Rob,
I find the ride of the standard SE 5-series too soft for my taste - won't go round corners the way I like to
. The E60 I had before the current 525d M Sport had factory fitted Sports Suspension and all of my E39s have been Sport models, so I like the harder ride. My 5-Series history is
1995/M E34 520i SE Auto saloon (soft, ride and under powered - only owned for 6 months)
2000/V E39 528i Sport Auto saloon (wonderful car that I purchased in 2004 and sold to my brother in 2009)
2003/03 E39 530i Sport Aegean Blue Ltd Ed (Lovely to look at but electricals reliability was extremely poor - got rid of after 7 months!)
2004/04 E60 530i SE Auto with upgraded alloys, Sports Suspension, Sports interior (brilliant car, PX'd after 4 years for my current Sport)
2002/02 E39 525i Sport Auto Touring (purchased in Sept 2007 and has proven to be a tremendous work horse ever since. 118k on the clock now and still drives beautifully - will be with us for a while longer yet
)
2007/07 E60 525d M Sport LCI Auto (after a few initial teething troubles has proven a hoot to drive as well as giving great mpg - but it has taken me a while to get used to the 'diesel drive').
I love the 5-Series and the Sport set up looks and rides the best - IMHO