanted to move the 540i out of the lane. If I recall right, it happened as the car ahead moved out of the carpool lane. In both instances, the steering pulled to the right and I had to correct it to stay in the lane. It wasn't an emergency maneuver, but a good reminder to keep two hands on the wheel at all times." — Carlos Lago

MPG
"I hadn't driven the 540i much since it arrived in our long-term fleet, so I was pleasantly surprised when it was available on the eve of my trip to Cupertino for a friend's wedding. I promptly signed up for it, confident that the large luxury sedan would make the journey through hundreds of miles of farmland bearable.

"No surprises then that the 5 Series did exactly that. The ride was serene, the seats highly adjustable and comfortable, and the trunk large enough to swallow two large suitcases. What I didn't expect was how fuel-efficient it was. Our 540i xDrive is rated at 29 mpg highway and I nearly matched it (28.5 mpg) on the trip north. It's worth noting that the 28.5 mpg included about 30 miles driving in Cupertino traffic and normal speeds on side streets. Without the city driving (but including 38 miles in traffic on my way back to the office), the 540i averaged 29 mpg even on the return trip. Total trip fuel economy was 28.7 mpg. This is astonishing given the 5 Series' 4,000-pound curb weight and 335-horsepower inline six-cylinder." — Cameron Rogers, staff writer

Monthly Update for February 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
Our long-term 2018 BMW 540i xDrive had a relatively light month in February. It rolled up about 850 new miles, most of which came courtesy of editor Cameron Rogers on his road trip to Cupertino in Northern California. The logbook continues to swell with praise for the 540i's refinement, swiftness and fuel economy. Yes, fuel economy — given that our Bimmer only needs about 4.5 seconds to reach 60 mph, its parsimony at the pump is downright amazing. More on that below.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
Although the 540i's average fuel economy dropped a smidge after our February efforts, the car's high efficiency on the highway continues to impress. Rogers notes that the EPA's highway estimate of 29 mpg was easily achieved on his trip despite a smattering of city driving, while our all-time record of 32.3 mpg represents an 11 percent improvement on that 29 mpg figure. This mirrors our experience with the similarly powered long-term BMW 340i xDrive, another highway overachiever. BMW seems to have cracked some kind of code since previous all-wheel-drive performance cars haven't exactly been known for their fuel economy.

Average lifetime mpg: 22.8
EPA mpg rating: 23 combined (20 city/29 highway)
Best fill mpg: 32.3
Best range: 480.5 miles
Current odometer: 7,987 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights

Performance
"I hadn't driven the 540i much since it arrived in our long-term fleet, so I was pleasantly surprised when it was available on the eve of my trip to Cupertino for a friend's wedding. I promptly signed up for it, confident that the midsize luxury sedan would make the journey through hundreds of miles of farmland bearable.

"No surprises, then, when the 5 Series did exactly that. The ride was serene, the seats highly adjustable and comfortable, and the trunk large enough to swallow two sizable suitcases. What I didn't expect was how fuel-efficient it was. Our 540i xDrive is rated at 29 mpg highway, and I nearly matched it on the trip north. It's worth noting that my 28.5 mpg included about 30 miles of driving in Cupertino traffic and at normal speeds on side streets. On the return trip, which included about 38 miles in traffic, the 540i averaged an even 29 mpg. Total trip fuel economy was 28.7 mpg." — Cameron Rogers, staff writer

"If you're researching the current 5 Series, you may have encountered some criticism of its driving dynamics in certain publications. Personally, I don't know what they're talking about. I love driving this car. The size feels just right; the engine is silky-smooth and remarkably potent; the transmission always seems to know what I want; and I even dig the outward visibility — a rare experience in cars these days. Also, can we talk about how quiet and well-damped this thing is? If there's a more refined entrant in this class, I've yet to drive it and honestly have a hard time imagining it. Sure, BMW steering used to be heavier and more precise. But I'm not really thinking about that when I'm driving our 540i; I'm mostly just shaking my head at how close this BMW comes to perfection." — Josh Sadlier, senior manager of content strategy

Technology
"That 'Dangerous Traffic Situation!' warning comes on every 7.5 seconds after you clear it. I know this because I was stuck in traffic (shock!) and was reminded to the point of insanity. The only way to disable the warning is to shut off all traffic information, which means you don't get to see basic traffic flow." — Kurt Niebuhr, photo editor

Interior
"Being able to touch the gauges on any car has always been my holy grail since they're always protected by a plastic barrier. Not so in the 540. The needles aren't real, so you get a touchable 3D instrument panel! I know, I'm weird." — Kurt Niebuhr

Monthly Update for March 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
Even though several members of our editorial, photo, video and social media teams were out of town in March for the New York International Auto Show, our 2018 BMW 540i xDrive didn't stay in the parking garage one single night. Auto show festivities kept our coast-to-coast staff busy and there wasn't much leeway for road trips, so despite its popularity the 540i didn't leave Los Angeles and we only added a little more than 900 miles to the odometer. For those keeping track, that's a little more than halfway to our monthly target of 1,700 miles.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
Lots of city driving.

Two of the 540i's three fills in March fell below the EPA's city rating, at 18.0 mpg and 19.4 mpg. Judging by the timing of the fills, it's easy to surmise that these 550 miles were spent almost exclusively braving Los Angeles traffic. We stretched our legs a little at the end of the month, racking up another 365 miles at a more reasonable 23.4 mpg. Our monthly fuel economy averaged out to 20.4 mpg and caused our lifetime average to fall from 22.8 mpg to 22.5 mpg.

