With the total fuglies BMW are making now, this model and the entire Bangle era look positively handsome

Adored this design from the start. A local lad ran an E61 M5 badged as a 520D. Cracked me up every time I saw it.

I had @ pre lci 535d e61. I did 85k in just short of 5 years. Took me all over the Uk. Did tours of the highlands in it. Took me from the Midlands to Chichester every week. It let me down twice. Once with a flat battery after being left for a month and once when the air suspension compressor went. Had it remapped to 380bhp by DMS automotive. It was a sad day when it left, I genuinely loved it. It needed looking after. Regular oil changes and ate front suspension arms. Fuel consumption was low 30s day to day, high 30s on a run. It did absolutely everything I asked of it. Surprised an awful lot of more expensive stuff out there.

As a purist, the Alpina add ons are laughable. The v8 badge is properly low rent. 😂😂 The M sport kit and 19" Spider alloys did a lot to make this look ok. Wouldn't have one mind, the e39 sport just has so much more about it.

The E39 was understated, classy. The re-style just made it shouty, and, vulgar looking. You could drive an E39, even an M5, without drawing undue attention. The E60 was too "Look at me!"

The problem was that the E39 was just so good. It was always going to be a tough act to follow. The styling has aged very well...

I was a BMW salesman when the E60 came out and wondered how I was going to sell it, the E39 sold so well and then it all stopped,I left soon after.

I think the E60 has aged incredibly well. The headlights were controversial at the time but look fairly tame these days, and the body surfacing is IMO very elegant. The E39 and F10 are more conventionally attractive but the E60 is the one I want.

The biggest mistake has been the owner making it appear as an Alpina. Cannot. This remark is totally independent from you doing great quality uploads ❤

Had my 545i since 2017 and it’s been an absolute pleasure to own. Got it with 100k now it’s just ticked over 150k and use it daily to get to work. Always get 22mpg and sounds amazing. Gearbox is silky smooth but not the best when getting after it. I’d love to try a manual one but these are pretty rare in the UK now.

I used to sell used cars at an upmarket, independent dealership in Johannesburg and got to drive just about every model of E60 released onto the SA market... The M5 was brilliant, if you could get your head around that SMG gearbox... The 540i was way too much fun when you switched off the traction control... But the peach of the bunch for me was the car they gave me for a "Company Car"...the 530d M-Sport in automatic...that car was just about perfect...I took it on holiday from Johannesburg to Port Alfred (642 miles), I did not at all behave and stick to the 120kmph speed limit and made it there on 3/4 of a tank of diesel...what a car that was! Not the prettiest BMW ever made but a great driving machine!

For me the thing that ruined BMWs reputation is when they stuck ridiculously large front grills and I know I'm not the only one who has that opinion, but yeah the build quality was iffy on the E60

Such a delightful review. Made my after work beer taste like Champagne! Greetings from the Netherlands

It may not be a great looker, but compared to what BMW turns out now, it's a masterpiece.

Making it look like Dame Edna Everage was the kiss of death.

I still own and enjoy my Dinan tuned BMW E60 545 today, after more than 20 years now. Still only 22K original miles on the clock and continues to drive very MotorSports like in all categories. This includes acceleration, top end, handling, braking and general cruising on the opened road. My many Dinan upgrades included new ultralight, ultra strong forged aluminum racing wheelset, Dinan /Brembo Big Brake System, cold air intake system, high flow throttle and, sports tuned exhaust,carbon fiber strut bars (front and back), stage 3 performance engineering software and new, front caster plates, and highly regarded Bridgestone Potenza non run flat performance tires. Very pleased with the overall package of road performance goodies. Even today, I continue get compliments and stares galore, in spite of my best efforts to keep my ride understated and below the radar. Yes. Long live the BMW E60 5 series saloon car. It's still way more performance car than I can ever use or need. Best regards.

I had an E60 2003 diesel...M Sport. I.had it chipped. What a fantastic car. Brutal acceleration and 50mpg...the thing defied physics..If you wanted to really get one of these...you should have gone for 3.0d... I used 3 litre diesels in the Police...we absolutely loved them...a 2000s vauxhall senator !!.

