BMW 5 Series review - Interior & comfort

One of the BMW 5 Series’ highlights is its interior. The main thing that strikes you is how well-built and beautifully finished it feels. The seats feel very supportive and comfortable, and while the dash is more minimalist than before, it contributes to a calming atmosphere and doesn’t feel quite as plain as the interior of a Tesla Model S.

One interesting feature is the way the ambient interior lighting changes colour when you get a phone call or if there’s an emergency warning, helping to alert the driver to dangers ahead. 

Is the BMW 5 Series’ infotainment and sat-nav system easy to use?

BMW is on a roll with its infotainment systems and the same is true of the latest 5 Series. The large screens sit on a large seamless panel stretching from in front of the driver and across the dashboard. These are crisp and vibrant, and while the infotainment screen is touch-sensitive and feels slick to use in this way, BMW has also kept the intuitive, physical iDrive controls and voice assistant, should you prefer.

There’s a new Quick Select menu function, allowing the driver to configure shortcuts that help avoid navigating through distracting submenus. There’s an optional BMW Live Cockpit Professional feature which consists of a hi-tech heads-up display that projects key information onto the windscreen to help with navigation. All of these features contribute to making the brand’s latest infotainment system one of the fastest and easiest-to-use systems on the market.

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Is the BMW 5 Series well equipped?

The BMW 5 Series is an expensive car, and in the UK the base-spec the most pedestrian-looking trim is skipped, instead kicking off with the sportily-styled M Sport. This gets lots of tech you’d expect of a car in this price range, while M Sport Pro ups the ante with even sportier styling with black exterior trim and larger, more aggressive wheels.

What options should you choose on the BMW 5 Series?

The optional Bowers & Wilkins sound system is very clear and powerful – in fact, we think it’s one of the best in-car sound systems around and it’s worth the £1,250 upgrade from the Harman Kardon system. While we like the way the panoramic roof bathes the cabin with light, it’s pricey at £1,600.

Adding options to a BMW 5 Series can quickly add up, and simply specifying a metallic colour other than the base Alpine White will cost you between £900 and a whopping £3,300 at the time of writing. Happily, there’s a choice of varied faux leather interiors that are free of charge, but go for real leather and it will cost you over £2,000. 

If you want an electric bootlid, four-zone climate control a heated steering wheel or ventilated front seats as well as other niceties you can specify the £5,000 Comfort Plus Pack, while the £2,000 Technology Pack adds a useful heads-up display and an interior camera for taking selfies and remotely checking on the car via an App, though this is rather gimmicky.