Test drive BMW 5 series E60 2003 - 2007 sedan

Presumption of innocence

Do not believe the conversations. New five BMW Great Car!
  
Conductor, click on the brakes
Hold the thief! Perhaps it is these words that most accurately reflect the turmoil around the new BMW of the 5th series. It was worth the first official pictures of the sedan with the factory index E60 to get into the seal, as a real hysteria rose. Our beloved five is taken away from us! Specialists, journalists and just lovers voted in every way. All went to the nuts. And the leadership of the BMW, who allowed the new chief designer Chris Bangl to retreat from the canons consecrated by three decades, and the ECA technologists, decided in a serial machine to use an aluminum-steel body, and even future customers accused of blind worship of fashion. In general, they agreed that the new five was unlikely to wait for the enviable fate of the predecessor, for eight years of his life so that he did not give the title of sports class in the business class.
 
All this bacchanalia refreshed in memory the statement of the famous French designer Olivier Bula. Journalists, he used to say, is much more conservative than buyers! Moreover, I will add from myself, they are also terribly inconsistent.
  
Who are you laughing at?
Remember the reaction of the public and the press to the presentation of the five previous generation? Then, in 1995, the journalists were unanimous of the magnificent in characteristics of the car, but appearance! FI was really impossible to come up with something new, fresh?
 
It is just right to sympathize with Bangla and his design group. The guys tried, searched for new lines, experimented with proportions. And now they are accused of sacrilege as if they were raised not to the car at all, but somewhere even to the Milo Venus. Really don't like it?
 
For example, I am already so ready to get out of the underground circle of bullying of Mr. Banlla’s work, to whom I had to admit before. He looked at the top five from afar. He came closer. Carefully walked around the sedan, wrapped in a shawl of dark blue enamel. Finally, I decided on the conclusions. The new BMW business class looks: a) solid; b) powerful; c) Truly in Bavarian. Beautiful or not? The question is rhetorical. But here's what I will report to you. For two days of communication with the new 5th series, I am just tired of the total attention of everyone and everything. The raised large fingers of oncoming drivers, almost from the windows crawling trolleybuses, snob-tolestopus on the S-class, which was attached to the right, then to the left, then in front found, you know, a circular panorama! And who waves this with a striped stick? Really we?!
 
Hello, Comrade Captain, have we broken something?
 
No, your car is very interesting
 
 
In a word, the new 5th series is an ideal car for a person who loves to be in the spotlight. Delight, surprise and even shock all this was. But you know what I did not notice? Special aversion to new, revolutionary forms. In short, you can sleep calmly, Mr. Bangle, talking about a ruined icon, to put it mildly, are very exaggerated.
  
Ay-yai-yai ay-dere?
But if all the claims of an excited public were reduced only to appearance, it would not be interesting. Yes, around the Ai-Drive alone, battles burned hotter than for taking a spike. Rumors that the unified management of most service functions on the top five will be just an option were not confirmed. And the conservatives were again slaughtered
 
But believe the person who, in the sedan of the 7th series from his own helplessness, was ready to throw out the ill-fated joystick out the window on the five is much more convenient. Firstly, and, perhaps, in the main ones, a menu key appeared next to the round-trialist. Lost in an electronic maze? Click on it, and immediately find yourself in the main menu. Already not bad. We go further: the rose of the winds herself and the Rose of the Wind. The cardinal points are now twice the smallest of only four. The North is communication (phone, navigation), south of entertainment (music, TV), West of the climate control, the east of the on-board computer. Individual car settings and service information are available if you click on the button while in the main menu.
 
 
   
If it weren’t for the AI-Drive, how much, interesting, would the buttons be needed to distribute the intensity of the heating of the seats between the back and the pillow?
   


In addition, on the front panel there was a place for the simplest music control buttons volume, back and forth, and most importantly, full-fledged climate. Of course, you will have to learn how the most human person bequeathed, but in general, the ay-drama on the top five is much more convenient than on the seven. And certainly preferable to the unnecessary pile of buttons in the new E-class. Although there is one delicate but. But what if your garage already has a sedan of the 7th series? Crossing from one car to another, you are guaranteed to get confused. Already really rich are also crying.
 
Old, kind
Otherwise, the sewage salon is more traditional than futuristic. Decent dressing leather, wood and metal plastic, floor gas pedal, magnificent seats with an incredible amount of adjustments, medium, by the standards of business class, two sofa is convenient, three so-so. Everything is familiar, nothing new. Well, the trunk grew up, catching up with a volume of 520 L Mercedes-Benz E-Class. I also have a revolution!
 
