BMW 535d
BMWs 535d Lays Claim To The Ultimate Executive Car Crown. Andy Enright Reports
You dont need to be that old to recall a time when only genuine supercars could post a sprint to 60mph in 6.3 seconds. These days that sort of figure can be scalped by hot hatches, budget roadsters and now theres even a diesel-engined executive smoothie that boasts this sort of sprinting ability. BMWs 535d wrests the title of fastest accelerating diesel production car away from rivals
Audi and offers the sort of all-round performance that forces one to ponder the relevance of petrol power in this class of cars.
Ignore that 535 designation; theres no 3.5-litre lump under the bonnet of this Five. Instead theres a three-litre engine that features two turbochargers of significantly different size. The smaller of the two blowers doesnt take a lot of energy to spool up and comes on stream from idle through to 1,500rpm, whereupon the engines exhaust gases can overcome the inertia of the bigger of the two units.
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From around 1,000rpm these two units operate together but from 2,500rpm up to the 5,000rpm redline, the big turbo is operating on its own. Peak power arrives at 4,400rpm where this engine is making a crushing 268bhp. Even more impressive is the 413lb/ft torque figure exactly the same as a
Porsche 911 Turbo. If youre really into your engines, you might well have twigged that this powerplant is cranking out a specific output of 90bhp per litre again more than any other diesel.
Even if youre not technically minded, lets just say that this is a very advanced piece of plumbing. So muscular is the 535d that BMWs standard manual gearbox would be turned to swarf by the torque of this engine. Instead the 535d is fitted with a slick six-speed ZF automatic gearbox and will command a premium of just over £3,000 versus the equivalent 530d automatic. What is particularly impressive about the 535d is the way
BMW have overcome the downsides of driving a turbodiesel car.
The rather unsatisfying bog and surge power delivery of many turbodiesels has been completely nullified by the clever sequencing of the turbochargers, ensuring a clean, even spread of power from idle right up to redline. An electronically limited top speed of 155mph is as quick as youll likely ever need and makes the powerful petrol engined 5-series models seem strangely superfluous. You dont buy a car like this on the strength of fuel economy but the 535d nevertheless returns predictably excellent figures. A combined showing of 35.
3 mpg will make planting the throttle a refreshingly guilt-free experience. Likewise, if youre a company car buyer who has some rather serious clout, the 211g/km carbon dioxide emissions figure is a bit of icing on the cake.
"So muscular is the 535d that BMWs standard manual gearbox would be turned to swarf by the torque of this engine"
What this car is all about is effortless muscle. There are quieter diesel engines, Jaguars latest V6 for one, but none offer this combination of power and flexibility. The advanced software of the automatic gearshift coupled with a torque band with fewer holes in it than the Arsenal defence means that theres instant urge available from virtually any point on the scale. The 535d even shapes up comparatively well in terms of price.
Suddenly £36,000 for 204bhp worth of Mercedes E320CDi seems like a lot of money. And that styling? Well, although certain BMW trademarks like the kidney-shaped grille and the cut back rear window pillar remain in this current 5 Series, Burkhard Goschel, the Munich companys head of research and development claims "the days of lookalike BMWs are over from now on each volume model will display its own unmistakable personality." This is in contrast to
Audi and Mercedes whose models appear increasingly homogeneous. Although the current generation car does carry over some 5-series styling cues, its clear that BMW have listened to customer feedback. The bootlid is less extreme and although the 5-series features the controversial iDrive control system, its notably easier to use than the 7-series system and is backed up by more conventional knobs and switches on the fascia. The fiddly electronic handbrake system used by its big brother has also been replaced, in this instance by a conventional manual one.
Much thought has gone into the way electronic systems blend with good old manual ones. BMW have taken the notion that electronics should aid rather than replace manual systems and the active steering system is a good example. Rather than developing the sort of pure drive-by-wire systems that often isolate the driver from road feedback, BMW has instead developed a system that maintains a link between the front wheels and the steering wheel but which adjusts the power assistance dependent upon speed and yaw rate, promising quick turn-in when you punch the 5-series into a corner but without the accompanying nervousness at high speed that many such cars demonstrate. This system is networked to the Dynamic Stability Control system, reducing the interventions DSC has to make.
Dynamic Drive, BMWs active suspension system, is available as an option, and Active Cruise Control, a system that automatically controls distances to the car in front, is also available to order. BMW hasnt left too many safety features out of the 5-series. Brake Force Display is an interesting concept, enlarging the brake light area when the driver really anchors on. Another first for BMW is Adaptive Headlights a feature many will associate more with
Citroen.
This system, sadly still an option, swivels the headlights by up to 15 degrees left and right to illuminate more of the road through a bend. Unlike Citroens rudimentary old mechanical system, this calculates speed, yaw rate and steering angle before steering the beams. Another technology borrowed from another manufacturer in this case
Chevrolet is an optional Head-Up Display that projects information onto the windscreen. Leaving aside the 535ds controversial styling, it has to be said that on paper, this is the best executive car there is.
If you can live with the lines and have the funds to absorb the up front costs, youd be mad not to try it
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: BMW 535d range
PRICE: £36.670- £41,320 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 18
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 6.3s / Max Speed 155mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 35.3mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and window airbags / ABS / DSC
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/mm 4841/1846
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