BMW e60 part 05

It is better to be talked about than ignored, they say. If that's true then the last update to the BMW 5 Series, the E60, certainly delivered. Few cars have excited such debate. Some loved it, some hated it. Everyone talked about it. So as we gear up for the sixth generation F10, everyone will be wondering what to expect.

The answer, at first sight, seems to be surprisingly low key. While the E60 was bold, brash and revolutionary, this is smooth, sleek and elegant. Gone are the bold styling updates, such as the eye catching wing headlights, replaced by a something traditionalists will recognise and admire.

It has a classic hunkered down look about it and looks every inch the executive car. In fact, according to several of the major car hire manufacturers, it looks set to become the high level hire car of choice.

However, don't make the mistake of thinking this is a step back to the past. Instead it is simply a continuation of revolution followed by evolution that has served The BMW 5 Series so well for so long.

Ever since its first appearance on the world stage in 1975 we've seen sudden revolutions taking the series onto the next level, knocking down walls and keeping it ahead of the competition. This simply continues that strategy.

The E60 rewrote the rule book - both in terms of appearance and technology - of what the BMW 5 Series could be. It worked. Record breaking sales showed that, makeover or no makeover, plenty of people loved it.

This new launch, then, can afford a more measured approach, but that doesn't make it a step backwards. While the exterior hints at a return to classical values, the interior is all about the future with more technological bells and whistles than you can shake a stick at.

There is self parking, a head up display, intelligent alternator charging and BMW's iDrive control centre which puts everything literally at your fingertips.

It is an incredible piece of eye popping technology and appeals to the primeval geek inside us all. It proves that this sixth generation of the BMW 5 Series will continue with the ideal of combining heritage with innovation.

You're looking for any new model to seem new and familiar at the same time. In other words echoing its predecessors while leaving you with the impression that all of them have simply been a preparation for this new brand new model. That's what has to do: move things on enough to keep it in touch with the competition while retaining the aesthetics that die hard enthusiasts have come to love.