I had an E60 530i SE Touring and it was one of the best cars I've ever had. Super smooth, quiet, refined and really well made. I'm gutted I sold it as it was wonderful. I think they have aged really well personally.

We have a 525d Lci, family bus. Fast, utterly reliable and economical. Quite easy to work on, parts supply is excellent. Would recommend.

Proud owner of 530d stage 2 manual. Even in stock form the M57 is a thrill to drive. Tuned to Stage 2 becomes a beast!

I own a 08 528i, & it's my first BMW, the previous owner didn't deserve this car, ( maybe a Corolla) . No major problems, just recorrecting proper things like PREMIUM GAS( it ran erratic on first start up). Overall interior is in great shape. I'm happy with it. 💯

Stiil driving our 530D Touring which I drove out the BMW showroom in 2008. It is still a proper autobahner and a delight to drive, albeit that the electrics are slowly fading from the planet! We exported the car to SA in 2016 and get approached at every petrol station by people asking us if they can buy it....its looks have aged well, particularly compared to the current BMW visuals

Had a '04 535i. It was a costly vehicle to own and I finally sold it because I was tired of shelling out thousands of dollars every year. But when it was running it's still my favorite car I have ever owned. The 6 speed manual was sublime to drive.

The E34 was quintessential BMW design language, the E39 was a perfected evolution of that. The E60 threw all that away for some reason. I think from a design standpoint the F10 looks more like the E39s predecessor. However, I do think that the E60 has aged quite well, and looks good, especially compared to the new 2025 5-series. And the N52 versions are extraordinary reliable.

So thrilled to finally see the E60 BMW 5-series on your channel! It's amazing how fresh it still looks twenty years later. Sure, its reliability isn't as good as older 5-series, but its ride-handling balance is still unmatched among large sedans. And the E60 M5 was just unreal...

I had a BMW 545 and was silver in color. I never messed with the exterior and left it completely stock. It was a handsome car and everybody liked it. The E60 didn't appreciate people putting dark grills and smoke lenses on the lights. It upset the balance of the car.

I got t-boned by a Smart car in my E39, the B pillar got buckled and it spent a couple of months being repaired. I had a brand new E60 as a hire car and did a good few thousand miles in it… lovely having a brand new car but couldn’t wait to get back in my E39, a far more solid feeling vehicle all round.

E39 E32 E46 just perfectionism

I have a 530d M sport LCI 6 years and I am absolutely satisfied with everything, how it drives, consumption, reliability, how it looks (the M package and 19 inch wheels change the look way better)

It may have had sexy BMW underpinnings, but my God, it looked like it'd been ferociously beaten by the ugly stick. What a monstrosity.

Wasn´t impressed by the look of E60 when it came out, but: today I find they have aged very well.

We ran an E60 as our family transport for four years and absolutely loved it. It seems like the benchmark for what a modern BMW would look and work like for everything that followed it.

I owned a 530D M sport Auto - lovely car to drive, will never forget it.

I still have an E60, and I can confirm everything you said here is true. It’s kinda eerie how accurate your assessment is 😅 The quality of interior is subpar for a BMW. Even my E46 (which I still own btw) has better quality, and that’s not saying much because the quality is not great on e46 too. The biggest issue though, is the electrical gremlins. I didnt drive the car for about 2 months during lockdown, and the battery lost charge. I was able to charge the battery, but it did damage the CAS module. The car started acting weird. The exterior lights would turn on by itself and wouldnt turn off until I disconnected the battery. Then there was an issue with the adaptive headlight module. It was fried because of water ingress. It’s just bad design by BMW. I also had an issue with the intelligent battery sensor. I must have knocked it a bit when I was replacing the battery, but it shouldnt have been that fragile. The headlights had some issues with crumbling wires inside. Taillights have some dead LEDs (it’s an lci). Mechanically it’s flawless. Mine is 530i, and in the 14 years I’ve owned it, I only had to replace the spark plugs, ignition coils, and some suspension parts, but it was more of a preventive maintenance. I still love the car though. It still drives brilliantly to this day. I actually test drove both the f10 and g30 but decided to keep the e60 because I still think it drives better.

