email: avoglezon@mbzlongbeach.com
Highlights from the article:
Sweet new BMW was well able to weather Isabel
Thus the radically re-made midlevel BMW — the one many experts consider the best sedan on the road — got its stormy initiation. Its foibles, faults and flaws all registered as forgivably minor — except that (insert your favorite cuss word) air conditioning. Germany literally doesn't believe in air conditioning, yet presumes to improve it. Leave in more of the humidity; good for the nasal membranes.
Probably OK in the desert Southwest. But ineffective and uncomfortable in the Northeast, even before Isabel took over.
The 530i six-cylinder models like the test-drive car went on sale Sept. 26 and will be about half the total 5-series sales. The tester had a six-speed manual transmission.
The 2004 5-series pulls back from the extremes of styling and technology that mark the flagship 7-series, introduced in January 2002. The 5 seems to benefit from that moderation and a few inches more size. At the same time, it introduces irritants of its own.
Impressions from the long drive and from a few more days in post-Isabel suburban duty:
• Styling. The look is much more appealing on the 5 than on the 7, especially in darker colors. The 5 eschews the rump hump that's so hurtful to the 7's aesthetics.
(Auto Spies favorite line in the review and we wholeheartedly agree!!!) But the 5's taillight styling gives the impression that there is, in fact, a trunk hump. Great move; simulate the ugly part.
• Size. The new one (E60 in BMW-speak) is roughly 2 inches bigger in each direction than the previous (E39) 5-series sedan. Inside, it feels much bigger, especially in back.
• iDrive. That's a joystick control on the console that eliminates intuitive, simple operation of most features and functions, supposedly to avoid cluttering the dashboard with buttons and knobs. The 5's iDrive is much simpler than the 7's.
If you want the 5's iDrive control to work as the radio tuning knob, the screen gives you a picture of a horizontal radio display — 88 on the far left, 107 on the right in FM. Nice. All that technology to duplicate the look of a $10 clock radio. Let's pretend that it's a campy joke by those jolly German engineers.
• Active steering. It's a marquee feature, one that some experts think will quickly show up in other premium brands.
The idea is to keep the driver's hands within the ideal (according to BMW) 60-degree arc, regardless of the turning maneuver, avoiding the need to cross hands or shuffle them around the wheel rim in demanding turns.
Stubby, fat tires and stiff suspension that comprise the sport option package required to get active steering were a pleasant surprise. They provided serious car control without a harsh ride. And the wide tires resisted floating on rainy roads, seeming to maintain adequate contact with the asphalt. Nice work.
• How much? 525i starts at $39,995, including $695 destination charge. 530i starts at $44,995. 545i is $54,995.
• Who'll buy? Varies by model. 525i will be 50% men; 530, 70% men; 545i, 90% men. Typical age: 47. Typical household income: $150,000. Just 37% will have kids; 35% will have post-graduate degrees.
• How thirsty? 530i, most common model, is rated 20 miles per gallon in town, 30 on the highway with manual transmission, 19/28 mpg with sequential manual gearbox (SMG), 18/28 with automatic. Trip computer in 530i, manual transmission test car recorded 31.7 mpg in 400 miles split among interstates, two-lanes and suburban boulevards; 19.7 mpg in strictly suburban driving.
• Overall: A sweet-driving sedan with vexing features.
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