Average lifetime mpg: 22.5
EPA mpg rating: 23 combined (20 city/29 highway)
Best fill mpg: 32.3
Best range: 480.5 miles
Current odometer: 8,904 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights
Performance
"Is there a better combination of performance and fuel economy at this price level? I say no, particularly when you throw in our 540i's all-wheel-drive system. We've seen that 32 mpg and above is eminently attainable in this machine, whereas on a recent multi-day road trip in our other AWD long-term sedan, the Subaru Impreza, I only saw 31.9 mpg. I should add that the Impreza, at 152 horsepower, makes less than half the power of the BMW (335 hp), yet the 540i's silken turbocharged inline-six feels like it's working half as hard. How do the Bavarians do it? Beats me, but in the powertrain arena at least, it's clear that the company's Ultimate Driving Machine ethos is alive and well." — Josh Sadlier, senior manager, content strategy

Comfort
"My old feelings still hold for the 540i — I wish it was still a BMW. The digital gauges, terrible adaptive cruise control, and ping-ponging lane keeping assist all are a frustration and departure from the 'Ultimate Driving Machine' that BMW is supposed to be. That being said, the 540i is perfectly pleasant to commute in. It's like a big rolling couch with plenty of horsepower to edge out aggressive mergers on Interstate 405. As a previous BMW owner, I still get a certain amount of joy from driving a BMW once in a while." — Abigail Bassett, senior director, video & social media

"There's a lot that makes the 540i an absolute distance-crushing sedan, but after spending a few hundred miles on a dull-as-dirt, all-highway road trip, I will say that the seats are probably at the top of that list. Comfortable. Supportive. Breathable (even without ventilation — c'mon, BMW!). They're ridiculously good." — Kurt Niebuhr, photo editor

Technology-Audio
"I was already pretty happy with how BMW's iDrive worked, but this latest version makes it even better. The added ability to use the infotainment display as a touchscreen, combined with Apple CarPlay, makes this one of the best systems out there. It's easier to use the touchscreen in the CarPlay menus because otherwise you have to use the dial to scroll through all of the hotspots. If that all wasn't enough, you don't need to use a USB connection to use Apple CarPlay. Now, I just toss my phone into the bin that has a wireless charging pad and go. It's the future, people!" — Mark Takahashi, senior writer

Monthly Update for April 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
April was a continuation of driving patterns we've established in previous months with our 2018 BMW 540i. Most of us used it for commuting to the office and getting around on the weekends, which racked up about 1,400 miles of driving and helped generate our comments on performance, ride comfort and technology. Overall, I'll just note that from my standpoint our 540i is a winner. It's classy and enjoyable to drive, just as I'd expect a BMW luxury sedan to be.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
We didn't have any significant changes to our BMW 540i's fuel economy in April. The sedan is holding steady at around 22 mpg in combined driving. I'm still impressed by our best fill of 32.2 mpg, which happened last December when I drove the BMW about 285 miles on the highway. Just set the cruise control at a reasonable speed to get truly impressive numbers with this car.

Average lifetime mpg: 22.6
EPA mpg rating: 23 combined (20 city/29 highway)
Best fill mpg: 32.3
Best range: 480.5 miles
Current odometer: 10,288 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
We took the 540i to Irvine BMW for service at around 9,000 miles per its insistent requests in the maintenance minder. The 540i, like many modern BMWs, factors in driving habits when determining a service interval. The regular service included an oil change, oil filter change and tire rotation.

While there, we asked the dealer to check on a recurrent Apple CarPlay issue, when the screen will often freeze while engaging CarPlay wirelessly. The only fix we've found is to disconnect then reconnect the offending smartphone from CarPlay. No surprise, the dealer couldn't replicate the issue. The service visit was complimentary, and Irvine BMW even offered an Uber shuttle service to and from the dealer. (We didn't need it and declined.) We'd go back again.

Logbook Highlights

Performance
"This car is deceptively quick. It's not like it's hiding it. It's just that you're surrounded by comfort and class, and that makes you forget that you have such a potent engine. Once you put the throttle down, boom! You take off like a rocket. Such a great car to drive." — Rex Tokeshi-Torres, vehicle testing technician

"I really like our 540i's eight-speed automatic transmission. Left in Drive, it is pleasingly smooth-shifting and responsive. But I also enjoy how easy it is to further adjust the transmission for sportier performance. You can move the shift lever to the Sport mode or use the 5 Series' adjustable drive settings; both adjust the transmission's shifting patterns. There are also paddles on the steering wheel for manual gear shifting. When you mat the gas and click through the gears manually, the shifts are super quick and firm. It's like having a sports car's dual-clutch automatic. The rev-matched downshifts are really smooth, too. All in all, it just adds to this car's dual-nature character." — Brent Romans, senior editor

"When placed in its Sport driving mode with the firmed-up suspension tuning, our 540i is surprisingly fun to drive around turns. There's some passion here that was missing in the previous-generation 5 Series. That our car has all-wheel drive doesn't seem to be that much of a downside. On the contrary, it's kind of cool to be able to easily apply power as you round a corner and have the 540i stay hooked up. Granted, this is still a big luxury sedan, but as big luxury sedans go, this one is more enjoyable than most." — Brent Romans

Comfort
"Our BMW rides really nicely in Comfort mode. There's a particularly rough stretch of road on my commute, and I've been in some, well, honestly, cheap cars recently. It was a very pleasant surprise to feel how well the BMW handled a stretch that's so rough it actually bounced one car I was driving hard enough to set off the traction control warning." — Will Kaufman, associate staff writer

Interior
"A few days ago, some of us in the Edmunds office were talking about our 5 Series' interior and comparing it to the interior of a Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Everyone was commenting on how great the Mercedes' interior design is. I found myself defending our 5 Series, though. Yeah, the E-Class is undeniably nicer, but it's also the best in the segment.