Owned an E39 525i sport and it floated on the road. Felt so well put together. Engine silky smooth. Done nearly 100k in an E60 520d M sport and all though it doesn't feel as well made and doesn't look as good or make you feel as good it is a way better commuter car. Has done nearly 200k now 100k in my owner ship and the only thing that ever failed was the rubber in the harmonic balancer. Not a single other failure electrical or mechanical. Largely made from aluminium as well so not a spec of rust on it anywhere

If we only knew what monstrousities were going to come in 2024...this was very handsome.😊

To say it has "bad" reputation I think is a bit unfair. Admittedly it never won people's admiration like the E39 did. But it's probably still better than anything else in its class from 20+ years ago. The E39 is now a modern classic, the E60 is (currently) just an old used car. But I do believe given time people will start to appreciate E60s more. They were/are excellent drivers cars and, despite the electronics issues, probably no worse than any of their direct rivals of the day. I also think the styling has aged very well! - it doesn't look like a 21 year old car, and compared to some modern BMWs, it is positively tasteful and pretty!

I think that over the years the E60 has aged quite well despite what was thought about them when they first arrived . The M Sport versions look a bit better and as long as you get a good one , as you say, they are a lot of car for the money. In my opinion BMW in recent years has gone down the path of over complicating their cars.

I have now owned and driven BMWs for over 42 years with my very first car, in 1982 as a 19 year old, having been a 1974 2002tii ( that I bought for the princely sum of £825). I have since owned over 60 BMWs in my time. I have witnessed EVERY iteration of the 5-Series come and go from new right from E12 days before I could even drive. Each time, I have thought “My God! What have they done? They’ve ruined it! It’s hideous!” And, each time with time, I have come around to thinking differently. That said, the E60 was the biggest shocker (though I even hated the E39 when it first appeared). The 5-Series, in all its prior forms, is the model that I have owned most. As an all round, daily driver the E39 540i Touring (complete with double-glazing!) that I once had was what I considered had been the best that I had owned. HOWEVER, four years ago I bought an E61 535d Touring with only 60k miles on the clock and one previous wealthy owner who only ised it for distance trips to Switzerland, FBMWSH etc. It’s in non-Sport (SE) spec…which is actually very rare…but I like that now that I’m 60. I also appreciate the optional ‘Comfort Seats’ etc 😅 It is also the first Diesel car that I have ever owned! I have to admit the ‘Dame Edna look’ has grown on me a bit. However, it is its every day performance, economy and utility that now make it probably the best daily car I have ever owned! It’s now just touching 90K miles…which is still low for one of these. I regularly drive it from middle England to northern Germany via the Netherlands. It is as fast as the E39 540i Touring was; it is very comfortable and stable on the Autobahn; it can carry a massive load and at the Autobahn returns circa 38mpg. I almost hate to admit it! 😂 Sometimes, I think I’d like to change it (out of sheer boredom for a change)….but I just can’t justify it! 😂

At the design approval stage, the Group management board should have given Bangle a one-way flight back to America. Nothing from the E60 onwards in the 00s was an improvement. That and the decline in quality, parts sourcing and engineering reliability were the start of BMW's downward spiral.

Yeah, LPG Alpina, ah? It has all the marks of a prick ex-owner: fake badges, K&N stickers (this alone will add 15 bhp). And, of course, it's terribly ugly.

I bought an e60 545i with 70k miles and full service history. I then spent £6k fixing this and that over 18 months and got fed up as it was a dripping tap of expensive maintenance. It was a massive leap on from a e39 528i which I had before. The 4.4l V8 used the same amount of fuel as the 528I on the same route but obviously with much more performance. The engine loved to rev and the handling was great. If it wasn't for sketchy reliability it would be a great car. Relatively speaking they cost nothing to buy in the UK market.

I had a 525 D E61 for over 12 years.The ride was very good for a big car. Mine was also.an SE and had lots of extras like Comfort seats and the excellent Logic 7 entertainment upgrade. Sadly my wife wrote it off going up the back of a Focus RS,18 months ago. I still miss it.

The 60 with M sport still looks modern on the outside today. Great design takes time to understand, Bangle nailed it. The 1st regular Beemer that I actually wanted.

