BMW's 5 Series boosts the power

Design details pale in comparison to unsubtle horsepower boost

May 19, 2007

MONTEREY, CALIF.–Somewhere in the cattle scrublands of central California, I stopped in a town so small, it didn't even have a name.

The sun beat down relentlessly on my BMW 5 Series; the breeze kicked up little dust devils in the parking lot.

A cowboy was there, getting out of his battered old pickup truck at the general store. His wizened face had the colour of a saddle, and his belt buckle was the size of Texas. "Nice car," he said through a walrus moustache.

"Thanks," I said.

"Must be a brand-new one," he said. "The ones last year didn't have them headlights."

Such is the iconic nature of the German auto maker that even a cowpoke in the desert knows about it.

And the company has, of late, been moving into high gear: there's a new X3 and X5, a substantial overhaul of the 3 Series, and next year we'll even get the entry-level 1 Series.

But the reason I was driving across the desert is the company's mid-range 5 Series, which receives a freshening and new engines for 2008.

Most of the exterior changes aren't all that radical, and if you're not an aficionado, you might not even notice them: a flush-mounted grille surround, horizontal trim bar, and a contour line along the sill to make it look longer.

The lights are the most striking change, with new glass covers that give a subtle but unmistakable cast to the car's face. As well, the "corona rings" surrounding the headlights are now the daytime running lights.

The big difference is where it matters, and that's under the hood.

The V8-powered 550i and the mighty V10-equipped M5 are unchanged.

But the 525 models of 2007 morph into the 528, while the previous 530 becomes the 535. Both still use a 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder – the numbering system no longer refers to the engine size – but with an increase in power.

The 528 gains both 15 extra horses and lb.-ft. of torque, bringing the totals to 230 and 200, respectively.

The 535 makes considerable gains, picking up an extra 45 horses and – the most important number – an additional 80 lb.-ft. of torque. Both numbers now pegged at an even 300, thanks to twin turbochargers and direct injection.

These two engines are the ones that debuted earlier this year on the all-new 3 Series Coupe.

Both are very good, but it's the 535 that really strikes my fancy.

The twin turbos, each of which service three cylinders, help supply peak torque from a mere 1,400 r.p.m.

Yet the units do it with such smoothness and lack of turbo lag that if you weren't told they were there, you wouldn't realize the car has puffers.

(The 535i sedan's zero-to-96 km/h time drops to 5.7 seconds, from the 530i's 6.6 seconds.)

These two new engines come bolted to either six-speed manual or six-speed automatics, although the 535's stick shift won't be available until September. There is no extra charge for either transmission.

Both the 528 and 535 offer a choice of rear- or all-wheel drive. While company officials admit that it's a very small market, especially in the U.S., a "touring," or station wagon, model will continue to be offered.

New options and equipment include a Lane Departure Warning system that uses a camera in the windshield and some sophisticated software to determine whether you're inadvertently moving out of your lane.

Should you start to wander, the wheel vibrates a warning.

Other new features include a standard USB audio integration, which lets you play music from your iPod or other USB storage device through the stereo.

Unlike a great many auxiliary jacks that only control volume, this system integrates completely, so that the tracks can be selected through the multifunction steering wheel. If applicable, it will also charge the device.

BMW also has been playing with iDrive, that love-it-or-hate-it computer interface that handles many of the car's interior functions.

Six new programmable memory keys now appear on the centre stack, which can be used for one-touch operation of such things as radio station presets or navigation destinations.

The system's still overly complex, but the company says to expect an overhaul with the next generation.

Along with iDrive, there are a couple of other things I don't like.

The ignition system is unnecessarily complicated; if the car isn't equipped with "Comfort Access," which uses a proximity key, you must insert the key into the steering column, and then press a starter button.

My 1947 car starts similarly, because there wasn't any better technology at the time; 61 years later, we shouldn't be going backwards.

I also very much dislike the automatic's electronic shifter, which I first encountered on the X5.

Almost every other shifter on the planet is PRND, but not this one. After pressing a button on the side, you push the shifter out of Park and away from you for Reverse.

Jump in and instinctively pull the shifter down to back up – a distinct possibility in multi-vehicle households – and you'll be in Drive. I almost drove into a parked car the first time I used it, thinking I was going to back up.

The official word is that it takes up less space on the console than a conventional shifter. So what?

I had the opportunity to drive almost all of the models – the 528i, 535i, 535xi, 550i and M5 – for extended periods on both winding mountain roads and prairie-straight highways.

Very few vehicles can beat the 5 Series for sporty handling combined with luxurious comfort, especially if you want a luxury car with a manual shifter.

Handling remains the same: flat cornering, a near-perfect weight distribution, and feedback that lets you know exactly what the wheels are doing.

The brakes are equally well done, easy to modulate but with the power to bring the car down from high speed without grabbing.

Possibly the best thing to say about the seats is that you never give them another thought, even after several hours on the road. Heated seats are standard; cooled, ventilated seats may be coming.

I asked why BMW sticks with an inline six-cylinder when almost everyone else prefers a V6 configuration.

The answer is that the design was originally chosen for its inherent balance and smoothness, and it's become so identified with the brand that switching is not an option. The naturally aspirated and turbocharged versions are quiet when cruising, and rev to a throaty growl when called upon.

The automatics are equally silky under most applications, although at higher speeds on some sharp switchbacks, I found a tendency for the transmission to upshift a little too quickly.

Once back on the throttle through the curve, there was a split second when the transmission had to play catch-up.

Most drivers will never take their vehicles through such situations, but even so, the cream-smooth stick shift will be the obvious choice for those who prefer a little more control over what the gearbox is doing.

The 550i's automatic works very well, but I can't say the same for the M5, which retains its awful seven-speed sequential gearbox. Unless you're paddling it yourself in manual mode, the unit takes forever between shifts.

When I floored the throttle to pass a truck, it felt like the engine just stopped, an unnerving situation beside an 18-wheeler. You'll definitely want to go for the manual here.

This 5 Series is, in short, a very powerful and extremely nice automobile, one that's equally at home carving corners out of mountain roads or eating up highway distance for hours at a time while coddling its passengers.

It offers good interior space while maintaining a nimble feel despite its well-planted solidness.

No wonder the cowpoke paid attention.

Toronto Star