The king is deposed, and progress stands accused. The previous ruler of the sports sedan kingdom, the 1996 through 2003 5 series BMW, was widely regarded as perfect. Its exceptional styling, performance and driving dynamics culminated in "the total package."
Even if auto manufacturers have a product that strikes a chord and is a runaway sales success, it eventually must be changed to avoid the risk of having their product overshadowed in the insanely competitive automotive marketplace (where the law of th land is Darwinian at best, and beset by consumer whimsy at worst).
This brings us to our subject vehicle, the 2006 BMW 53Oi, a vehicle with driving dynamics beyond reproach. BMW continues to make good on their "Ultimate Driving Machine" promise by raising the bar from a performance and handling standpoint.
Where the 530i falls short is in ergonomics and exterior design. What was once the handsome triathlete of the sports sedan world is a dichotomy consisting of, on the upside, as true a driver's sedan as you will find, clearly superior to its rivals from Mercedes Benz and Audi. But on the downside, it is burdened with polarizing angular styling and poorly executed driver interfaces.
The $50,000-plus 2006 BMW 530i has driving dynamics beyond reproach, but falls short in its ergonomics and exterior design.
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