The BMW 5-series has reclaimed the Executive title after the Jaguar XF won last year, and the year before that, and the year before that. In fact, this win marks the first time BMW has won this category since 2012 and the first time it has broken the Jaguar’s domination.
A new generation of engines for the 5-series has created a new benchmark for efficiency at the premium end of the executive class. The most notable are the new four-cylinder diesels, which have enabled the 5-series to extend its efficiency lead.
The new 520d outclasses its rivals with CO2 emissions recently cut by 10g/km to as low as 109g/km. As a 40% tax payer you can run a 5-series for just £181 a month, equating to 63.4p per mile – that’s a significant 10p per mile cheaper than the Mercedes E-class or Jaguar XF.
The 5-series doesn’t just do efficiency: it offers a luxurious interior, a silky smooth new eight-speed automatic transmission and first-class technology. In the executive segment, one of the most competitive of all, the car is the complete package. And it’s for that reason that BusinessCar readers have put it back at the top of the pack.
