36: BMW 5 Series – still a great car but now overtaken by its rivals

The fact that the new 5 Series is this far down the top 100, when the likes of rivals such as the E-Class, Lexus GS, and Volvo S90 sit so much higher must surely rank it as a disappointment.

The odd thing is that the 5 Series is really a very, very good car, verging on the brilliant in some areas. But it just fails to shine, somehow. It’s just far too similar in look and feel to the old F10 5 Series that it feels like barely a step forward. That’s probably unfair (look at the impressive technology deployed in the plugin hybrid 530e for example) but it’s just how the new 5 feels.

There’s nothing it does which the old F10 didn’t do more or less as well, which makes the increase in price (in spite of a good deal of extra standard equipment) rather harder to swallow.

In isolation, it’s excellent/good (albeit only good) to drive, quiet, comfortable, roomy, classy, and with a gorgeous, well-made interior. Compared to its rivals, though, it lacks for star quality, and the core 2.0-litre diesel engine is falling behind the opposition now. And, whisper it, the E-Class has sweeter, more communicative steering. How did that happen?