Test drive BMW 5 Episode E39 1995 - 2000 sedan

Unity and struggle of opposites

Car manufacturers always had a sharp question, to what extent can be neglected for the sake of sports and vice versa. After all, sports is not only a powerful engine of the firing body contours. It is also a hard short -flowing suspension, it is the sound of a motor, a pleasant boured genuine connoisseur. And there are many more details that do not quite fit into the concept of comfort. Compromising is expected. And only elegant technical solutions can narrow the abyss between sports Ikomfort.

 
If you do not take such expensive manufacturers as Aston Martin, the most successful solutions have always been Umercedes and BMW. Moreover, these companies are as if on different sides of the abyss, but, as they say, at the very contrary. If the Mercedes has always been characterized by the desire for comfort, then BMW has in the first place - with pleasure at the wheel, and not in the back seat.
 

In the summer of 1996, BMW pleased its fans with new modifications of the 5th series - models535i and 540i. The second of them will be discussed.
 

In appearance, the 540th differs little from its predecessor. Only the full-time 18-inch discs with red-pro-profile rubber give out its sports. The salon is the same, only the symbolism has changed on the handle of the checkpoint of the checkpoint-the standard 540i package now includes 6-, not a 5-speed box.
 

You forget about similarity as soon as you get behind the wheel and start the engine. The sound that penetrates through a high -sound insulation indicates the power of the motor. And the first meters traveled to take away the forth - you are in a real sports car.
 

The new engine of the 540th actually has a volume of not 4 liters, as one could assume, looking at the trunk lids. The volume has increased to 4.4 liters, soon it will be time to change the nomenclature of models.
 

The power of the V-shaped eight remained the same (286 hp), but the motor seriously added to the torque (420 Nm at 3900 rpm).
 

With such a torque of the engine and a new box, the car has become even more sports. The first two programs are short, designed for a frisky start from a place. True, it was not possible to enjoy the start in full.
 

The asphalt was completely dry and clean, and on the car there was already winter tires, which, unlike the standard one, has much smaller clutch properties, and the system that prevents the wheel slipping, dumped the speed of a too briskly neglected engine. Winter rubber also influenced the controllability of the car. It was necessary to burst into turns more carefully, because the breakdown of the rear axle occurred quickly enough. But all of all has its charms. Especially if the machine runs well one steering wheel.
 

With these purely sports signs, the car remained quite comfortable. Comfortable leather chairs. A complete set of devices is non-fingered. The suspension swallows all the defects of the road surface. It may seem harsh to someone, but it is rather a merit of low-profile rubber.
 

Of course, some elements could be made more athletic. For example, the steering wheel. He could have been more. It is clear that then I would have to remove the airbag and all the buttons to control the audio system and the APS. But this steering wheel is not bad, only in freelance modes they have to do too many revolutions. Fans of chases and even more so their passengers would be useful for chairs with even greater side support. But these are the details that one like one, the others are not.
 

The main thing is that BMW almost managed to combine comfort and sports in one car, well, or by extreme, it came very close to this.

 

Savva Simonov

 
 
 

Source: Magazine Motor