New Car Road Test

BMW 520d




The 520 diesel proves that you don't have to spend huge amounts for the best car.

Positives:

• Great value for money.
• Punchy, frugal performance.
• Smooth six-speed auto maximises engine efficiency.
• Taut, composed dynamics.
• Compliant ride.
• High resale values.
• Comfortable seats.

Negatives:

Dull, remote steering.
No boot extension.
Gear lever needs more defined detents between Sport and D.
Could still use more storage near the driver.

Review:

What's a luxury car? Simple question. Complicated answer. The stereotype is a big, fat, megabuck chariot for a big, fat, megabuck master of the universe.
It's loaded with every gizmo in the book because if you're rolling in money, well, you just have to have all that stuff. Why? Because.
It's got a V8 in it, of course, with enough kilowatts to jolt Earth sideways. Those on a serious power trip can go for a V10 or even a V12. Big donk equals man not to be messed with.
The archetypal luxury car consumes fuel at nearly the same rate as a 747, because when you've got this much dough you couldn't give a monkey's about how much it costs. As for saving the planet, let the poor people take care of it. There are a lot more of 'em, after all. Make 'em walk. That will fix the problem.
An extreme interpretation of the hardware and its devotees at this rarefied end of the market? Maybe, but the below-the-line messages and motivations that apply in the luxury car business have always been less noble and more interesting than the hyperbolic technobabble and ego-stroking puffery that prevails on the surface.
Then along comes BMW, which knows better than most how to build and flog a luxmobile by the accepted rules, with a completely contradictory approach to the class: the new 520d. A $79,990 pricetag won't impress the impressionable. The 520d is the cheapest model in the 5 Series range, so it will probably have the opposite effect.
The equipment list runs from the nice-to-have (leather, a six-stack CD player) to the useful (eight airbags, cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring, DataDot identification), but by luxury car standards its hardly the full box of fruit.
Here's the really bizarre bit. It's got a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine under the bonnet. Is this a joke? No. The 520d is a brilliant luxury car, for those who buy with their brain rather than their ego.
BMW's latest version of this direct-injection turbodiesel is an aluminium alloy unit that produces 125kW of power at 4000rpm and 340Nm of torque from 1700rpm. A six-speed sequential automatic transmission with electronic shifting is standard.
All car companies make ritual noises about fuel efficiency and environmental responsibility. BMW is one of the few to adopt these objectives as core engineering principles. This is evident in its drivetrain technology, but the fact that BMW devotes equal effort to minimising weight is also significant.
The 520d weighs 1520kg: that's 170kg lighter than a base Commodore, and 65kg lighter than the new Mercedes Benz C220 diesel, which is a much smaller car.
The 520d uses 8.1 litres/100km in town and 5.0 litres/100km on the open road, according to European standard tests. On our 1200km roadtest we averaged 5.0-5.5 litres/100km on the highway and 8.0-8.5 in town.
A Toyota Corolla can use more fuel than this.
Against the Drive Life clock the 520d reached 100kmh from rest in a respectable 9.3 seconds. According to BMW's numbers it's about half a second quicker than the 2.5-litre six-cylinder petrol-powered 523i.
Not so long ago, when you put your foot down in a diesel automatic, you had to wait for about three months before anything happened. High-speed data-processing networks that link the accelerator, engine and transmission are making diesels much quicker to respond, eliminating turbo lag and modulating the turbo's contribution to produce a progressive, linear delivery. BMW has this technology down to a fine art.
The 520d trickles through the traffic at barely above idle. At 80kmh in sixth, it's pulling just 1450rpm. At 100kmh, it's pulling 1800rpm - right where the torque peak occurs.
The transmission's timing, speed and smoothness are outstanding, as they have to be when working with a small turbocharged diesel engine. Whatever you do with your right foot, the transmission always seems to find the right gear, and when you want strong acceleration you get it straight away. The light detent action of the lever makes it too easy to unintentionally flick from Sport mode back across to D.
The 5 Series is the best handling sedan in its class. It has the lightness, precision and agility of a sports sedan, with the rock-solid stability and confidence of a top luxury drive.
Most BMW media test cars we have driven over the years have been fitted with optional sports suspension and/or bigger wheels and tyres than standard. So the fact that our 520d came with the base spec suspension, wheels and tyres was an eye opener.
In day-to-day driving, you really don't gain much by ticking the options boxes for the sports specification. The standard suspension is relatively soft, but the damping is precisely tuned to the spring rates and the weight of the car, so body movement is well controlled. On the open road the 520d's dynamics are still outstanding.
BMW seems to have lost its way with steering, though. Every test car we climb into now feels different through the wheel. As the only 5 Series model with conventional hydraulic assistance - electrically assisted variable-ratio steering is now standard on the rest of the range - the 520d's wheel is heavy and remote. It goes where you point it but without the pinpoint accuracy and intimacy with the road attributes that BMW made its reputation with.
Runflat tyres, standard on other 5 Series models, are improving in their compliance and comfort on rough local roads. However, none has the absorbency or quietness of the conventional Pirellis wrapped around humble 16-inch alloy wheels on the 520d. It's almost Mercedes-like in the smoothness of its ride; yet another reason to forgo the extra cost of larger wheels and runflat tyres from the options list.
BMW moved in mid-2007 to address some of the form-over-function inefficiencies and annoyances of the 5 Series driver interfaces.
It replaced the vertically angled driver's door handle/power window switches, for example, with easier-to-use horizontally oriented ones, so it's easier now to close the door and operate the windows.
The iDrive was given another tweak with eight "favourites" buttons for one-touch access to frequently used functions. Sorely needed extra storage for bits and pieces was also added in the form of larger door bins, but if you like to travel with a water bottle you are still looking for somewhere handy to put it.
There's ample adjustability in the driving position and clear vision around the car.
The back seat is comfortable and spacious, with easy access. It's shaped for two; each occupant is seated low on a deep, supportive cushion. This maximises headroom but kids might feel boxed in by the low seating position and high windowsills.
The boot has a wide opening and a long floor, with a temporary spare underneath. You have to pay extra for a fold-down rear seat-back to extend boot space.
The BMW 520d gives the lie to many luxury car shibboleths. It's about efficiency rather than excess, minimalism without compromise, and hard evidence that luxury-car makers can deliver more than just green spin. Highly recommended.

