LIKES
- Mild-hybrid turbo-6
- Roomy interior
- Range of performance options
- Standard 12.3-inch touchscreen
- High performance of 550i and M5
DISLIKES
- Keeps getting bigger
- Leather seats cost extra
- Anything but white or black costs extra
- Many packages require other packages
BUYING TIP
The 2022 BMW 5-Series still signals success, in any variant.
What kind of vehicle is the 2022 BMW 5-Series? What does it compare to?
The 2022 BMW 5-Series is a luxury mid-size sedan that helped define the segment. Offered with four powertrains and myriad options, BMW casts a wide net to lure shoppers away from the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Audi A6, and Genesis G80.
Is the 2022 BMW 5-Series a good car?
Its high TCC Rating of 7.3 out of 10 derives from its loaded standard safety and convenience features, and its ability to perform like a sports car or a stately tourer.
What's new for the 2022 BMW 5-Series?
Last year’s mild refresh updated the bumpers, the lighting, and the standard feature set, but the 2022 model year is notable for what has been removed. Optional features such as wireless smartphone charging, wi-fi hotspot, and remote start are no longer available. Blame the chip shortage.
Sold in rear-wheel drive or available all-wheel drive on all but the M variants, where AWD is standard, the 5-Series balances comfort, power, and agility, though it is not the quintessential driver’s car it once was. The base 530i uses a solid 248-hp 2.0-liter turbo-4 with a seamless 8-speed automatic transmission. The 530e plug-in hybrid pairs that turbo-4 with a motor that delivers 21 miles of electric driving. It’s good for running emission-free errands, but its 288-hp output is neutralized by its added weight.
We prefer the 540i’s turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 and its prodigious power, with a mild-hybrid system that conserves fuel to 1 mpg shy of the 530i.
The 523-hp 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 in the M550i sprints to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and improves on the 5-Series sharp handling with an adaptive suspension, an electronic limited-slip differential, a lower ride height, and larger tires. If that’s not enough, seek the 617-hp M5 Competition.
Standard 16-way power front seats provide plenty of comfort for the long haul or on short sprints, and rear seat riders have good room as long as the middle seat is used as an armrest or pass-through to the trunk. Luxury essentials like leather upholstery and heated seats cost extra, and are often bundled in packages that require other packages.
BMW matches other German brands’ commitment to digitization with a 12.3-inch customizable gauge cluster and a 12.3-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and navigation. Excellent natural voice commands simplify the infotainment experience.
Also standard are automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and blind-spot monitors. The IIHS bestows its highest safety rating on the 5-Series, and options such as a surround-view camera system help keep it safe.
How much does the 2022 BMW 5-Series cost?
Where is the 2022 BMW 5-Series made?
In Dingolfing, in the Lower Bavaria region of Germany.
Styling
Neither daring nor dull, the 2022 5-Series keeps the pace for sporty mid-size sedans.
Is the 2022 BMW 5-Series a good-looking car?
The luxury mid-size sedan is attractive in an understated way. That applies inside and out, earning it a point each to a 7.
The 5-Series’ long nose, short deck, and long wheelbase look almost common by this point, copied by everything from the Acura TLX to the Genesis G80. The clean lines take a no-nonsense approach, and the ends get pinched for a sleeker profile. Unlike newer BMWs, the twin kidney grille fits on the face, and lower airtakes and side gills help it push through air with less resistance.
Performance
Demure or devilish, the BMW 5-Series matches a powertrain to a personality.
Spanning the range between a plug-in hybrid to a twin-turbo V-8 are two turbocharged engines with acceleration brisk enough to earn a point here, as does the rear-wheel-drive 5-Series’ agile moves. It’s a 7.
How fast is the 2022 BMW 5-Series?
The base 530i model uses a 2.0-liter turbo-4 with 248 hp and 258 lb-ft to reach 60 mph in 5.9 seconds, or 5.8 with all-wheel drive. Grip bests weight here. BMW’s superlative 8-speed automatic transmission lets drivers dig into the red during Sport mode, or it fades into the background in EcoPro or Comfort modes.
The 540i has a mild-hybrid system that does nothing for propulsion but helps the 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6 run almost as efficiently as the turbo-4. A coasting function returns energy to the larger 48-volt starter generator, which then powers the 12-volt battery to run the electrical systems in the cabin. With an output of 335 hp and 332 lb-ft, the 540i never lacks for power. It improves efficiency and cuts the 0-60 mph time to 4.6 seconds with all-wheel drive.
