2016 BMW 528i

When I picked up a luxury reservation at HNL, they had a BMW 528i already assigned to me at the booth. I didn't ask about any other options. The 528i is a WXAR (Luxury Special Elite), with 2016 being the final year for this design of the 5-series (2017 is a redesign).


The Alpine White 528i had been in service for just over a year and had 11K miles on the odometer. It still smelled new inside, though. The standard leatherette seating was OK -- it had a somewhat rubbery texture to it.

Of course, interior quality was what I expected from a high-end luxury vehicle. I got used to the transmission lever -- but it still doesn't seem natural to toggle up for reverse.



Things that surprised me before I even drove out of National's garage:

- No keyless access to enter the vehicle? You have to press the remote to unlock. Keyless access is part of an option package.
- A $50K MSRP and no backup camera? Similarly, it's available in an option package.

For what I paid for the rental -- this was totally worth it. Luxury was only a few bucks more than a full-size reservation for the day. Would I pay more than that? Probably not. This was fun to do given the price, but snagging a Fusion Titanium or an Altima 3.5 SL on an FCAR reservation would be fine with me.