BMW 528i vs Ferrari 12Cilindri

What's the difference?

Sleek and attractive in the city,  engaging on a country back road and with plenty of clever technology, the 5 Series sedan ticks all the right boxes as an executive express. If you can stomach the price hike, the six-cylinder 540i is our pick of the bunch.

In the near future we’ll look back at the 12Cilindri and say it’s a shame Ferrari doesn’t make cars like that any more. But if this is the last proper, naturally aspirated V12 Ferrari ever, it’s definitely a worthy one. One day you’ll enjoy seeing this in a car museum.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

Hardly a revolution, the 5 Series has instead undergone a few nips and tucks. But if it ain't broke and all that. It might not be the most head-turning offering, but the 5 Series sedan remains sleek, powerful and understated, and it is undeniably handsome on the road.

Its 8mm wider, 28mm longer and 2mm taller than the car it replaces, but it's also around 95kg lighter, thanks to its aluminium doors and boot and a clever magnesium frame for the instrument panel that saved another two kilograms. There's some other clever design elements, too. The kidney grille has active air flaps that open when extra cooling is required, closing when it isn't, reducing drag and helping accleration.

Inside, the 5 Series offers a beautifully crafted yet joyously understated cabin, with quality materials joining modern technology in a seamless way.

So, while I’ll admit a vehicle with such a massive, phallic bonnet and a cabin that seems to sit over the rear wheels is never going to be my favourite Ferrari, personally, it’s impossible to see how you could make a giant-bonneted V12-powered, heritage-hugging grand tourer look better than this.

Yes, it does look striking in pictures but in the flesh it is absolutely gob smacking, a thing of real beauty from some angles, and outrageous showiness from others.

Following one from behind, its massive, hunkered rear end actually brings to mind a Lamborghini Diablo, although I wouldn’t tell the many passionate Ferrari designers I met that.

They have a lot to say about why the 12Cilindri (and can we just discuss that name - yes, it is silly, in English, but when an Italian says it - Dodici Cilindri - with the properly poetical pronunciation, it really does make sense) looks as outrageously lovable as it does.

They reckon they were inspired by the exciting era of car design in the 1970s, but also by science fiction movies, and the desire to build something modern that also feels classic.

Take the black banded front end where the headlights live. “Our intent was to lose the human expression that cars have, to not have an actual human gaze, so it doesn’t have eyes.”

Of course, no car has actual eyes, but you get the idea, they didn’t want it to look like it has them, the way most vehicles do. 

There’s also a lot of talk about dihedrals and monoliths. The 12Cilindri also has an incredible clam shell bonnet, which not only creates a sense of theatre when you open it but means there’s no cut line through the bonnet, adding to that sense of the whole front end being monolithic. 

Then there are the many aero features, including two Batmobile-like flaps on the rear wing that activate to provide downforce when required - some 50kg of it at 250km/h.

I could go on and on, surely they did, but let’s just say this is one hugely impressive piece of car design. I know some people find it a little weird looking in photos, but they are simply wrong. It's beautiful in the flesh.

This is a full-size sedan, and every seat feels spacious and airy. The sloping, slightly coupe-style roofline does cut into headroom in the back, but human-sized people will have little trouble, even sitting behind a tall driver.

Each trim offers two cupholders in the front, with another two housed in a pull-down divider that seperates the rear seat. And there's two ISOFIX attachment points, one in each window seat in the back. 

The 5 Series' boot opens to rival a surprisingly sizeable storage space, offering 530 litres with the 40:20:40 rear seats in place.

For what it is, a two-seat grand tourer/rocket ship, the space inside is perfectly functional, and there’s a large kind of overgrown parcel shelf where you can throw a back pack or your jackets if you need to.

You also get a 270-litre boot, which is, you guessed it, just big enough for a set of golf bags.

Keep in mind that there is literally no one on Earth who will buy this as their only car.

So just how big are these big dollars we’re talking about, for a Ferrari 12Cilindri. Well take a big deep breath, because the Coupe we drove starts at $803,500 while the convertible Spider, which is also available for order is $886,800.

