BMW 530d. About women, fairies, and suspension / BMW test drives

BMW 530d Price: ?65,900 On sale: from April 2007

2006 BMW 530d
© Photo: Sergey Krestov, 5 Koleso

In Russia, a small but noticeable layer of people who can be called the middle class is gradually forming. It's not that they have a bunch of extra money — it's just that their demands have grown, everyone wants life like in Europe. They want an interior at the level of a flagship sedan, fuel consumption like a small car, and a trunk that can fit a chest of drawers. And people do buy such cars here!

The trunk of the BMW 530d, which the editorial staff took for long-term endurance testing, fits a bunch of useful things for the household. For example, a ZIL refrigerator, a bag of Rotband plaster, or a Feya washing machine. An amusing combination…

2006 BMW 530d
© Photo: Sergey Krestov, 5 Koleso

But, of course, the Bavarians spent the whole winter working on the facelift not so that we could haul all sorts of junk in the trunk. We just decided to test how the rear air suspension works this way. You load 150 kg of cargo — the car, of course, settles. But literally a second later, the electronics start the compressor, and the ground clearance returns to normal. Ladies really like this process — especially the humming.

Time to hit the road. I'll say right away: don't expect curses against iDrive from me, nor praises about the "filigree handling and perfectly precise steering wheel that all cars with the proud name…" are famous for. First, these topics are already beaten to death, and second, in the next issue our material with instrumental measurements from the Dmitrov test track will come out. That's where we'll criticize… More precisely, gloat… More precisely, say it as it is.

2006 BMW 530d
© Photo: Sergey Krestov, 5 Koleso

But let's get back to women, or rather, to my passenger. She really liked pressing the buttons on the side of the seat cushion. And no wonder — it squeezed her from all sides, and the rear air suspension gave playful slaps. The soulless machine replaced the lady's caresses of a real man. In short, I was never invited for tea…

And what's the deal here? After all, it's air suspension, premium, all that. It should be smooth, soft, gentle, but on speed bumps it shakes so much that sparks fly from your eyes. I'll have to figure this out.

It's known that all technical solutions were "borrowed" by engineers from living nature. Other examples can be recalled. What did developers borrow for cars? They solved a complex problem: an object must be both soft and hard at the same time. I'm talking about the suspension. Soft — comfort, hard — handling. As a vivid example of solving such a dilemma, one can cite the reactions of the human body. But since an object cannot split in two, it must quickly (under the influence of external conditions) change its "state of aggregation".

2006 BMW 530d
© Photo: Sergey Krestov, 5 Koleso

Alas, the implementation of this idea on the wonderful in every sense BMW 530d leaves much to be desired. At first, I even thought, sinfully, that on the assembly line, instead of air elements, springs from a Z4 were accidentally stuck into our wagon. But after a visual inspection, I was convinced: no, the air suspension is in place.

Okay, happiness isn't in pies. Let's talk about the pleasant. Having driven 3,000 kilometers on the 530d, I became a fan of the diesel engine. Of course, in BMW's execution. Judge for yourself: our "barn" shoots to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds. At a speed of 160 km/h, the tachometer shows less than 3,000 rpm. If you believe the onboard computer, the diesel fuel consumption (the very one that costs 15 rubles per liter in the Moscow region) in this mode is only 8.5 liters per 100 km. Moreover, it's characteristic: the techs from the BMW representative office did not forbid us to refuel at certain times of the day and did not give us a card with secret gas stations. A rarity, I'll tell you. Let's see what happens in six months. Something must break in this precision fuel equipment! That's when we'll criticize… More precisely, gloat… More precisely, say it as it is.

2006 BMW 530d
© Photo: Sergey Krestov, 5 Koleso

The times when diesels were slow-moving and belched black smoke are gone. Previously, your ears would get clogged in the cabin, and it was impossible to stand next to the car: vibration from the engine idling was transmitted directly through the asphalt. BMW is teaching our consumer to perceive diesel engines normally. They have long become clean (relatively, of course), and also provide excellent dynamics. And the torque — you could haul trains.

If again about the body's reactions, our 530d is the best irritant. "In this land, you don't need to look for women, they call out to you themselves," said Zhvanetsky. He clearly understood women. But as for cars — not necessarily.

2006 BMW 530d
© Photo: Sergey Krestov, 5 Koleso

Getting to know the diesel anew

Both 3-liter diesels that are installed on the "Five" clearly show: modern engines of this type are almost as good as gasoline ones in dynamics. Our test 530d has a unit with variable turbine geometry — Variable Turbo Geometry (VTG).

Before hitting the impeller blades, the exhaust gas flow is "adjusted" to make the impact softer. But it's not possible to completely eliminate turbo lag this way. Therefore, two turbines are installed — with small and large moments of inertia.

The small one works at low revs, then they work together, and then only the large one comes into play. The scheme is called Twin Turbo.

On the 535d engine, in addition to two-stage turbocharging, VTG is also used. Naturally aspirated gasoline engines are getting worried. It seems that in the future they will remain only on sports cars or cheap small cars.

2006 BMW 530d
© Photo: Sergey Krestov, 5 Koleso

Driving
They clearly overdid it with the steering wheel — only 1.8 turns from lock to lock! You'll have to get used to it.

Interior
It's nice that the Munich folks finally remembered about the second-row passengers.

Comfort
The rear air suspension doesn't save you from kicks on transverse bumps.

Safety
The pre-facelift "Five" has four stars in Euro NCAP for both adult and child protection.

Price
When you're sitting in the cabin, the price no longer seems sky-high.

Technical specifications of BMW 530d Dimensions 4841/1846/1468 mm Engine diesel, 2993 cc, 235 hp/4000 rpm Transmission automatic, 6-speed gearbox Dynamics max 248 km/h; 6.9 s to 100 km/h Competitors Audi A6, Mercedes-Benz E-class

Advantages and disadvantages
+ Economical consumption, powerful engine, spacious interior, excellent handling.
- Noisy diesel at idle, stiff rear suspension.

Our opinion

BMW's high engine technologies do their job: our consumer is beginning to perceive diesel engines normally. If auto loans in the country were issued for ten years, sales of Munich cars would wipe the floor with competitors.

September 12, 2007