1999 BMW 540i Performance, practicality, and more room for packages. By Ray Thursby, New Car Test Drive .com

There are plenty of luxury cars available to the buyers with the means to purchase them. Almost all promise performance as well as sybaritic comfort, though speed and handling usually take a back seat to leather, wood and all possible power assists.

BMW's 5 Series lineup is something special, however. No matter what the driving conditions, a 5 Series BMW is as much plaything as comfortable carriage. In this regard, the 5 Series models are genuine dual-purpose machines, totally competent whether cantering lazily down the highway or urged to full gallop down a twisting road. We are unable to find fault with them in either mode -- or in any mode in between.

Less evident than outright performance, are the concerns BMW has devoted to occupant safety. The front airbags are controlled by a dual-mode system that changes the deployment speed of the airbag depending on whether occupants are wearing seat belts; the front-passenger airbags will not inflate if that seat is unoccupied. Not only do the 5 Series cars come standard with side airbags in front, they offer them as an option for rear-seat passengers for just $385. A clever Head Protection System is supplied. Active safety enhancements are also standard, such as anti-lock brakes and traction control. A new Dynamic Stability Control system is available that reduces engine power and selectively applies braking force to individual wheels to counteract skids.