"Otherwise, I think the 5 Series' interior holds its own in the luxury sedan class. It has BMW's classic interior design approach (which I think brings a sense of heritage and familiarity to the car) and it's fitted with class-competitive materials. The only real disappointment for me from a design standpoint is our test car's odd metallic diamond-pattern trim, but that's just specific to our test car." — Brent Romans

Technology-Audio
"I had to take the case off my Samsung Galaxy S7+ to fit it into the cordless charging cradle, but once I dropped it in I had real trouble getting it back out. It filled the space so completely, and access is obstructed to begin with, so I wound up slipping my ID badge under the edge of my phone to lever it out. As much as I like having cordless charging in cars, a lot of the cradles don't seem designed with larger phones in mind." — Will Kaufman

"Even though I've been driving our 540i a lot recently, it's still a little strange to me to have Apple CarPlay in a BMW. CarPlay is inherently a touchscreen-based system, and BMWs have traditionally not had touchscreens. But, hey, here it is. I do like having CarPlay and it's neat that you can connect your iPhone without needing a cord. In a way, it's the best of both worlds. You can use iDrive, which is still great, or you can fire up CarPlay for its certain functions that you like." — Brent Romans

Miscellaneous
"I wouldn't mind if BMW made its various sedans look a little more distinctive from each other. For example: I parked next to a light blue BMW thinking it was a new 5 Series. Twinsies! But, umm, no. Only after looking at the other car's badge did I realize that it was a 4 Series Gran Coupe. Oops." — Brent Romans

Monthly Update for May 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
We needed to shake up the long-term 2018 BMW 540i xDrive's routine. Too much stop-and-go commuting duty was making it soft. That's why I took it upon myself to get the 540i out on the open road, heading to Arizona at the beginning of May and then to California's Eastern Sierra region at the very end.

Spoiler alert: This 5 Series is an outstanding road-trip companion. Where else can you get 335 remarkably refined horses, 30-plus mpg, 600 miles of highway range and supremely supportive sport seats in a luxurious midsize package? Indeed, it's hard to pinpoint anything that this car doesn't do well. Lexus may have come up with "the relentless pursuit of perfection," but I'd say the current 5 Series embodies that ethos as convincingly as any vehicle on the market today.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
Editor Romans challenged me to break his record of 32.2 mpg when he heard I was heading out of town in the Bimmer. Naturally, I obliged. Coming back from Phoenix to Los Angeles, I rolled up 380.1 miles and pumped in 11.6 gallons for a 32.7-mpg tank, obliterating Brent's previous mark by 0.5 mpg. I've informed him that I'll be glad to give him a driving lesson if he asks me nicely.

Overall, I continue to be amazed by the ease with which this car crests 30 mpg on the highway. How refreshing to find a modern turbocharged car that routinely exceeds its EPA-estimated fuel economy. In related news, our lifetime average is now right in line with the EPA's combined estimate of 23 mpg.

Average lifetime mpg: 23
EPA mpg rating: 23 combined (20 city/29 highway)
Best fill mpg: 32.7
Best range: 488.9 miles
Current odometer: 12,507 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
"With a road trip to Arizona scheduled for Sunday, I received an ominous warning on Friday morning when I started the 540i. 'Right rear tire low,' it informed me. 'Stop carefully and check tires. On cars with run-flat tires, the journey can be continued at speeds of up to 50 mph.' Sure enough, the onboard tire pressure monitor showed 20 psi for the right rear, versus 30 for the fronts and 36 for the left rear. I kept an eye on my speed and made a beeline for Stokes, our go-to tire shop in Santa Monica. Turns out there was a 'metal shard' in the tire that was cramping its style. About an hour and 35 bucks later, the tire had been repaired and I was good to go for my trip." — Josh Sadlier, senior manager of content strategy

Logbook Highlights

Performance
"This powertrain. What a gem. So smooth and powerful, and BMW's programmers have somehow made the ubiquitous ZF eight-speed transmission feel more telepathic than in rival applications. I do find that I always put the car in Sport mode to wake up the throttle response; left to its own devices, there's a slight delay that I don't enjoy. But with that extra press of a button, it's well-nigh perfect. Truly extraordinary engineering here." — Josh Sadlier

Technology-Audio
"I encountered a glitch with our 5 Series. Backing out of my driveway in the morning, the rearview camera failed to boot properly. The display changed to the camera screen, but behind me was apparently only darkness. The perfect black of the void. And also my neighbor's Ford Focus." — Will Kaufman, associate staff writer

Comfort
"Love the driver's seat in this car. Firm, generous padding in all the right places, and the adjustable side bolsters provide perfect snugness. 'Drive-all-day comfort' is an overused compliment in our trade, but it's on point here. I actually did drive the 540i all day from L.A. to Sedona, Arizona — that's 8 hours — and with this seat beneath me I could have kept right on going." — Josh Sadlier

Monthly Update for June 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
Though nearly everyone on staff loves driving our long-term 2018 BMW 540i, the past nine months haven't been issue-free. Weird electrical gremlins have popped up on occasion. And while none have been catastrophic, they do make you wonder what's going on inside the car.

