• by Tanya Gazdik , Staff Writer, September 21, 2026

The BMW 5 Series has been around 54 years and has gone through eight generations.

There’s a reason the German automaker continues to sell so many despite its being a sedan and not an SUV. The BMW 5 has loyal droves of fans -- and they can add me as one more. 

I drive a lot of amazing vehicles and I pride myself on finding both the good and bad in every model that hits my driveway. Some make more of an impression than others. 

The BMW 540i XDrive sedan was one such vehicle. I was sad when it had to go away. 

I could write about the smooth and steady acceleration with 375 horsepower from its inline-six engine, the quiet vehicle interior, the thoughtfully designed controls. But what made the biggest impression on me was the way it made me feel. 

Getting behind the wheel, no matter where I was going, inevitably made me happy.  It reminded me of how I used to feel when I first got my driver’s license. 

The price starts at $69,150, but with options it goes up to $81,300. I really liked the M Sport exterior package, adding aggressive aerodynamic styling, a lowered sport suspension, and distinct interior upgrades for a sharper look and feel.

There’s a lot of technology packed into this vehicle, but thankfully most of it is pretty intuitive. 

When a passenger asked if I could change the ambient lighting (which was throwing pink designs along the front dash) I quickly tapped a few screens and found a nice green shade, which was agreeable to all in the vehicle, since we were driving to an MSU football game. 

Although there was adaptive cruise and lane keeping, there was no advance semi-autonomous features, which was disappointing. But I guess you could argue if you buy a BMW, you want to actually drive it fully yourself. 

I remain a fan of General Motors Super Cruise and Ford BlueCruise, both of which give the driver a chance to relax a bit on the highway, saving up one’s energy for hands-on city driving.