BMW 520i (E60) review: the base six for buyers who want the badge more than the pace
3.3/5motorssouq Editorial Team
The 520i makes sense in Bahrain only at the right price: as a cheap, well-documented way to own a genuine flagship-era BMW interior and chassis, not as a performance proposition. The 2.2-litre six is honestly stretched by the E60's size and weight, and every mechanical or electrical fault on this generation costs BMW-specialist money to fix, not economy-sedan money. If the badge and the ride quality are what you are after and the price reflects the car's age, it can be a satisfying buy; if you actually need to use the performance, look at the 523i instead.
Pros
- Full E60 flagship interior, ride quality and chassis for a fraction of the price of a newer 5 Series
- M54 six is smoother and more refined than a comparable four-cylinder rival
- Independent BMW specialists in Bahrain know the platform well
- Depreciation has already done most of its work, so entry price is low
Cons
- 170 hp feels genuinely stretched moving the E60's size and weight
- First-generation iDrive is clunky for basic functions by modern standards
- Valve stem seals and electric water pump are known age-related failure points
- Specialist labour costs more than an equivalent-age Japanese sedan for any repair
The E60 generation made the 5 Series noticeably larger and heavier than the E39 it replaced, and BMW's decision to put the smallest available six, a 2.2-litre M54 making 170 hp, at the bottom of that range left the 520i feeling honestly a little breathless for the car's size. It is not a slow car in isolation, but it works harder than the badge suggests it should.
The car that introduced iDrive
This was the first 5 Series sold with BMW's original iDrive controller, and it remains a genuine talking point for the wrong reasons: menu-diving for basic climate and radio functions that a physical button handled instantly on the E39 is the most common complaint from owners revisiting the car today. Later software updates improved it, but the earliest 520i units carry the roughest version of the system.
Mechanically, the usual E60 six-cylinder concerns apply: valve stem seals harden with age and cause blue smoke on cold start-up and under hard acceleration, the electric water pump fitted to some model years can fail without warning rather than degrading gradually, and, as with every BMW of this era in the Gulf, plastic cooling system components do not enjoy 45°C summers. None of these are unique to the 520i, but a smaller-margin car makes every repair bill feel proportionally larger.
Buying one in Bahrain
Full service history from an independent BMW specialist, evidence of the water pump and valve stem seals having been addressed, and a realistic price that reflects the car being the base engine in a flagship-sized body are the three things to insist on. Treat any 520i priced like a normal used sedan of its age with suspicion, since the specialist labour required to keep it right costs more than that comparison implies.