Because of its wide body, the 540i has a roomy cabin that can accommodate four adults in comfort. Although we wish the interior design had more flare than the more affordable 3- and 2-series versions, we do enjoy the high-quality materials and precision craftsmanship. The 20-way adjustable seats offer a ton of options for finding the ideal driving posture, but the $1000 massage function was missing from the thrones in our tester.
LOWS: Interior design is a little monotonous, massage function is optional, and the device still lacks the agility of earlier generations.
Nevertheless, the 540i makes a wonderful executive car because to its quiet driving style, opulent exterior, and first-class interior, especially on days when a peaceful drive home is truly all that matters. To that purpose, the numerous driver-assistance functions on the BMW can reduce the tension caused by traffic jams. The $1700 Driving Assistant Plus package is worthwhile since it features adaptive cruise control with a feature that helps the 540i navigate bumper-to-bumper traffic congestion. It’s telling that we would suggest a method that would further detach you from driving.
Before, each 5-series, regardless of the engine or suspension configuration, was automatically a sports sedan. However, that era came to an end roughly ten years ago with the introduction of the Bangle-designed fifth-generation 5-series. The mid-size four-door from BMW is no longer intrinsically aggressive, so maybe it’s time to accept this and embrace the 5-series for what it is today: a regal cruiser with subtle power. The M5 is still available if you want for a 5-series that lives up to the promise of a BMW sports car.
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The majority of the industry’s top competitors for the 2021 BMW 5 Series are widely known. The hard-edged Audi A6 is a good option for people seeking more technology and a distinctive style while the Mercedes-Benz E-Class leans a little more heavily toward the luxury side. The 2021 Genesis G80 is a newcomer to the scene, though. With fully loaded models selling for around $69,000, this Korean sedan utterly destroys the Bimmer in terms of luxury and pricing (nice). Sure, it doesn’t have the prestige of a Roundel on the hood, but don’t toss out the baby with the bathwater just because it isn’t of Teutonic descent.
The BMW 540i xDrive from 2021 is more than simply a fancy automobile. Yes, that is what it is, and when it comes to luxury, it excels, but it is more than just a one-dimensional description. This straight-six sedan can be made sportier with a few button presses, which provides for a very enjoyable experience if there are some curves between Points A and B.
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The 540i’s speed will be of interest to people. It climbs the totem pole just one rung, yet it takes just 4.7 seconds to walk to 100 km/h. And you can do that with ease on any surface, at any moment, due to AWD. Even though I don’t advocate it, you could perform that exercise while your eyes are closed. Even the entry-level four-cylinder 530i accelerates to 100 km/h in only six seconds. The semi-M 550 will do that distance in 3.8 and the fastest M5 model in 3.0. Any 5-series is quick, is what I’m saying. They’re all. However, not all of them are cozy.
On magazine covers, the M vehicles look fantastic. When they perform smokey drifts in vehicle review films, they sound incredible. However, the trip home in one of such vehicles is frequently not outstanding. In town, or really anywhere, you can’t use all 600 horsepower unless you have an extremely liberal risk/reward mindset. No, in the city you only have the excruciating ride and the unpleasant reminder that you are only utilising 5% of the potential of that car.
Transport and Handling
I prepared my back for a difficult two weeks in the M Sport version of the 540i after remembering the ride quality of the BMW 330i M Sport. The 2021 540i M Sport is a lot more subdued version of the sporty package than I found on the 3 Series, so thankfully my worries were overdone. In fact, it would be difficult to determine if the car I was driving had any sort of unique suspension at all.
All of my observations on the 540i’s ride and handling must be qualified by the fact that my test vehicle had winter tires on it. This kind of rubber can make a car’s handling less precise, its ride soft, and its steering feel numb. (I don’t fault BMW for the way the car is set up; during the week I had the car loan, the temperature never rose above 30 degrees; the following week, it was over 60 degrees. For you, that is Chicago.)
My test vehicle also had a $3,200 Dynamic Handling Package, which included active roll stabilization and dynamic damper adjustment, lowering the 540’s ride height by 0.4 inches. The car already had optional variable sport steering, so this kit didn’t really give it much edge or sharpness. When switching between the customizable driving modes, I didn’t notice much of a difference in body roll or steering feel; even with this technology geared toward performance, the 540i’s handling and numb steering made it difficult to enjoy driving it. Although the performance-oriented Pirelli Sottozero 3 winter tires may have muddled the driving experience, let me reiterate that they were winter tires.
I could spike the gas pedal from a stop or throw the car around an upward corner, and it would handle it like it was on a dry road because the all-wheel-drive system offered plenty of traction even on slick roads.
Although the winter tires were noisy, one benefit of the 540i M Sport’s placid temperament was its smooth ride quality. The overall calmness of the BMW is comparable to the majority of its competitors in the class, with the exception of the Mercedes-AMG E53, but that vehicle competes more directly with the BMW M550i’s twin-turbo V-8 engine. In the class below the 540, compact luxury sports sedans are more resilient handlers.