Since we've had the 540i, Apple CarPlay has frozen a few times, and the entire entertainment screen has refused to boot up. This month? The backup camera stopped working, which required a simple restart. More complicated was the "passenger restraint system malfunction" alert that popped up one morning. That warning required a visit to the dealer, which didn't fix the problem.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
We didn't cover as many miles in June as we'd have liked. With the "passenger restraint system malfunction" alert on, our 540i spent a few days parked both in our garage and at the dealer. But when it was on the road, our BMW traveled 1,371 miles and consumed 56.3 gallons of gas, netting a monthly fuel economy average of 24.4 mpg. Our lifetime average is a bit lower at 23.1 mpg, but that matches the EPA combined rating.

Average lifetime mpg: 23.1
EPA mpg rating: 23 combined (20 city/29 highway)
Best fill mpg: 32.7
Best range: 488.9 miles
Current odometer: 13,879 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
After the 540i displayed the "passenger restraint system malfunction" alert, we called Santa Monica BMW for service. Even though it was Wednesday, the soonest we could get in was early Monday morning.

The car was ready Tuesday afternoon. According to the invoice, the dealer "connected battery charger to vehicle and performed short test. Found passenger seat mat sensor fault in system. As per test plan, performed recognition and found no problems. As per SIB 65 04 14, cleared fault and test-drove vehicle. Rechecked and found OK."

The repair was performed under warranty, but it didn't appear to accomplish anything. Shortly after getting the car back, the warning reappeared. We've parked the car again for safety reasons and will report on its return to the dealership next month.

Logbook Highlights
Technology-Audio
"The rearview camera just stopped working on our 540i. I turned the car off and then back on. The camera started working fine again." — Mike Schmidt, senior manager, vehicle testing operations

"Hey, BMW? It's me, an Android user. I'd really like it if my Google Pixel could maintain a constant Bluetooth connection with the 540i like it does with other cars. As things are now, the connection gets severed whenever I receive a notification, requiring me to pull over, disconnect and reconnect my phone to resume listening to whatever I was streaming. And while we're at it, how about adding Android Auto support?" — Carlos Lago, manager, feature content

Miscellaneous
"Electronic gremlins aside, I really enjoy our 540i and have spent probably too much time thinking about how I'd order one. I'd skip all-wheel drive because there's no weather in Los Angeles. Plus, keeping it rear-drive improves combined fuel economy by 1 mpg and saves you a little more than $2,000 off the sticker price. The wheels and exterior design updates on the M Sport Design are must-haves, and I'd stick with the 19-inch wheels instead of opting for the 20s. The advanced driver aids in the Driving Assistance Plus package and the comfort from the Luxury Seating package make long drives enjoyable, while the performance upgrades in the Dynamic Handling package do the same for freeway on-ramps and winding roads." — Carlos Lago

Monthly Update for July 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
In addition to its usual commuting duties with fellow editors, I took our 2018 BMW 540i on a quick round trip from L.A. to San Francisco. That gave us a nice 790-mile boost on the odometer. We needed to take it back to the dealer for a repeat warning light, but it seems it's fixed for good now.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
Since the last update, we added 2,325 miles on our 540i and used 81.9 gallons of premium unleaded. That averages to 28.4 mpg for July and lifted our overall average 0.2 mpg past the EPA combined estimate of 23 mpg.

Of the total, my Bay Area jaunt added 790.4 miles, used 26.2 gallons, and averaged out to 30.2 mpg. That's better than the EPA's highway estimate of 29 mpg, and I wasn't even trying! It was blazing hot the entire trip (it reached 108 degrees in California's Central Valley), and the A/C was working pretty hard.

Average lifetime mpg: 23.3
EPA mpg rating: 23 combined (20 city/29 highway)
Best fill mpg: 32.7
Best range: 488.9 miles
Current odometer: 16,204 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
We returned to our local BMW dealer for a recurrent passenger restraint warning, the same thing we took it in for in June. After the technician followed the guidelines set out by a service bulletin and software update, we haven't had any issues since.

Logbook Highlights
Performance
"A few of my colleagues have said the 540i is a little on the bland side. I can see what they mean. But for the class, I disagree. This 5 Series is supremely capable when it comes to power. When I needed to pass slower traffic, the engine never broke a proverbial sweat. At the top of freeway on-ramps, I had to back off the throttle to match the flow of traffic." — Mark Takahashi, senior writer

"Always a pleasure to get into the 540i and exercise its absurdly refined powertrain. Granted, I was coming out of a Nissan Kicks, but still. What an engine, what a perfect pairing with the latest ZF eight-speed automatic, what an eerily smooth rush when you mat the throttle. Skip the four-cylinder 530i and go straight to the 540i. You're in for a treat that's worth every extra penny." — Josh Sadlier, senior manager, content strategy

Maintenance
"Two days after we took the 540i to service to remedy the passenger restraint system warning light, it was back.