Yes, that does seem like a lot to just take the roof off, but we’re talking about customers who will likely pay over $1M for one of these cars by the time they’ve finished personalising and adding expensive options, so they won’t mind.

And, to be fair, aside from the Purosangue SUV, this is about as many square metres of Ferrari as your money can buy you - not to mention the most cubic centimetres of engine, at 6.5 litres.

There’s a fair slab of luxury inside with a new 10.2-inch central touchscreen that makes it easier to ignore just how poorly designed and difficult to use the haptic buttons on the steering wheel are.

This is where you can run your Apple CarPlay or Android Auto without the kind of frustrated screams you’ll hear in some Ferraris.

The driver also looks at his own lush 15.6-inch display while the passenger now gets an 8.8-inch screen of their own, which can tell them how fast the person next to them is driving, or allow them to choose music to distract them from the blurred scenery outside.

The 12Cilindri is also available with luxurious ventilated seats featuring massage functions, as well as heating and cooling. But if you don’t want that kind of frippery you can opt for the far sportier carbon-fibre bucket seats instead.

Similarly, you can choose to have a very snazzy looking tinted glass roof or a carbon-fibre one, if you're very serious about lowering your centre of gravity. 

Those kind of choices actually speak to the fact that the 12Cilindri is very much trying to be two cars at once; a luxurious and powerful Grand Tourer in the tradition of gentlemen drivers exploring Europe by road and, effectively, a supremely fast supercar, although Ferrari admits it is no longer the ultimate vehicle in its range, because more modern hybrid heroes like the 296 GTB and SF90 are, today, much more impressive when it comes to pure pace.

The hunt for efficiency sees all but the most expensive 5 Series models equipped with four-cylinder engines, including the entry-level 520d, which is fitted with a 2.0-litre diesel unit that will produce 140kW at 4,000rpm and 400Nm from 1,750rpm. That's enough to push the cheapest 5 Series to 100km/h in a not particularly inspiring 7.5 seconds, topping out at 235km/h.

The cheapest petrol, the 530i, arrives with a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine good for 185kW at 5,200rpm and 350Nm from 1,450rpm. That will see you clip 100km/h in 6.2 seconds and push on to a limited top speed of 250km/h.

The turbocharged six-cylinder feels right at home in a car this size, with acceleration effortless and freeway overtaking manoeuvres an absolute breeze.

The 530d introduces the first six-cylinder engine, a 3.0-litre unit that will produce 195kW at 4,000rpm and an impressive 620Nm from 2,000rpm. That's enough to knock off the sprint in in 5.7 seconds and offers a top speed limited to 250km/h.

Finally, the top-spec petrol, the 540i, will produce 250kW at 5,500rpm and 450Nm from 1,380rpm from its 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six engine. Those are healthy numbers, and enough to welcome 100km/h in a sprightly 5.1 seconds before topping out a limited 250km/h.

Every model is paired with an eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission.

This stupendous, trumpeting, mid-mounted 6.5-litre V12 (it’s mounted just beneath the windscreen, effectively, which actually looks a bit weird when you lift up that big clamshell bonnet, but makes sense in terms of mid-engine balance for handling) is a further development of what was already a fearsome powerplant in the vehicle that precedes this, the Ferrari 812 Superfast.

This new version also gets an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, instead of the old seven-speed one, which theoretically provides better economy, as if the owners will care, but also provides “more driving enjoyment” as its shift times are now 30 per cent faster.

The V12 itself, naturally aspirated remember, now revs even higher, with maximum power of 610kW arriving at a very, very loud 9250rpm, just short of the 9500rpm redline.

What is incredible about that rev number is just how effortlessly and easily the engine will climb to those heights, repeatedly and addictively.

Ferrari says it’s also developed something called 'Aspirated Torque Shaping', which allows it to “sculpt” the torque curve in relation to engine speed and the gear selected, with 80 per cent of its 678Nm kicking in from 2500rpm.

The goal of this, on which it delivers, is to provide a sense of “seemingly endless acceleration”, particularly in third and fourth gear, where the car’s happy place exists. 

