2009 BMW 535 Review by David Thomas
In the world of luxury station wagons, there isn't much sense in trying to justify the price tag. Normally, a wagon is a practical choice for families looking for utility with improved mileage versus a similarly sized SUV. If, however, you're shopping the all-wheel-drive 535i xDrive or its competitors — the Audi A6 Avant and Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon — you clearly have an entirely different set of priorities.
Those probably include a high level of luxury, features, performance and, yes, some utility thrown in. BMW's 5 Series wagon provides plenty of each and elicited raves from our staff, my family and even me. It's hard to fathom why anyone would purchase a $55,000-$75,000 station wagon, but if you're going to, it would be hard to go wrong with this one.
The 5 Series wagon comes only in all-wheel-drive 535i xDrive form. Its sedan counterpart can be had in 528i, 535i or 550i configurations; the 528i and 550i are covered separately in Cars.com's Research section. Click here to compare the whole lineup.
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Maintenance and repairs
Advanced technology, e.g., the use of modern
materials and high-performance electronics, requires
suitable maintenance and repair methods.
Therefore, have this work performed only by a
BMW cent ...
Under the Hood
BMW's inline-six-cylinder engine makes 230 horsepower and 200 pounds-feet of
torque in the 128i. It works through a six-speed manual or a six-speed
automatic. The automaker says a stick-shift 128i ...
End of warning
The warning ends:
Automatically after approx. 3 seconds.
When returning to your own lane.
When braking hard.
When using the turn signal.
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