I've just bought a 525D M sport manual one of these. It seems pretty nice. The handling on the aftermarket low profile tyres is super sharp, the power is very good and the consumption is 44mpg. It's actually better MPG than a small car. It is a bit bumpy and perhaps not the right car for modern road surfaces. My 1996 Jag XJ6 with it's balloon tyres is better.

One of the best cars I’ve ever owned. 530d M sport, metallic grey with the spiders. It’s an absolutely gorgeous car to look at in my opinion. It turned heads everywhere it went. It’s one of those styles that doesn’t make sense till further down the line. The wrap around headlights got copied loads afterwards. Mine had 330bhp and 550lbft. It absolutely flew. Auto box was a bit naff. But apart from that, it was absolutely bulletproof. I bought a 635d after that with 400bhp. And again, an absolutely fantastic car. Not many of them around which is what attracted me to it. The gearbox in that one is absolutely sublime it’s an LCI. It’s in perfect harmony with the engine. It absolutely smokes just about everything on the road. 😂

The E60 M5 in Sepang Bronze with a saddle brown interior...a visual poem. It ages well, very well in fact. With dignity, so to speak. In contrast to today's design. Didn't Chris Bangle already do some work on the E46? It really wasn't that bad.

Nice E39 at 6:11. Well I suppose I would say that as it’s my actual car! How on earth did you come across that pic Jack? Good to meet you at Rustival the other day btw.

After 10 glorious years with a 1998 E39 540i sport 6-speed, I bought a 2-year-old 2010 E60 535i M-sport 6-speed in Alpine White. They only made the M-sport in the 535i for the last year of production in 2010. It was LCI so the interior was much better looking, mine was black with dark walnut trim. I got the car with just under 30k miles and it has nearly 150k miles today 12 years later, so I have put 120k miles on it. With the M-sport package it got the M-tech body panels (M5-ish looking), M Steering wheel, M Suspension, M door sills and an M-shifter from the factory. Coming from the E39, its looks did take a bit to get used to, though mostly just the rear end. Up close it still looks modern and fresh especially with the M body work. As you mentioned the car really drives great. It is comfortable, but firm enough and nearly no body roll thanks to the active sway bars and very communicative. I drove and F10 once and it was dead numb by comparison. I put a stage 1 Cobb tune on the N54 and the car is pretty fast with about 360hp. And I also add 19" wheels for a better stance - running 285s in the back. I will also say that my interior today is flawless, it has held up beautifully and every single control, button, vent, etc. still works perfectly with no rattles. So, while the materials were not as nice as the E39, it was still put together well. I did have a number of the well-known N54 issues which mostly got fixed under warranty and then I DIY fixed a few other issues including a second set of injectors, but for the most part it's been very reliable. A great car really, the last of the dynamic handling 5-series with nice road feel but maligned by controversial looks. Although iDrive was criticized when it first came out, really it is very intuitive and way better than Audi's infotainment of the time or Porsche's PCM, Ford's Sync or most anyone else's for that matter.

I noted the comment on the harsh ride, largely attributed to the deployment of run flat tyres. No doubt many owners have replaced the original run flats with more conventional tyres but what happens when a tyre punctures and rapidly deflates whilst you're overtaking or cruising along on a "smart" motorway ? With run flat tyres you just slow down and keep going. I've had them for years on my Minis and I've had several such incidents. They're expensive and, in most cases, cannot be repaired but they do bring peace of mind and a slightly harsher ride is a small price to pay for that.

I think the problem with the styling of the E60 was that it was so different from the E39. It has however aged really well, looking at them now I believe they are good looking cars. I guess the world just wasn't quite ready for it!

I had a 525i lci 3.0i SE, but well specced blue over tan comfort interior. It was one of my favourite BMW's - drove surprisingly well. Beautiful straight 6, great steering feel, great ride. The f30 I had after (330i) felt like such a departure from the BMWness of the E60.. electric steering and 4 pot really pulling it down.

