It’s not bad at all.

The BMW 5 SeriesE39 featured no less than three V8-powered models between 1995 and 2003. Each had different versions of the M62 engine, the most powerful being the S62 of M5 which produced 394 horsepower (284kilowatts). The 535i was powered by a 3.5-liter eight cylinder unit that produced 232 horsepower (173 kW) up to 1998, when it was replaced with a slightly more powerful M62.

The 535i, despite being the weakest of the V8-range engines, was still quite capable. This video, courtesy of TopSpeedGermany on YouTube shows a 5 Series 535i running at its maximum speed on the German Autobahn. This particular example has a 5-speed manual gearbox that sends power only to the rear wheels.

This premium sedan is quite agile, even by modern standards. It’s not rocket-like from a stop, but it is impressive at speeds of 62 mph (100 km/h) and above. The revvy engine can go up to 124 mph (200 km/h), and we were able to see the fastest velocity at around 155mph (250 km/h), when the engine is running at approximately 6,000 rpm.

We find it very interesting to see how much fuel is consumed by that engine. Although we cannot see the readings from the onboard computer, the fuel level gauge can be seen. The car is about half full at the beginning of the video. By the end, there’s almost no fuel left. Nine minutes on the Autobahn is a long time. It’s a painful experience to drive a V8-powered E39.