"Santa Monica BMW performed the same initial tests. Last time the tech essentially cleared the code and OK'd the car. Since it was our second time with the same issue, the shop foreman got involved. Per service bulletin SIB 72 04 17, he attached a tie strap to better secure the wiring harness associated with the seat sensor. Then he updated the software to the most recent version. Nine hours after we dropped the car off, it was ready to pick up." — Mike Schmidt, senior manager, vehicle testing operations

Comfort
"These seats just work for me. That's why I picked this car for my road trip. I knew I could make it nonstop from L.A. to San Francisco without any significant fatigue. Ventilated seats would be a welcome addition in July, but the seats breathe pretty well. The ride quality is also well-suited for this kind of touring as it smoothed over any undulations or bumps." — Mark Takahashi

"My son, his girlfriend and I took a drive down to San Diego in the 540i. I picked the BMW because I wanted the three of us to be comfortable during the four hours of total drive time. Didn't happen. Liz, confined to the back seat, didn't have enough legroom sitting directly behind my son or me, so she ended up taking the middle seat.

"Just looking at the 540i's length, fitting three people should have been a no-brainer. The cabin is smaller than the exterior would lead you to believe, however. Liz is only about 5 feet 6. I'm 6 feet, and my son comes in around 6 feet 4. It was a bit surprising that she wasn't able to find a comfy position behind us." — Matt Jones, senior consumer advice editor

Technology-Audio
"Logging almost 400 miles in a day is a breeze with adaptive cruise and lane keeping assist. I had the following distance set to the second of four settings (fourth being maximum distance). This gave me the optimal California highway interval — not so far back that impatient drivers behind me thought I was dawdling, and not so close that braking was too abrupt. Lane keeping assist allowed me to drive with the lightest of contact with the wheel, reducing the amount of perceived driving significantly." — Mark Takahashi

Monthly Update for August 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
We've had the 2018 BMW 540i xDrive in the Edmunds' long-term fleet for nearly a year. And while its time with us hasn't been completely issue-free, we breezed through August without any additional problems. There was even a nice little bump in our average fuel economy.

Last month, Road Test Engineer Calvin Kim made a 16-hour-plus round-trip drive from Los Angeles to Lake Tahoe and was surprised by the range capabilities of this 335-horsepower sport cruiser.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
With a few solid highway-cruising tanks covering nearly 1,600 miles last month, our 540i registered its best monthly fuel economy to date at 27.9 mpg. A few tanks even surpassed the EPA-estimated highway range of 29 mpg, which isn't very common when it comes to turbocharged engines.

This efficiency was significant enough to not only nudge our lifetime average up a couple tenths of an mpg but to put our 540i over the EPA combined estimate. Considering that most staff comments involved "not trying" to be feather-footed, this is a good showing from such a potent inline-six engine.

Average lifetime mpg: 23.5
EPA mpg rating: 23 combined (20 city/29 highway)
Best fill mpg: 32.7
Best range: 488.9 miles
Current odometer: 17,416 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights

Technology
"Inductive charging is great: no cords, no fuss. And the 540i has one that works well. But the pad is located in such a way to make the phone utterly inaccessible and difficult to remove if you have cups in the cupholders. I ended up using a cable to charge my phone and left it in the center console." — Calvin Kim, road test engineer

"Kudos to BMW for being first to market with wireless Apple CarPlay functionality. However, my latest experience with the CarPlay system in our long-term 540i was less than great. The menu to add your phone for CarPlay isn't obvious and almost required digging into the owner's manual. That may not sound like a big deal, but other systems are much more accessible. The connection takes longer to establish compared to using a USB cable. And there were a couple occasions where I had to reactivate the connection, which involved trying to retrace my steps through the iDrive infotainment menus again.

"My iPhone doesn't have wireless charging capability, so I need to plug it in for power. Therefore, at least in my case, I prefer the wired method of CarPlay where it prompts you to launch CarPlay every time you plug in. It's simple and it works." — Jonathan Elfalan, road test manager

Comfort
"I chose the 540i for a circuitous road trip to Lake Tahoe with the idea that it would be a quick and comfortable transport. The seat's thigh bolsters initially felt awkward, pushing into my butt and thighs, and I began to regret picking the BMW. But after about two hours in the saddle, I stopped noticing the bolsters and found the seats comfortable and didn't mind them for the rest of the trip. When hustling the 5 Series a bit, these lower bolsters are helpful in preventing you from sliding side to side. But for long-distance cruising, I think most would prefer a little flatter seat cushion." — Calvin Kim

Performance
"I dialed in my perfect driving settings today in the 540i. Within Sport mode, iDrive provides something called 'Sport Individual' that lets you mix and match between various calibrations. I went with Comfort for the suspension and steering, which gives me a softer ride and lighter steering effort.

"But I find the powertrain a bit hesitant by default, so I picked Sport for the engine and transmission. Voilà! Now the car is always ready to accelerate, yet it doesn't hold onto gears obnoxiously or anything like that. Meanwhile, the ride remains controlled without thumping me unnecessarily over bumps, and the steering isn't artificially rigid in my hands.

