Faults:

Only just had this car delivered a week ago, so no problems yet manifested.

General Comments:

My experiences with my previous company car - my beloved Nissan Pathfinder - are available on this site. Only the CO2 tax prevented me from ordering another when that had to go back July 2nd.

I ordered the 520 D SE Business Edition Touring (E61) because it had the combination of space, practicality and comfort I need, along with class-leading economy and CO2 figures that meant I could have a nice car without paying 35% BIK tax on it as I did for the Pathfinder.

I am told by my BMW dealer that my E61 is the very last one custom built for the UK before it is replaced by the much larger, clumsier F11 in September! Quite an honour!

The car was delivered a week ago on a truck, so almost no miles on the clock.

Fit and finish is a mile away from the pathfinder. Material quality is peerless on this BMW. Panel gaps, everything seems like it was carved from a single piece of material.

I ordered black leather interior with the Graphite inserts; quite austere looking, but just what I wanted. Wood capping makes the five look somewhat an "old mans" car IMO. The "Business Edition" spec adds leather, 6 CD player, sat nav, phone and media readiness and a ton of other extras to the SE spec. I ordered a panoramic sunroof as an extra too, plus nicer wheels. Colour: Ocean blue. Lovely.

I won't comment much on the performance yet; it is quite clear the engine is as tight as a drum, and will need a few thousand miles to give of its best.

It seems a perfectly tractable lump though. Averaging 42 MPG so far in an urban setting, so again I'd expect this to improve.

ACRES of space front and rear in this car, even more legroom than in my beloved Pathie. The boot is very well sized too, and handled a trip to the garden centre without any issues this morning. Lots of nice touches too, like the luggage cover auto adjust, and the parking distance sensors front and rear.

My only negative comment so far is it looks a bit bland. Amazing that this car made real waves with its Chris Bangle styling at launch, and now it just looks like any smart estate.

The Pathie is a hard act to follow as a family car, but this BMW seems well up to the job.