All that grunt will hurl you to 100km/h in 2.9 seconds or from a standing start to 200km/h in 7.8. No, it's not the fastest power plant Ferrari now makes, but in terms of its intended goal of being the greatest naturally aspirated V12 ever, it's a 10 out of 10 effort.

There is no way that Ferrari will get away with making another engine like this, so it’s fitting that it’s going out on an operatic high note.

BMW quotes a combined 4.3 litres per hundred kilometres from the 520d, which will also spit out 114g per kilometre of C02. The 530d lifts that number to 4.7 litres per hundred kilometres (which seems a small price to pay for all that extra torque), with C02 pegged at 124g per kilometre. Both diesels get a slightly smaller tank, at 66 litres.

The 530i will sip a claimed/combined 5.8 litres per hundred kilometres, with C02 emissions a claimed 132g per kilometre, while the big 540i requires 6.7 litres per hundred kilometres, with C02 pegged at 154g per kilometre. Both petrol models get a 68-litre tank and require 95RON fuel.

Move along, nothing to see here. Well, nothing you wouldn’t expect, except for the fact the Ferrari 12Cilindri is fully emissions compliant with the 2026 Euro-6-E standard. Incredibly. A ceramic catalytic converter is part of the magic, apparently, but a lot of effort has clearly gone into all areas of emissions.

Its CO2 emissions are claimed to be 353g/km, but then its fuel efficiency is a claimed 15.5 litres per 100km, and that’s just having a laugh.

Despite having a 92-litre tank, I was shown a predicted range of just over 415km when full, and was down to a predicted 300km to go after draining a quarter of a tank. Even EVs can do better than that.

BMW's pre-drive briefing was so technology focused we half expected the black turtle neck and dad jean-wearing ghost of Steve Jobs to emerge from behind a curtain clutching an iPad. Only a minuscule portion was dedicated to the cars' drivetrains, with BMW instead hammering home autonomy functions, technology upgrades and the fact that its car was a preview to "the future".

But once we'd slipped behind the wheel of the all-new 5 Series, it all started to make more sense. Having briefly sampled three models (the 530i, 530d and 540i), we can safely report there's nothing particularly revolutionary about their on-road behaviour. That's not necessarily a bad thing - they do everything you could ask of a car in this bracket. They're mostly smooth and always quiet, the new chassis has done nothing to dampen engagement when you start to ask a little more of it, and it's generally a luxurious experience. But then so was the old car.

But what's new is the technology poured into the 5 Series. Every car gets what BMW is calling its personal co-pilot, for example, which is a set of tricky systems (there's six cameras, five radar sensors and 12 ultrasonic sensors scattered around the car) that work with the active cruise control and allow the car to be driven completely autonomous for 30-second intervals. Now, it's not quite as advanced as some of its competitor's systems - it can't change lanes for example - but if you're out on a country road or on a highway, it will stay within its lane, turn around corners and keep up with the traffic, even if they stop in front of you.

This is a full-size sedan, and every seat feels spacious and airy.

While the cheapest diesel model has historically been the best seller, BMW is hoping the new 530i will prove the most popular this time around. And while you couldn't describe it as fast, the power from its four-cylinder engine is ample for all that will likely be asked of it, and it feels sorted and composed on  more challenging roads. It's a smooth and comfortable ride, too, even with the optional 20-inch alloys fitted, though that's undoubtedly thanks to the adaptive dampers and ever-changing dynamic ride function, both of which are fitted as standard. In fact, we're yet to drive a car without those options fitted, so we're forced to reserve judgement on the as-standard ride quality of the cheaper models.

Be warned though, none in the 5 Series range offer the disconnected and perfectly smooth conveyance you might find in some true luxury offerings, and you'll still know when you're diving into deep pockmarks in the road. But the trade off is a an engaging ride and steering set up that always feels planted, with enough feedback to ensure you feel connected to what's happening beneath the tyres. And that's a trade we're more than willing to make.

Step up to the 540i and things take a much sportier turn. The turbocharged six-cylinder feels right at home in a car this size, with acceleration effortless and freeway overtaking manoeuvres an absolute breeze. And while we didn't find roads quite brutal enough to really test the active anti-roll bars housed at each axle, there's a wonderful and stable flatness to the way the biggest petrol handles corners.

