SA price:
R646 000
Top speed:
250km/h.
0-100km/h:
6.2sec.
Claimed fuel consumption:
8.3 litres/100km.
CO2 emissions:
195g/km.
Best for:
German understatement.
Also worth considering:
Audi A6, Jaguar XF, Mercedes E-Class.
I don't know whether the Greeks had a word for it but the Germans certainly do: Verschlimmbesserung. Roughly translated, it means a supposed improvement that actually makes things worse, a notion that will surely be familiar to customers of British banks and students of British local authority refuse-collection schedules.
So far, though, the motor industry hasn't seen too many examples of Verschlimmbesserung; today's cars are generally faster, safer, more reliable, more comfortable and greener than their immediate predecessors.
Now I don't want to suggest that the latest BMW 5 Series, launched in South Africa in May, 2010 represents a step backwards from its popular predecessor- quite the reverse, in fact - but where this finely honed, hard-to-fault machine is concerned not all progress is of the unambiguous sort.
First, there are its looks. The previous Five produced under the leadership of former design chief Chris Bangle still looked fresh after seven years of production. Its replacement, by comparison, is a bland if conventionally handsome affair.
That will suit the many buyers who found Bangle's approach too daring but I think this timidity is a mistake, especially at a time when Jaguar has rediscovered its long-lost gift for producing visually exciting cars.
The second area of Verschlimmbesserung is one that only enthusiasts will appreciate. One of the best reasons for buying a BMW with an in-line six-cylinder petrol engine - a type with which the company was particularly associated - was the way it sounded. Those engines didn't have much mid-range heft so they had to be worked hard to give their best and they sounded great while they were at it.
This test car, a 535i, also has an impressive straight-six engine, better in every objective sense than those that came before; no previous BMW six could match its power, economy and low CO2 emissions. The problem is that while BMW's previous sixes were, in aural terms, an ever-present delight, the new ones are hardly heard at all.
Two turbochargers mean the 535i has power everywhere and rarely needs to be extended while the long ratios of the eight-speed auto gearbox keep revs down too; improved sound-proofing does the rest.
What's needed here is the opposite of Verschlimmbesserung. BMW needs to find the courage to make this car slightly worse to make it better - in short, noisier it would be nicer. - The Independent, London