2024 BMW 530i xDrive First Test: The Ultimate Numbers Machine?

Halfway between the 3 and 7 Series, the BMW 5 Series averages elements of BMW’s legendary sport sedan and business-class luxobarge into a car that almost succeeds at being all things to all drivers. That’s true even of the 2024 BMW 530i xDrive, the four-cylinder entry model of the new G60 generation that will eventually include a plug-in hybrid, EVs, at least one M sedan, and a wagon version of the M5. In the 530i, light-footed athleticism makes the engine feel more powerful than its 255 horsepower suggests, and the cabin dazzles well enough that the test car’s $70,745 price seems not outrageous (which feels like a win in this moment of outrageous pricing). There’s just one attribute keeping us from giving the 530i our full endorsement—something we think will be a dealbreaker for a lot of buyers.

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The Look and Feel of Luxury

BMW builds beautiful cars these days. No, really—you just have to look past the polarizing faces and into the cabins to find that beauty. In fact, BMW’s more controversial designs, such as the 7 Series and the XM performance SUV, suggest there’s a direct correlation between how jarring the exterior is and how striking the interior is.

Supporting that thesis, the 5 Series’ relatively conventional schnoz pairs with an interior that hews toward the traditional in design and materials. The quilted Espresso faux leather and matte charcoal wood trim in our test car created a dark, modern mood richer and more stylish than a monotonous sea of black. There’s art in the details, too. Slim climate vents are hidden where panels come together, and ambient lighting etched into the trim creates techy design accents.

The $600 Sky Lounge roof stretches a seamless pane of fixed glass over the front and rear passengers to make the roomy cabin feel even larger. While the 5er’s second row offers neither the reclining seats nor the flip-down entertainment screen of the 7 Series, the three-person bench is comfortable and provides ample legroom for two adults. The front seats offer long-haul comfort and the contoured, flat-bottom steering wheel that’s part of the $3,000 M Sport package encourages you to drive with two hands.

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iDrive’s Incremental Improvement

The curved display in front of the driver combines a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.9-inch touchscreen running the latest infotainment system, iDrive 8.5. Despite the name, the upgrade feels like more than a half-step forward from its predecessor. The old home screen was essentially a live-tile menu used to switch between core functions. iDrive 8.5 puts key navigation, audio, and phone information and controls on the “zero-layer” home screen, giving you access to the most used functions without diving into the dedicated screens. The climate page has also been redesigned to upsize the tiny, fiddly virtual buttons in the last version.

The software is an undeniable improvement over iDrive 8, but it’s not without compromises. The 5 Series still has the control knob that’s been an iDrive staple for 23 years, but some regularly used on-screen buttons such as the climate temperature and fan speed can only be triggered by tapping the screen. Rather than switching back and forth between the two input methods, we found ourselves favoring the one that works 100 percent of the time, every time: the touchscreen. We’ll be sorry when the iDrive knob inevitably disappears, but that’s a better alternative than expecting owners to know where it does and doesn’t work.

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A Better-Looking BMW

It’s too soon to declare BMW’s neo-brutalist design phase over, but the 530i at least puts it on pause with an exterior design that looks positively unremarkable in a showroom that includes the M3, the 7 Series, and the XM. The company says the 5 Series has a “minimalist” face. We say the flared nostrils and jagged headlights, along with the $1,800 21-inch robo-lobster-claw wheels, have an angular and aggressive air at odds with the plain, soft-edged body sides. The car is neither rousing nor conventionally attractive, yet settling for an inoffensive design feels like a win given the stylistic space BMW so often occupies. With a long enough runway, the G60 might even mellow like Chris Bangle’s designs from the early 2000s. The BMWs that were so controversial back then look almost anodyne these days.

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The Base Engine Is Anything But Basic

The 530i occupies the first rung of a ladder that leads to quicker and more efficient models, yet some of its best attributes are just how quick and efficient it is. The all-wheel-drive model hits 60 mph in 5.6 seconds in MotorTrend testing and scores 35 mpg on the highway according to the EPA. What the 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four lacks in raw horsepower, it makes up for with a quick-shifting eight-speed automatic and a fat torque curve that sustains the 295 lb-ft peak from 1,600 to 4,500 rpm.

The engine projects performance or refinement depending on what you ask of it. Tip into the accelerator at any speed, and the 530i delivers exactly the thrust you’re looking for without hesitation. A new 48-volt mild hybrid system stops and restarts the engine in traffic with enough speed and grace that you’ll never go looking for the button to turn the feature off. Loafing along on the highway, the four-cylinder hums a smooth and relaxed song. That switches to an intense élan when the 530i is hustled down a winding back road.

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Too Much Spring in Its Step

Unfortunately, the 530i’s allure falls apart wherever the road is falling apart. This BMW bounces and sways with the body control of a 13-year-old 3 Series riding on blown shocks (speaking from experience here) on anything but perfectly flat, smooth, and straight roads. The optional M Sport suspension does a fine job dulling sharp impacts before they reach the cabin, but the exaggerated body motions make for a busy and uncontrolled ride that’s neither comfortable nor sporty.

Pushed to its limits on a smooth track, the 530i reveals some redeeming attributes and glimmers of those old Ultimate Driving Machine dynamics. Its neutral handling rewards a driver who uses the pedals to steer the car. Feather the brakes as you turn in, and you can coax the perfect amount of rotation from the rear end. The car balances easily on the throttle through curves, and the xDrive all-wheel drive allows you to roll back on the gas early without running wide. The 25.8-second figure-eight lap is result of a chassis and powertrain splitting the work equally. It puts the 530i in the same league as many EVs with 0–60-mph times in the low- or mid-four-second range.

But these are rewards you’ll never reap on the street. Historically, the best BMWs kept drivers engaged at any pace; in the modern 530i, you need to flirt with its maximum 0.95 g of cornering grip before the car returns the love. The steering is pinky-finger light, and the effort required doesn’t rise and fall with speed or cornering forces, eliminating almost all tactility. We maintain there’s plenty of room to give old-guard enthusiasts a stronger sense of on-center without alienating the drivers that buy BMWs for luxury.

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You Were This Close

With the 530i, BMW has come close to once again building a luxury sport sedan that suits a broad range of buyers and their needs. The problem is that you don’t need to be a steering or suspension snob to detect where the 5 Series comes up short. The sloppy body control ruins the experience whether you’re looking for luxury car serenity or sport sedan fun. For us, it’s a deal breaker that torpedoes an otherwise excellent proposition.