It's not cheap, but thanks to the bigger engine and sorted dynamics, the 540i feels most like a 5 Series probably should.

To say that our first drive of the Ferrari 12Cilindri was impacted by nasty wet weather and standing water on slick and narrow European roads would be like saying that going outside naked when it’s snowing impacted your level of goose flesh.

For the first 30 minutes I was breathing like someone who’d just been pushed out of a plane with no parachute. When trucks came towards me, and when the rear wheels scrabbled madly to find grip - bringing to mind the whirling legs of the cartoon Road Runner - I breathed in so severely that I think I now have a pair of boxer shorts stuck in my chest cavity. 

Fortunately, Ferraris have a 'Wet' setting, which is a work of genius, sensing the amount of grip you might not have and adjusting the power delivery to keep you safe. Remarkably, even in this mode, you don’t feel short changed on power in this wild V12-powered machine.

Unfortunately, the combination of my work ethic, professional pride and male ego meant that I could not allow myself to stay in Wet mode and would occasionally switch to 'Sport', when the rain eased up and the road almost dried out.

It was during these times that, after about an hour, I really started to gel with the Dodici Cilindri and found opportunities to enjoy its stupendously operatic soundtrack.

Much as the emissions laws have squeezed the engine, new sound regulations mean this V12 Ferrari must be quieter, in theory, than ever before, at least from outside.

But the sound designers have gone to a lot of trouble to make sure the sensational noise of this engine spinning its way to 9000rpm-plus finds its way into the cabin, and into your ears, and your very soul.

The temptation to give it plenty in the lower gears was thus overpowering and unending, but this grand tourer is so powerful that exploring the upper ranges in any gear means warping straight past speed limits, and sane behaviour. 

Fortunately, the 12Cilindri has stupendous brakes, and while its extreme length - almost 5.0m - causes some nose lifting under acceleration and diving under hard stopping, the car’s mid-engined balance means you always feel planted and in control. 

The steering is also super sharp and, while it takes some getting used to, the accuracy of its turn-in encourages you to push harder and harder. I had a fantastic time driving it through long sweeping bends, and a slightly more stressful time in sharp hairpins.

This Grand Tourer really is two cars in one, however, because if you leave the gearbox in Automatic it really does take all the effort away, riding its wall of torque and seemingly capable of driving at any speed from 40km/h to 240km/h in seventh or eighth gear. 

It is far more fun, and frightening of course, to change the gears yourself, and explore those higher, scintillating rev ranges.

So, it’s a great car, a collector’s piece, because they’ll never make another one like it, and a moving piece of visual drama. The only problem I have with the 12Cilindri is it’s just not the best Ferrari a huge whack of cash can buy.

Indeed, the Ferrari 296 GTB is not only the best Ferrari I’ve ever driven, it’s the best car I’ve ever been lucky enough to sit in, and it’s more than $100K cheaper.

Apparently the thing to do, if you’re a Ferraristi, is to have one of each. Sounds good.

The Ferrari 12Cilindri has not been ANCAP tested, nor is that ever likely to happen.

As well as a new brake-by-wire system and improved brakes that promise shorter stopping distances, this Ferrari is packed with software designed to keep you on the road, including 'Side Slip Control' and too many levels of traction control to count.

It also features, as standard, adaptive cruise control, 'Surround View', 'Assisted Emergency Braking', lane keeping assist, 'Traffic Sign Assistance' and 'DDAW' or Driver Drowsiness and Attention Warning.

The BMW 5 Series is covered by a three year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, and requires condition-based servicing (rather than a pre-defined service interval).

You can also prepay your maintenance costs for five years/80,000kms, with prices ranging from $1,640 for the basic package, and climbing to $4,600 for the all-inclusive option.

Like all Ferrari’s, the 12Cilindri comes with a seven-year, unlimited km warranty and a free-of-charge seven-year maintenance program covering all regular maintenance for the first seven years of the car’s life.

Service intervals are once a year, or every 20,000km.