How reliable is the BMW 540?
The 5-series lineup’s mid-range 540i, which provides a wonderful blend of performance and comfort, continues to be the best bargain. Although all-wheel drive is an option, this model is rear-wheel drive as standard.
Is the E39 540i a reliable vehicle?
One of the best driving vehicles is the E39 540i. genuinely head-turning. You can comfortably drive all day and bring your parents along on a field trip. You will draw a lot of attention if you go to an expensive restaurant. You can drive cross-country while preparing for another lengthy automobile journey. I’ve driven practically every kind of vehicle, but this one is the greatest.
BMW 540i’s top speed.
The engine has lots of get-up-and-go and can easily travel up to its 155 mph speed limiter thanks to its 335 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque (from just 1,500 rpm). After all, this vehicle was designed to be an Autobahn cruiser.
What year did BMW start producing the 540i?
While I am really excited about the electric world of the future, it is also clear that a significant shift in vehicle culture is taking place as the automotive industry makes the switch to cleaner propulsion systems.
As a writer whose only source of income is from writing about cars, I felt it was my responsibility to preserve at least one artifact from the past of the gasoline-dependent automobile. I want to one day open a garage door and say to my child, “Look, this is how automobiles used to look.”
But in addition, I had to be able to afford to buy that artifact, which meant it had to be an automobile icon. I needed to find a car that would stick in people’s minds while simultaneously avoiding being completely destroyed by the market. Finding that gem wasn’t going to be simple, even if my requirements were simple: manual transmission, rear-wheel drive, and V8 engine.
Fortunately, Quebec’s COVID-19 curfew of 8 PM left me with a lot of free time. I kept scrolling through the auto advertising until I settled on a 540i.
The E46 M3 and E39 M5, two BMW M cars from that era, are now essentially unaffordable due to a sharp increase in market value, while the “nearly M vehicle” variations are still fairly inexpensive and have also shown a moderate, steady increase in value. I reasoned that if I could find a well-kept 540i for a reasonable price, it might one day be worth more.
Consider the BMW 540i for a number of reasons. The E39 chassis, probably BMW’s best sport sedan platform ever, serves as its foundation. The underpinnings of every BMW 5-series model sold between 1995 and 2003 are based on this architecture. Many people believe that this 5-Series model marks the “golden” age of BMW, offering an almost flawless balance of luxury and performance while presenting itself through a simple, subtle, yet classic style.
The 540i was seen as a “baby” M5 as well. It also was powered by a naturally aspirated V8, but with a lesser displacement than its high-performance sister (4.4 versus 4.9-liters). It was available with a smooth-shifting six-speed manual transmission and was rear-wheel drive as well.
The 540i looked identical to a basic 5-Series despite producing a powerful 282 horsepower and 324 lb-ft of torque (compared to 310 lb-ft on pre-2000 cars), enabling it to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in just over 5.5 seconds. In other words, only a true expert on BMWs can identify it.
On websites like Bring a Trailer, clean, low mileage models are currently available for anything between $12,000 and $15,000 USD. Of course, vehicles with manual transmissions and models sold after the 2002 facelift keep their worth better. The 540i Touring with a manual transmission is the jewel in the crown. Anything with a V8 under its hood in wagon style is certain to appreciate in value.
What kind of motor does a BMW 540i have?
A 3.0-liter inline-six cylinder, single-turbocharged engine with 335 horsepower and 332 pounds-feet of torque powers the 540i. According to BMW, the engine can accelerate the 540i xDrive with all-wheel drive from 0 to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds, compared to 4.9 seconds with rear-wheel drive.
Although the six-cylinder engine and eight-speed automatic transmission make a quiet, elegant pair, the overall driving experience is more like that of a luxury cruiser than a performance sedan. There aren’t many sounds in the interior save an electronic engine enhancement; there’s no air intake whooshing or the exhaust crackling. Because of how quiet and collected it is, a car like the 540i can be driven at dubious speeds while making the driver feel like they aren’t doing more than 40 mph.
Performance and fuel efficiency are somewhat improved by the new mild-hybrid system that comes standard in the 540i. The technology is made up of a 48-volt starter-generator motor and a second battery that stores energy to operate the heated seats, steering, power windows, lighting, and audio system. That stored energy can add an additional 11 horsepower to the drive system when it is fed back through the starter-generator motor, according to BMW, which improves acceleration off the line and results in shorter bursts of speed. (The E-Class and A6 from Mercedes and Audi, respectively, both have comparable electrified systems.)
11 HP will you notice? Most likely not, as the system as a whole is undetectable and only improves the car’s 0-60 time by a tenth of a second. The AWD 540i’s combined fuel economy for 2021 is 1 mpg higher, coming in at 26 mpg. Both the highway and city ratings have increased by 2 mpg to 31 mpg.