2006 BMW 5 Series 520d review from UK and Ireland
"Great car for the motorway, not so good around town"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Computer reported low tyre pressure after 2 days, had to get tyre replaced. No visible puncture on tyre found. No other issues since then.
General comments?
Fuel economy is very good - combined average of 39.7mpg, 600 miles per tank of diesel.
Performance is adequate - acceleration is OK if you use all the revs, however at low speeds and high revs the engine is clearly loud and coarse. Comes into its own as a very comfortable motorway cruiser, great at 80-90mph with a lot of overtaking push in 5th or even 6th gear.
Handling is very good, refinement once cruising is outstanding, very chalk and cheese when comparing to refinement around town though.
Cabin is fine, would recommend people get leather seats as the cloth seats that came standard in mine are very very poor quality (provides all the support you need, but the cloth is 'loose', already showing light signs of wear after 2500 miles).
I would also recommend you spend the money on automatic transmission - this makes the best use of the engine's torque.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model Year | 2006 |
| First year of ownership | 2006 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2006 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0 turbo diesel Manual |
| Performance marks | 7/10 |
| Reliability marks | 8/10 |
| Comfort marks | 9/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 miles |
| Most recent distance | 2500 miles |
| Previous car | Jaguar X-Type |
| Date of Entry | 29th October, 2006 |