"I usually take a dim view of extensively configurable driving modes —just get it right in the first place, you know? — but in this case, I'm a big fan. It's just one more way in which the 540i feels tailor-made for people who like to drive." — Josh Sadlier, senior manager, content strategy           

MPG
"I logged more than 475 miles on one tank of gas during my road trip up to Lake Tahoe. I filled up at the lake, then drove all the way back to Los Angeles with more than 80 (indicated) miles to spare. With the 5 Series' excellent overall comfort, it's nice to know you could cover some real ground with its 18-gallon tank. I stopped only once for coffee and a stretch." — Calvin Kim

Monthly Update for September 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
As the sun starts to set on our time with the 2018 BMW 540i xDrive, it's been a race to hit our goal of 20,000 miles. Desperate to get our odometer moving, our senior manager of vehicle testing operations, Mike Schmidt, grabbed the baton and hit the road before dawn one morning, with the sole purpose of driving until he emptied the tank. Hashtag MVP.

Like previous models we've lived with, our 5 Series lets us know when it's about due for a service, which is covered under BMW's Ultimate Care program for the first three years or 36,000 miles. We also discovered a pending recall set to begin in November (affecting most four- and six-cylinder BMWs), likely after our tester will have returned to the mothership. Read on for more details.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
With our 540i so close to its mileage target, some of our team took the initiative to go the extra mile(s) this month. No new efficiency goals were set, although we came close. We did, however, surpass the 500-mile range mark with fuel to spare. We think 600 miles is achievable.

September was still a relatively fuel-frugal month, averaging 25.1 mpg over 1,976 miles. Our average lifetime mpg increased by a hair, to 23.6 mpg.

Average lifetime mpg: 23.6
EPA mpg rating: 23 combined (20 city/29 highway)
Best fill mpg: 32.7
Best range: 515.7 miles
Current odometer: 19,392 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
Our 540i prompted us with a service notice just shy of the 20,000-mile mark. We called BMW Santa Monica on a Friday to schedule an appointment for the following Wednesday. The visit itself was easy. The car was dropped off at 9 a.m. and ready by 1 p.m. Service items included an oil change, new oil filter, new cabin air microfilter, and various safety inspections.

Additionally, BMW sent notice of a recall (to begin on November 1, 2018) for our 540i and essentially all other four- and six-cylinder-equipped vehicles. Apparently, incorrect firmware may prevent the crankshaft sensor from functioning properly, possibly resulting in a vehicle stall.

NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V465000
Potential number of units affected: 5,309

Logbook Highlights

Performance
"Equally at home on the freeways, in the city or on mountain switchbacks, the 540i is a versatile performer. A friend called me up on a Saturday for a drive through the winding mountain roads of Angeles Crest Highway. How could I resist? Handling feels near effortless despite the BMW being a large family sedan with a fair amount of weight to toss around. The experience is surprisingly fun and rewarding and a real pleasure to drive." — Rex Tokeshi-Torres, vehicle test technician

Technology
"We are very near the end of our yearlong test of the 540i. I recently realized we were a bit short of our annual mileage goal so decided to help things along a bit. One morning at 4 a.m., I climbed behind the wheel and pointed the BMW east with no particular destination in mind. Perhaps that was a misstep. Without a destination, I got bored after 213 miles and headed back home.

"My impromptu 430-mile drive revealed a few things about the 5 Series that I didn't know before. First, the driver's seat is pleasant for about three hours, by which time its bottom has uncomfortably lulled a part of mine to sleep. Next, drawing letters on the iDrive controller is no easier than turning the dial to select letters on-screen. Finally, its adaptive cruise control is really good. Set to a longer following distance, it's conservative enough for my taste. The shorter distances are less my style and will get into ABS if traffic slows quickly enough." — Mike Schmidt, senior manager, vehicle testing operations    

"For a long time, I thought BMW's gesture control was a novelty, but my general laziness has shed more light on its usefulness. I usually listen to my iPhone in shuffle mode and am a habitual song-skipper. In BMWs, you have to use the roller click wheel on the steering wheel to skip, or tap the tiny skip button on the center stack, or move the iDrive dial to the correct on-screen button.

"None of these methods is a quick one-motion thing, and I'm too lazy to be bothered sometimes. Then I found the programmable gesture shortcut of giving the screen the two-finger peace sign. Bingo! Not only is this virtually effortless, but it also works very consistently. I never had to try twice to make it happen. Now that I started using this gesture, I've taken to using the volume gestures, too." — Mark Takahashi, senior reviews editor

Comfort
"The key to long-term car ownership is ultimately about how well a car holds your interest. After being in our BMW 540i for just a weekend, I think this car has the means to go the distance. It's expensive, but if I had the coin, I would buy one. The interior comfort and luxury amenities are top-notch, and attention to detail is apparent in everything you touch. I wish we could keep this car longer. Fare thee well, 540i, our time was much too short." — Rex Tokeshi-Torres

Wrap-Up

What We Got
While luxury SUVs are all the rage at the moment, the more natural driving dynamics of a sedan haven't lost their strong appeal. Being lower to the ground benefits handling and ride quality, and a sedan's sleeker profile slips through the air more effortlessly than an SUV, improving fuel economy. So it is that the BMW 5 Series remains an important vehicle, especially given its provenance in the luxury sedan segment.

