2024 BMW 5 Series

How’s the tech? The large infotainment screen works great for navigation. Inputting directions is easy using the screen or voice commands, and the navigation links with the instrument cluster and head-up display to show turn-by-turn directions. Voice commands can also be used to change the climate control, adjust the radio, or even roll up the rear sunshades. Voice prompts work well, though the system isn't quite as robust as Mercedes' MBUX or some Google-based systems.

If you prefer to use your own device, the i5 comes standard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto; both include wireless connectivity. There's also a wireless charging pad as well as plenty of USB-C ports spread throughout both rows of seats. The i5 would score even higher here if some of our editors didn't have recurring issues when trying to get CarPlay to launch in our test car.

As you might expect with a modern luxury vehicle, the 5 Series is available with many advanced driver aids, including hands-free highway driving. They worked well in our testing and didn't have any annoying false alarms. Just know that BMW is a bit stingy and doesn't include all of them as standard equipment.

How’s the fuel economy? Fuel economy estimates for the BMW 5 Series are quite good for such a large vehicle. The EPA estimates a rear-wheel-drive 530i, which is what we tested, gets 30 mpg in combined city/highway driving. We did even better in our real-world evaluation route with 34.1 mpg. If you prefer the more powerful 540i with all-wheel drive, it gets an EPA-estimated 28 mpg, making the 5 Series one of the most fuel-efficient cars in the class.