FOR around the same price as the six-cylinder, five-seat 540i sedan tested here you could have a V8-powered, seven-seat, X5 SUV. In terms of cost-per-kilo, the 580kg-heavier X5 looks like great value.

This, against the seemingly unstoppable trend toward high-riding wagons, means it is unsurprising that BMW Group Australia has modest sales expectations for this seventh-generation G30 5 Series and predicts it will never match the previous F10 version’s popularity.

But despite the SUV craze, BMW has clearly not skimped on its 5 Series development budget, producing a technology-packed and seriously plush way to travel that maintains the nameplate’s reputation as a driver’s car.