It's not as though the 5 Series has the luxury sedan landscape all locked up, however. Its German and Asian rivals continue to evolve, and its American competitors have also stepped up considerably in recent years.

BMW's response to these challengers — and to criticisms that the previous 5 Series was too numb and isolated — was a complete redesign. The 2017 5 Series was all-new despite its similar appearance to its predecessor.

The 5 Series carried into 2018 intact and came in eight trim levels: 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, 530e iPerformance, 530e xDrive iPerformance, M550i xDrive and 540d xDrive.

We hadn't conducted a long-term 5 Series test since 2011 when we drove a 528i for a year. This time around, we selected a 2018 540i xDrive. Don't be fooled by the car's nomenclature. While the 540i of yore was powered by a large-displacement V8 and sat just below the highest-performance M5 in the 5 Series range, the 2018 540i came with a 335-horsepower turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine.

Likewise, today's 540i sits closer to the middle of the 5 Series lineup, sandwiched between the base 248-hp 530i and the 456-hp M550i xDrive.

Our 540i started right around $59,000 but finished at $72,695 with options. These included:

• all-wheel drive (xDrive)
• Mediterranean Blue metallic paint
• the Driving Assistance package (head-up display, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning)
• the Driving Assistance Plus package (forward collision warning and mitigation with pedestrian detection)
• the M Sport package (19-inch wheels, LED foglights, adaptive dampers, unique exterior and interior flourishes, keyless entry, heated front seats, SensaTec dashboard, satellite radio, gesture control)
• rear sunshades
• Apple CarPlay
• a wireless charging pad
• a premium Harman Kardon surround-sound system

Performance

"I've been driving our 540i for a couple weeks straight and just realized that I had never taken its turbocharged inline-six engine past 5,000 rpm or so. Engine redline is 7,000 rpm! There's so much midrange torque that there's no practical reason to wring it out in every gear. It's not like the old days of naturally aspirated [non-turbo] BMW inline-sixes. Those motors begged you to drive like the redline indicator was a 'Shift here!' indicator. This one's more of an 'Ehh, shift whenever you want' engine." — Brent Romans, senior editor

"I had the chance to drive our 5 Series on a track and was actually quite impressed. Sure, the steering is completely artificial, but the chassis feels great. It feels light and lively, and pitch and roll are dialed in very nicely. The body doesn't stay perfectly flat, but it's better for it thanks to the precision of those movements. It's especially nice to have so that the car can communicate with you since the steering can't tell you anything." — Will Kaufman, content strategist and news editor

"This powertrain. What a gem. So smooth and powerful, and BMW's programmers have somehow made the ubiquitous ZF eight-speed transmission feel more telepathic than in rival applications. I do find that I always put the car in Sport mode to wake up the throttle response; left to its own devices, there's a slight delay that I don't enjoy. But with that extra press of a button, it's well-nigh perfect. Truly extraordinary engineering here." — Josh Sadlier, senior manager of content strategy

MPG

"I logged more than 475 miles on one tank of gas during my road trip up to Lake Tahoe. I filled up at the lake, then drove all the way back to Los Angeles with more than 80 (indicated) miles to spare. With the 5 Series' excellent overall comfort, it's nice to know you could cover some real ground with its 18-gallon tank. I stopped only once for coffee and a stretch." — Calvin Kim, road test engineer

"I hadn't driven the 540i much since it arrived in our long-term fleet, so I was pleasantly surprised when it was available on the eve of my trip to Cupertino for a friend's wedding. I promptly signed up for it, confident that the midsize luxury sedan would make the journey through hundreds of miles of farmland bearable.

"No surprises, then, when the 5 Series did exactly that. The ride was serene, the seats highly adjustable and comfortable, and the trunk large enough to swallow two sizable suitcases. What I didn't expect was how fuel-efficient it was. Our 540i xDrive is rated at 29 mpg highway, and I nearly matched it on the trip north.

"It's worth noting that my 28.5 mpg included about 30 miles of driving in Cupertino traffic and at normal speeds on side streets. On the return trip, which included about 38 miles in traffic, the 540i averaged an even 29 mpg. Total trip fuel economy was 28.7 mpg." — Cameron Rogers, reviews editor

Comfort

"Love the driver's seat in this car. Firm, generous padding in all the right places, and the adjustable side bolsters provide perfect snugness. 'Drive-all-day comfort' is an overused compliment in our trade, but it's on point here. I actually did drive the 540i all day from L.A. to Sedona, Arizona — that's eight hours — and with this seat beneath me, I could have kept right on going." — Josh Sadlier

"Our BMW rides really nicely in Comfort mode. There's a particularly rough stretch of road on my commute, and I've been in some, well, honestly, cheap cars recently. It was a very pleasant surprise to feel how well the BMW handled a stretch that's so rough it actually bounced one car I was driving hard enough to set off the traction control warning." — Will Kaufman

Cargo Space

"I've loaded up our 540i's trunk a couple times now for road-trip duty. It's reasonably sized and should be good for a few suitcases plus some extra duffel bags and the like. The cargo area is fairly long, but the width narrows about halfway in. Depth is a little shallow, too." — Brent Romans

"I wish there was a better place to put my phone inside our 540i. There's no true front cubby, so the next best option is putting it in one of the front cupholders. That's fine until you've got two water bottles. I've found that I have to wedge it between the water bottles and the front center stack, which isn't ideal." — Brent Romans

Interior

"A few days ago, some of us in the Edmunds office were talking about our 5 Series' interior and comparing it to the interior of a Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Everyone was commenting on how great the Mercedes' interior design is. I found myself defending our 5 Series, though. Yeah, the E-Class is undeniably nicer, but it's also the best in the segment.