The M550i’s 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 makes 523 hp and 553 lb-ft and comes with all-wheel drive standard. It hits 60 mph in just 3.6 seconds.
If that’s not quick enough, there’s a higher strung variant that wrings out 600 hp and 553 lb-ft in the M5, or 617 hp in the M5 Competition. The face melt happens in 3.1 seconds.
The sedan can be had with all-wheel drive for $2,300 more on 530 and 540 models; it’s standard with the V-8s. The double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspensions never betray the prodigious 4,000-pound average weight of the 5-Series.
With adaptive dampers on the M package or standard on the M550i, the 5-Series earns its mark as a performance sedan. The 5-Series can cruise comfortably and leisurely, or button down on a button switch to run quicker, turn sharper, and handle with more firmness and agility.
Comfort & Quality
The 2022 BMW 5-Series ushers in serenity now.
Comfy seats, ample leg room, and a luxury-grade finish earn the 5-Series a point each to an 8.
BMW wraps the 16-way power front seats with synthetic leather that looks best in lighter colors such as Cognac to highlight the wood trim and aluminum accents in the cabin. Good side bolstering and thigh support accentuate the front seats, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel feels right. Available heated seats with leather feel even better.
With 36.5 inches of rear leg room, rear-seat passengers ride in comfort of their own, as long as a fifth wheel doesn’t glom onto that middle seat. Use it as an armrest or a passthrough from the 40/20/40-split rear seats into the long trunk. It holds a narrow 14.0 cubic feet of trunk space, which shrinks to 10 cubes due to the battery pack placement in the 530e plug-in hybrid.
Safety
Aside from a missing NHTSA rating, the 2022 BMW 5-Series aces its safety test.
How safe is the BMW 5-Series?
The NHTSA has not crash tested the seventh-generation 5-Series, and it may not until the 2024 redesign. Otherwise, the sedan performed well enough to earn a 9.
It earned a Top Safety Pick+ from the IIHS thanks to its adaptive LED headlights that come standard, and it aced all six crash tests.
The optional Driving Assistance Professional package adds active lane control, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, an emergency setting that can bring the car to a stop on a highway shoulder, and hands-free driving in heavy traffic. The $1,700 charge is misleading, however; it requires the $600 Convenience package that includes heated seats.
Good outward vision aids drivers except for the blind spots, and options such as a surround-view camera system, parking sensors, and a built-in forward camera simplify parking.
Features
The 2022 BMW 5-Series comes loaded with standard features, but not leather seats.
The 2022 5-Series comes with a large 12.3-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, keyless start, ambient lighting, a sunroof, power-adjustable front seats, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, but not leather seats. The good standard equipment, comprehensive infotainment, endless options, and 4-year/50,000-mile warranty with 3 years/36,000 miles of scheduled maintenance earn it a point each to a 9. The only point it misses on our scale is for value.
The infotainment system improved last year to be one of the best on the market, with natural voice commands that can lower windows, hush the navigation voice, or change climate settings. It exposes the available gesture controls as a gimmick. The 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster adapts to the drive mode, so the tach becomes an energy usage monitor in EcoPro mode, for instance, or Sport mode can show twin hp and torque bars. Despite all the real estate, it’s not as dynamic as Audi’s 3-D color mapping displays.
Which BMW 5-Series should I buy?
How much is a fully loaded 2022 BMW 5-Series?
The M5 sedan costs $104,495 but boosting output 17 hp to 617 hp total with the Competition package adds $7,600. The upcharge includes 20-inch forged wheels, lowers the ride height by 0.2 inch, and has firmer springs, ball joint mounts, and a rear anti-roll bar. It’s meant for tracking.
Fuel Economy
The 2022 BMW 5-Series’ four powertrain options range from frugal to flush in fuel economy.
Is the 2022 BMW 5-Series good on gas?
With a plug-in hybrid, a mild-hybrid, or twin-turbo V-8 options, the 2022 BMW 5-Series can be good on gas. Or bad. The EPA rates the most popular models at more than 25 mpg combined, which amounts to a 5 on our scale.
The 48-volt mild-hybrid system in the 3.0-liter inline-6 makes it nearly as efficient as the 2.0-liter turbo-4 in the 530i, which is rated at 25 mpg city, 33 highway, and 28 combined. The city rating remains the same for the 540i, but highway and combined ratings drop 1 mpg to 32 and 27 mpg, respectively. Ratings for all-wheel drive, or xDrive in Bimmer speak, fall 2 mpg combined.
The twin-turbo V-8 in the M550i gets 17/25/20 mpg. The M5 sucks fuel at a rate of 15/21/17 mpg.
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