Thank you for that evenhanded and unbiased review of one of my favorite BMWs. I've owned a 2006 E60 530xi (straight 6), a 2014 F10 535i xDrive, an X3, and a a 2007 E64 M6 convertible. I still have all of them. Between the E60 and the F10, the E60 is by far the better handling and has the best steering feel, even with the xDrive drivetrain. As you mentioned, the steering on the E60--the feel and weight and precision--is absolutely sublime and far superior to the F10, which is still no slouch. It also corners more flatly and, being lighter, feels much more tossable. The F10 is quicker, with the chip to boost turbo, but that's to be expected. I have also owned several Hondas, three Acuras, and a few GM products. This might surprise some, but the 530xi has been the much more reliable car of the whole lot, including all the Japanese products. The only major repairs were more or less wear items, with springs and shocks at around 160k miles and the radiator and a few hoses at around 120k miles. Other than that, change the oil, filters, fluids, plugs, and brakes, and it has been more reliable than my golden retriever! At least it never chews my boots! The M6 has also given me absolutely zero issues, but, somewhat unfairly, it is also driven only when the temp is above 65 farenheit and never ever in the rain. Finally, the looks have aged surprisingly well and seems to get better with age. Mine is the Alpine White, which seems to be a superior color for this body style. I think that it actually looks fresher than nearly any other car from that era--certainly fresher than any merc from that era. Overall, the E60 (and E64 of that matter) are unfairly and undersevedly maligned. Fantastic cars, the both of them!

Re. battery problems: The V8 models would quickly wear out their starter batteries because of the start-stop feature, where the engine needed frequent starts. You'd need to either disable the stop-start feature, or visit your dealer for battery replacements...

I still like the way these look especially in the M guise or M Sport. Biased of course as an E60 M owner

I’d had BMWs 2 before E61 530d. I’ve never owned a BMW since. Worst car I’ve ever owned. To drive reliability economy handling ride steering. I test drive an old XFS with no intention of buying but was so blown away by how much better it was to drive that I bought it there and then no sold this.

The later MYs E60/61 looked quite nice, briefly owned an E61 diesel while posted in Frankfurt. It effortlessly cruised at 200kph. Took some getting used too the styling initially but I think it has aged well and beats any of the last 5 years' designs. Technologically it was way ahead and was the source of the E70 tech design which I had for about 8 years and 100k miles.

I can't understand why anyone would malign the E60, I had a new 530d M sport touring in 2007 with some nice goodies like 'Comfort' seats added and it was a fast and supremely comfortable executive cruiser. I must add that I also ordered the nice dark wood trim as the brushed aluminium looked pretty crummy.

Thank you for this video. This is still a very nice looking and well constructed car! 🙂

I remember when the bangle 7 series came out and thought WTF! then the E60 came out and I thought it was a bit meh....This was back in 05/06? In 2012 I bought a 5 year old E60 LCI 535D M Sport 2007 in Carbon black with cream leather and I thought it was a beauty, it was fast, you could get 40+ MPG on a motorway drive easy. This car was so way advanced in styling, remember this was in 2007, it had LED indicators, Daytime running lights, cool rear red heater element tube style lights, front orange eyebrow LED lights, the LCI aluminium gearstick still looks much like the current one, way advanced Idrive which I found so easy to use and intuitive, there was no other manufacture doing this back then. I bought it on 56000, I still own it and it's now on 118,000 and hasn't missed a beat apart from one rear bearing, the CIC or CCC unit failing and a thermostat that needed replacing, and oil changes every 8,000. Had it remapped and on the rolling road upped it to 350BHP and 680NM of torque. I think as it was so modern when it came out it's aged very well.

The E60/E61 has grown old with grace. I think it looks fantastic. I ran a 535d Touring for 7 years up to 197k. It never let me down. I came out of an E39 M5 (Y96 AKJ) And the E61 never disappointed. Just as quick in the real world as the M5. Miss that car. 😢

The e60 msport with the facelift wheels is a lovely looking thing

I’ve owned a BMW E60 525i since 2017 I the second owner the first owner bought it new when I bought it it had only done 65 thousand miles since 2006 it’s now 18 years old and only done 85 thousand miles I change oil and filters every 4 months the only major thing I’ve had to do was change the brake pipes front to back it had a stainless steel exhaust fitted when I bought it and it still sounds great and when you put the automatic box into sport mode it can really move along the road the colour is mystic blue and when the sun hits it it sparkles my son keeps telling me to get rid of it and get the new model no chance

I had one for 13 years. The M5. I thought it was fantastic and the last BMW I would have bought.