"Otherwise, I think the 5 Series' interior holds its own in the luxury sedan class. It has BMW's classic interior design approach (which I think brings a sense of heritage and familiarity to the car), and it's fitted with class-competitive materials. The only real disappointment for me from a design standpoint is our test car's odd metallic diamond-pattern trim, but that's just specific to our test car." — Brent Romans

"The sun visors aren't extendable. Really? How much does this car cost? And it has side and rear sunshades for the rear passengers. But the driver? Granted, it's only about 1 inch of missing coverage, but it's still a curious design choice." — Will Kaufman

Audio and Technology

"My impromptu 430-mile drive revealed a few things about the 5 Series that I didn't know before. First, the driver's seat is pleasant for about three hours, by which time its bottom has uncomfortably lulled a part of mine to sleep. Next, drawing letters on the iDrive controller is no easier than turning the dial to select letters on-screen. Finally, its adaptive cruise control is really good. Set to a longer following distance, it's conservative enough for my taste. The shorter distances are less my style and will get into ABS if traffic slows quickly enough." — Mike Schmidt, senior manager, vehicle testing operations

"I spent a few hours commuting on the freeway in rush hour this week and relied heavily on the adaptive cruise and lane keeping/steering assistance systems. The way these features reduce your workload while driving really makes rush hour tolerable. You don't have to spend as much energy carefully watching the car ahead; you can just sit back and enjoy your music or podcast.

"Still, I had two instances where the lane keeping/steering assistance system wanted to move the 540i out of the lane. If I recall right, it happened as the car ahead moved out of the carpool lane. In both instances, the steering pulled to the right, and I had to correct it to stay in the lane. It wasn't an emergency maneuver, but a good reminder to keep two hands on the wheel at all times." — Carlos Lago

Maintenance

"After the 540i displayed the 'passenger restraint system malfunction' alert, we called Santa Monica BMW for service. Even though it was Wednesday, the soonest we could get in was early Monday morning.

"The car was ready Tuesday afternoon. According to the invoice, the dealer 'connected battery charger to vehicle and performed short test. Found passenger seat mat sensor fault in system. As per test plan, performed recognition and found no problems. As per SIB 65 04 14, cleared fault and test-drove vehicle. Rechecked and found OK.'

"The repair was performed under warranty, but it didn't appear to accomplish anything. Shortly after getting the car back, the warning reappeared. We've parked the car again for safety reasons and will report on its return to the dealership next month." — Mike Schmidt

"We returned to our local BMW dealer for a recurrent passenger restraint warning, the same thing we took it in for in June. After the technician followed the guidelines set out by a service bulletin and software update, we haven't had any issues since." — Mike Schmidt

Maintenance & Repairs
Regular Maintenance:
Our 540i went in twice for routine maintenance — oil changes and tire rotations — at a cost of zero dollars. It has free scheduled maintenance for three years/36,000 miles.

Service Campaigns:
One recall was issued during our time with the car. Since the recall notification arrived immediately before the 540i was scheduled to leave our care, we did not have the recall (a crank-angle sensor replacement) performed.

Two unscheduled dealer visits were required to resolve a passenger restraint warning, which were covered under warranty. Out of an abundance of caution, we elected on both occasions to take the 540i out of rotation and park it in the days before the dealer could take the car. All of our dealer visits were completed the same day.

Fuel Economy and Resale Value

Observed Fuel Economy:
The EPA estimates the 540i xDrive will net 23 mpg combined (20 city/29 highway). After 19,705 miles, we averaged 23.5 mpg combined. That's a solid result given how the enthusiastic engine goads drivers into exercising the accelerator pedal. We even managed to drive it 515.7 miles on a single tank. On the flip side, its worst single fill returned 15.5 mpg.

Our best-observed fuel economy for a single tank was 32.7 mpg. Furthermore, the 540i achieved better than 30 mpg on eight other fill-ups, which bodes well for drivers who, unlike us, drive conservatively on the freeway. Stronger-than-sticker fuel economy results are easily achievable.

Resale and Depreciation:
Our 2018 BMW 540i xDrive stickered for $72,695. In a year of driving, we racked up 19,705 miles. In this condition, Edmunds TMV Calculator valued the 540i xDrive at $53,390 based on a private-party sale.

Depreciation-wise that works out to 26.6 percent, which is worse than our long-term fleet average of 22 percent.

Summing Up

Pros:
A lusty, powerful yet fuel-efficient engine and one of the best automatic transmissions out there headline the 540i's dynamic attributes. It also received consistent praise for its terrific ride quality and hushed demeanor and near-universal acclaim for its seat comfort.

Cons:
While the steering is quick and responsive, it's quite numb. A few niggles with the infotainment system were the only other complaints that came up with any repetition.

Bottom Line:
The refinement is strong with this one. It's enviably competent in a wide array of areas and represents a positive step forward compared to its predecessor. We'd hesitate to call the 540i a sport sedan, but few sedans draw as deeply from both the luxury and the performance pools as seamlessly as this car.

The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.