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Great to hear such nice thing about my car. I have the 19inch sports wheels without runflats, standard wheels, and the ride is superb. Runflats don't suit Australian roads with the current generation of tyres...

CC

First Australian review I have ever read that has something nice to say about a German Vehicle!!!!

Thanks for posting CC

I absolutely love the 2.0 liter diesel engine BMW makes. If I was in the market for a smaller engine 3 series, this is hands down the one I'd pick.

Make that the 2.0 twin turbo diesel with 204 hp, Warot, and I agree!

I like this:

The 520d weighs 1520kg: that's 170kg lighter than a base Commodore, and 65kg lighter than the new Mercedes Benz C220 diesel, which is a much smaller car.

True, but that's a pretty decent price hike. I would take a 320d over let's say a 320i or a 323i.

The Commodore is an over styled wana-be european car. It has presence but has no substance!

It;s engine is also rubbish!!! And yet Wheels Car Magazine will tell you its the best ca ever produced in history.

The 5er is a great car mathed with this great engine. BMW have done wonders with the diesel engine!!!

Im absolutely with you on this one, I know the diesel isn't as sporty as the 20i but i like it anyway and in a everyday car it is really nice with a diesel.

The 520 diesel proves that you don't have to spend huge amounts for the best car.


This says it all. The 520d is all most people will ever need. If I were in the market for a 5-Series this would be my choice.

Gosh, you folks must think I have some sort of fetish with "underpowered" engines!

I´m not so happy to see 4 cylinder engine under the hood of 5er..6 or more is a must ..I know that 4 cylinder makes 5er to be a great value for money and it delivers decent performance..all that makes perfect sense ..but is losses refinement of straight six and silky smooth performance delivery of,lets say,530 or 535d variants.

Can't really tell the difference actually (to me, at least). Test drove a 520i E60 today and it was great. It had the 156bhp, 200Nm four pot and it drives like a dream. My dad would love the E60 520d, if it was available here.