I have the 525 Msports 2006 had it from 12 months old....Best car I have ever had!

I had an e60 530i smg and I loved it, I bought it with 20k on the clock and sold it 5 yrs later with 110k on it, the only issue I had was a water pump failure changed under warranty. Yes the e39 was superior in its design and quality but the e60 was still a great car.

My 545i almost bankrupt me. The transmission cost me $25000 in repairs only and BMW corporate couldn't troubleshoot (or concede) the issues.

I think the E60 in Estate guise looks really good!

Quite a few mods vs the original E60 being it’s an Alpina - brakes, suspension + significant uplift in torque. It was designed to be an autobahn torque monster. But I also believe quite unreliable if not taken very good care of & very expensive to repair. There’s a fascinating E60 Alpina B7 resto series on M39 Restorations’ KZfaq channel (‘Project Chicago’)

I had an e60 520d se. Stupidly got rid of it on a mere 130k miles. Lovely car, plain basic but superbly engineered. Nothing wrong with that so called n47 engine as it was looked after properly. Now have an f10 but hankering for another gorgeous e60

3:34 … I thought the next bit would be … ”annnnd there you have it, your engine light comes on”

I bought a new BMW 3 series in the mid 90s. It was a terrible car, breaking down more than all the other cars I've ever owned, put together! So for me, no other car is needed to ruin BMW's reputation, I swore then to never own another BMW and never have. I don't think this E60 looks bad, it certainly isn't a timid evolution, and it is a gem in comparison to tasteless misshapes they are selling today!

They are absolutely amazing cars when you know what to look out for. Anyone saying otherwise just has no idea. I'm tempted to buy another one again, a really clean well specced example as an enthusiast car to park beside my E30.

I have owned my 2008 e60 550i with msport package for 7yrs now, bought it from the 1st owner with 137k and now it sits at 203k. It has all the features that still most new cars today dont have it, the best feature is the Dynamic Drive, it has been my daily driver since day one, sure its a gass guzzler being a v8 but its just so much fun to drive it and most people still don't believe that its from 2008 era.

I had an e60 with dynamic steering its the best bmw I've ever driven and i had an e39 540i. That e60 handled better and if you did the proper mods it was just as good looking as the e39

Everyone slagged off the E60 when it was new but it has stood the test of time far better than what followed it. Maybe I'm biased cos I got two 😊

Funny thing is that shape has aged much better in my opinion than the E39 Both look great now but I do like the E60 535 with good wheels on

The embarassment everyone who called out the Bangle designs must feel in 2024 😂

I think that I probably disagree with most of your criticisms. I did 80000 miles in my 550i MSport Touring E61 with the 6 speed manual box and thought that it was a fabulous machine. I do think that the E61 was slightly better looking than the saloon. The build quality was good and stood up to a lot of serious use. The ride and handling were better when I swapped to Michelin Super Sports from the run flats. The engine was a peach, the box was great and the chassis was brilliant. The only shortcoming was that it would have benefited from a limited slip diff. I did a sprint at the MIRA test track and beat half of the TVR sprint championship regulars, and would have done even better with an LSD.

Not that anyone ever spoke about it but the E60 5 Series was one of the only executive cars at the time to score 4/5 stars for Euro Ncap. With the likes of Audi, Mercedes, Lexus and Saab getting full 5 stars.

I’ve got an E61 535d msport lci and an E63 650. There’s something about this generation! Maybe it was the mean look of those headlights in my rear view when a copper would start following back in my younger days….

I like these, immensely- especially the wagon. I think they are distinctive and have a great deal of character. I briefly had its successor, the F10, and I found it a bit dull!

Personally I really like them. They drive so well, but its hard to find a good one now.

I had the 535d Msport. Brilliant car but the looks were a bit lacking. The ambidextrous flappy paddle gear select was fantastic.

Ive got to say ive always liked the E60, id love a E60 M5 estate 😀... cracking stuff as always Jack buddy 👍

I think your take on the v8 might be a bit skewed because of how rare they are in the UK. In the United States, they are plentiful and well known to be hot garbage. Usual culprits: Valve stem seals (let the car idle, hit the throttle and you have an oil delivery machine out the tailpipe), secondary air passages clog in the head, which require head removal and result in a check engine light, valve covers leak, upper timing case covers leak, alternator bracket o-ring leaks, coolant pipe in the V leaks, and loss of compression north of 100k miles, depending on care, of course.

