2021 BMW 5 Series | Write Off Machine

My 2018 M550i just hit 100,000 miles and I have done nothing but basic maintenance. The weirdest issue I had was replacing a DRL light module. The whole time I was 0-60ing in 3.6 seconds and getting 30 MPG on the highway with Eco Pro mode while getting back massages. I had this experience for less than the price of a new Toyota Camry. To me the G30 M550i is V8 perfection. If I want ideal handling on the track I just take out my MX-5.

Would have loved to see a savagegeese review on the M550i

Comparing the 540i to Accord or Camry is a joke. Even the 530i is a far more exciting car than either of the Japanese options. The BMW is miles ahead of either the Camry or Accord. Get a two year old 540i for the same price as a Camry, there is no comparison. The Camry is the most boring vehicle I have ever driven. The interior while ok on the surface is still cheaply built and so is that terrible Toyota motor. The Camry v6 offers no refinement. In typical Toyota fashion, Toyota under powers the engine for “reliability” and pairs it with a transmission from 1990.

Okay looking back on it now, my mom is in the market for a car. She wanted a z4 but didn’t realize they were all convertibles lol but also didn’t like the Supra. So we were looking and discovered that the depreciation in the ‘21 5 series with the facelift was so much that they’re now around 30k for the 530i 4cyl hovering around 50,000 miles. Knowing that the facelift only lasted 2 years until they redid the whole car and made it atrocious. I think this facelift for its short run does have character and it’s an awesome vehicle for 30k. What are your thoughts at savage geese?

I miss BMW from the 80s. They should just go back and remake those.

Soulless and forgettable. Yet, In many other videos you keep raving about the B58 engine. I’m confused.

sadly since seeing the 2024 model, RIP physical buttons haha

What about the 530i? It is quick enough though..

This on blacked out spec is the best sedan

This or the Lexus?

Which car are you bozos driving ?? The ride quality on mine is s**t. BMWs for the last 10 years have had awful low profile run-flat tyres on the larger wheels. Every imperfection on the road is transmitted through the cabin. Don't go anywhere near a pothole or your teeth will fall out. Driving on smooth roads like you fanboys are on here is OK. Saving the planet without the weight of a spare is ridiculous. The 17 and 18 inch wheels look like crap unfortunately. I'll buy a Merc next time to get a comfortable ride.

I drove this back to back with a C43 AMG, Genesis G70, Genesis G80, Infinity Q50s, Lexus RC F today. I - a regular run of the mill driver who has never been to the track - have NO IDEA why you keep saying it's not a sports sedan. It's fucking fast, the transmission is fast, the engine is epic, the awd system inspires confidence. Do you need me to what - corner at 100 kph while flooring it? I'm not going to do that in any of those. This was my favorite car of the bunch, and used it was within 5-10K of all the rest of them.

Character, passion? Put an exhaust and a tune with 80 more HP on it. Come on!

I bought a 2023 540i a couple of months ago and hands down it's the best sedan I have ever driven in my 36 years of being a licensed driver in the USA. I've owned a lot of vehicles, some real beaters when I was young and didn't have money, and several different luxury choices in the last 15 years or so when I had money to get what I wanted, and the BMW 540i has beaten them all in terms of performance, luxury, fun, drivability, looks, value, and service. This includes Mercedes, Genesis, and Lexus to name a few, all of which I have owned and ran screaming from eventually. Mercedes because of the terrible performance and painful suspension and road noise, Genesis for the horrific customer service experience (thanks Hyundai, you ruined what could have been a monster of a brand by treating your luxury customers the same as the folks with 500 credit scores buying a turd), and Lexus, which always felt like I had overpaid for what i got, which was an hyper expensive Toyota. BMW mitigated all of these issues for me. I don't think I will ever buy another brand at this point in my life.

Nice video, and I appreciate the impressions. CORRECTION: BMW's engines are not "mass market" engines by definition. They are intended for luxury buyers and the cars are priced that way. A mass market engine? Try the Toyota Corolla. "Soulless" is a term relevant only to muscle car enthusiasts or sports coupe enthusiasts.. To anyone else it's irrelevant.

Because the Accord and Camry smell like plastic.

Agreed. No soul. The last BMW is probably the F87 M2. You got a BMW that the engineers at M gave you what they thought. All newer BMW's are no longer visceral cars.

What a borefest

this review was so sad… ‘soulless’

Lmao. I bought a 2018 with 31k miles for 33k.