The change in interior styling that you mention, I first encountered that in the E87 1 series and the E90 3 series. I found it quite disappointing. I can agree that the design is quite stylish but it's also a bit sterile. "Cold" might be a better word for it. Also, the choice of materials didn't help. I feel much more comfortable and at home in an E38, E39 or an E46! (Which is why I own one of each of those)

I think E60/E61 aged well. If you ignore the disputable front end the side and rear looks well balanced and more acceptable now days, much more planted especially with those body kits than later cars like F10/F11's. R6 would be my preferred engine option though.

I have had a 520d e61 for 16 years and love it. It has great fuel economy and is comfortable family car. I have a an r29 mercedes and the bmw is a far more sporty ride.

Ironically that nailed on V8 badge couldn't scream "520i" any more louder if it tried. I've had a 530i and 530d of these. Both great. The petrol is much smoother but the diesel gets out of the hole better. I couldn't cope with the stress of owning a BMW V8.

Replacing the E39 was like replacing Sir Alex Ferguson , an impossible task .

I had a 520i -06 for some years. Bought at 130000km and sold at 210000km. I had no issues at all, except that it was a bit slow. It was one of the best cars I have had. I sold it to get an Audi A5 convertible. The perceived quality was markably better in the BMW. The design grew on me. I really liked it when I sold it. Regarding the I-Drive i didn't mind it. I have had a MB CLK 500 -05, and that user interface and menus was horrific in comparison.

I had an 530D MSport E61 and kept it for over 5 years because I liked it so much. Being a Touring, it didn't have the awful "Bangle Butt." Firm, but not fidgety ride, precise steering, excellent handling (self-levelling rear suspension), comfy and spacious. The F11 successor was dull as ditchwater and inert to drive. And, despite being bigger, didn't have as much driver legroom. I quickly replaced it with an F31 335D Touring. A great car, albeit with less steering feel (electric). I've now gone over to the Dark Side with a BMW i4.

I had one of the earlier 545i's, a 2003 model. All in all it was a very very good car. Looked fabulous on the right wheels and in the right colour (I'm not liking this one sorry). Did have its reliability issues. Battery. Yup. Seat sensor. Yup. A bit of a gearbox issue at one stage but the engine was fine (up to 82k miles). What I hated however was the ride! Urgghhh. I had an SE but it'd been spec'd on sport suspension and with run flats around Camden it was absolutely diabolical. Outside on the M and A roads, absolutely fantastic. Poise and grip a plenty.

Looks are subjective. What kills the E60 is that while based on the E39's platform, it is a minefield of unreliability. You may get lucky, but a specialist will tell you - the only E60 even worth considering is one with the old (aluminium) M54 six.

I had the E61 520D with no issues. 200000km, all was well and the handling and the interior worked well. The Idrive is a great thing! No car without Idrive. Its great.

Those Alpina badges are not fooling anybody. First thing I did when I purchased my Mercedes SL, was de-badge it, as the previous owner was an AMG wannabe.

Very accurate review. I love e39s, but the E60 fixed all the e39 problems, and is better in almost everyway. They feel cheaper and lower quality in almost everyway but are still comfortable. almost all the electronics in the car are garbage, added to being very complicated electronically, is the downfall of this car. The looks are subjective but I think They look great, just a departure from classic BMW. I-drive was ahead of its time.

I had two E39s, firstly a 540 then one of the last 530 Msport and loved them both. Very handsome and satisfying cars but I couldn't have lived with the E60 variant (the styling just didn't work for me) so I went for 6-series 640 petrol E63 (great performer but prone to valve oil seal issues at higher mileages,) then a F13 640d, my first ever diesel. Really surprising performance with great economy and had it for 7 years. Not taken with any BMW now, stylistically they seem to have lost their way, so swapped to a Jaguar F-type. Woo-hoo what a noise!

The M-kitted cars STILL look fresh & cool, wouldn’t mind one myself. Great aero as always from Bangle.