This is more than twice as good as a noisy plastic Camry and Accord. There is also the feel-good factor of finally being able to afford a brand you had as a poster growing up.

I rented one of these for a few days during a business trip and it was amazing. It felt like I was in a space ship compared to my 2001 mustang

B58

It's rush with hush. Exactly what I love. I don't get this current obsession with snap crackle and pop from the exhaust. If it's souls that you think it lacks, think of it as Clint Eastwood, "High Pains Drifter" Quiet understated and devastating.. I've got a 530i.

Would you trade a 4Runner for this?

Ultra HQ content as always!

I keep watching this video on mute. I so love the 5 series, the constant whining does not put me off. just bores me to death

E39 5 series will probably be peak classic bmw design, I wouldn't mind the 530d only because of how much it has depreciated plus a torque monster and fuel efficient engine

Coming from a 440i with the MPPSK, I have to say the 540i stock is pretty soulless. Though the same can be said for my old 440i. Just slap on a tune and add on an exhaust and now my 540i has a soul like my 440i did. 😂

that interior is just great.. its beyond me why he called it soul less

What a negative review.

I’ll be honest, you’d trash the looks of the car less if you didn’t pick White with Brown leather gees! Lol. Get some real color combo that’ll improve the looks a bunch. By the way, you guys don’t seem to understand much about this car lol except you don’t like it. Ok Debbie downers. Go get an Audi or Mercedes and enjoy the mechanical issues. Or a Lexus that’s for grandma

You see a lack of soul, I see refinement, comfort and the best UX in the business (iDrive 6/7). Don’t like the newer wacky BMWs

ive never seen this dude actually like a car.

You guys already made up your minds before driving. It is a pointless review.

Amazing review as always, but the lack of personality and feel makes it harder to justify the expense of the badge as cars continue the march towards limited use disposable tech

Comfy and roomy and still a sports car underneath. No SUV can come close.

The accord doesn’t have close to the interior as the bmw and the engine in the accord isn’t even close to as powerful as the bmw

Last few minutes you look like a devil

BMW are money pits, we all know It, you lease them for 5 years before they start making you crazy. But their problema, they are common, you see 5 beemers for one Accord

Soul-less? What kind of metric is that? Lacking character and passion? Try pushing it on windy road, the Xdrive is fantastic. But soul-less is a subjective, inconsequential measure that means the same thing as "I don't like this car because I don't like it."

I own a blacked out
17 540i x drive that I’ve tuned to stage 2. Bought it with 35k miles a year ago for 37.5k. Huge bang for the buck and best car I’ve ever owned, no issues in 10k miles of tuned driving.

Perfect car to smash 300 miles and be fresh enough to present effectively. Love Lexus until I took a trip in one of these recently, this really gave me a different view on what a long trip can be.

This is exactly what luxury car buyers want. Quite competence. Get a Shelbygt500 or a C8 Corvette if you want soul. Get this is you want luxury.

Flight of the Conchords: Business Time…..nice 😎👍🏼

I own a 2018 540i Msports and I bought it used for 45k. In comfort mode its a luxury cocoon completely isolated from the outside world and you won’t even know how fast it cruises in highways. Switch to Sports Plus and there is a hidden hooligan in the form a B58 engine and ZF transmission. 90% of the vehicles on road don’t even hold handle against the balance between comfort and fun this car provides.. Many have attempted to drag at stop signals and race in highways and I always came out smiling and it does it with minimal effort and tons of confidence . Yes, maintenance is expensive compared to Japanese and Koreans but that’s what you pay for the ultimate driving machine. I can confidentially say BMW underrates the actual tech specs on these and I will buy another one just for the B58 engine. Nothing else! Comparing this with Avalon and Honda Accord is a senseless SIN !

My wife has a 540i. She thought it was "cute". I didn't even give the option of the 4 banger. I so wanted to hate it. Sadly, I absolutely love driving it. Even the iDrive is nice. dammit BMW!

I would love to know what the guys would recommend these days for those of us who love to get a 5 series if it still had soul? I love driving, need to occasionally pack on a couple of teens, and maybe head out to Joliet ACC a couple times a year.. what options exist?

We can thank Mercedes and BMW for setting the standards for what a modern sedan should be. Still one of the most refined options IMO, and a great value if bought used with only a few years of usage.

Just drive one of these and an Audi A6 or an E-class. No comparison. And in Europe we don't have Accord anymore, Lexus ES is only a hybrid with rear seats not reclining, what gives a lot of practicality. No real competition if you're a driver.