And most importantly, there is no news under the hood. The old but well -known six with a volume of three liters and a capacity of 231 liters. with. Eh, I'll ride! I conquer the engine for this on the top five, unlike the 7th series, there is still a ignition key, I move the 6-speed machine selector to the D. Let's go!
 
I remember the dynamics of the new BMW, there were questions. They appeared with me. Somewhere up to three thousand (or rather, up to 27002800 rpm), the car seems to be in the clouds and only then, having caught on, is taken up to business. And even then, acceleration is not so frightening that I want to remove my leg from the accelerator. Yes, cheerfully, yes, fun, yes, faster than the stream at times, but the earth does not go from under the feet! Again problems in a tested tent? After all, the previous 530s did not differ anything like that.
 
The reason is banal to resentment ecology, if it is not the way. To meet the most stringent norms for the exhaust of the Euro IV, the Germans had to strangle the motor not only with catalysts and a inlet, but also a longer box. At a smooth set of revolutions, less muck is thrown into the atmosphere, but the dynamics, of course, suffers. For all that, the Germans say that the new five is faster than the previous one during acceleration to hundreds for two tenths of a second. Lukovy? It looks like that. At least, on the dynamometric straight Dmitrov auto policy, the new five reached a hundred half seconds slower than the old one. However, the E60 is recouped primarily due to a 6-speed automatic transmission with a higher maximum wiper and better dynamics on the second hundred acceleration. Will we write a draw? Perhaps. And we attach another corporate Bavarian dish.
 
 
 
No matter how spacious the sofa seemed to be comfortable there only two

 
Heating the sofa individually turns on for each passenger-space
 

 
Electric drive with memory of the mandatory equipment of the 530th model

 
You will laugh, but the soft pillows of the head restraints that migrated from the sedan of the 7th series, the only adjustable part of the seat, dispensed with an electric drive
 
 
Again and well
We will praise not so much for managing, still, to realize the nuances of the behavior of a powerful rear-wheel drive car in the turns, only a very experienced driver can, and there are hardly the majority of such a new BMW. And do not believe it, try turning off the required track control system and stabilize the course stability on all five. If you do not fly into a lamppost in a lamp column in the cheese coating, then they cry for you in Williams-BMW. No, we will praise for stability on the trajectory. In this discipline, BMW really has very few rivals. A hard suspension, which destroys the rolls in the root, almost perfect 52 on 48 weightlifts, wide tires with an almost bicycle profile height 275/35 R18, what! And in turns, you want to press stronger and stronger. And if even a little overdo it, smart electronics will carefully pull the leash. You will not even feel that your actions have corrected.
 
And how the five swallows the irregularities of the road at high speeds! And it is obvious that the rough, with wormholes, prophesies and cracks, the asphalt is far from the title of autobahn, but no, the clever suspension smoothes all this rubbish without any tension, does not jump on irregularities, the steering wheel does not shudder from vibration, and 200 km/h on Are the speedometer perceived as a misunderstanding is really so fast?!
 
Say thanks for all these benefits you need a system for a drift system, which first appeared on the seven. In fact, these are active stabilizers of the anti -resistance stability, which help to eliminate vertical accelerations. By the way, it is thanks to them that the smoothness of the course is fully consistent with the true meaning of these words. Given the profile of rubber (you have not forgotten 275/35 R18!), The five is a completely comfortable car. Well, it shakes, of course, on the wells, and when the thermal ships pass on the bridges, a slight trembling passes through the body, but be a god, on such and such rubber, what did you want?
 
 
Device readings are well read, but dials look rustic

 
Verkhul switches work in a good way


By the way, 18-inch wheels for the five have an RSC icon on the sidewall. Yes, the same tire on which you can go even without air. The thing, of course, is useful, but listen to good advice. Personally, when ordering the five, I would limit myself to standard 16-inch wheels and the smoothness of the course will increase, and handling will hardly noticeably deteriorate. And yet, purely mercantile considerations of a miracle resin are more than twice as much as usual, and its installation is still being engaged only in BMW branded services. Technology, you need to understand!
  
This is marvelous, so wondrous!
In addition, active cruise control is provided for those who want to show off in the new five. Cool thing, honestly. It is distinguished by the ability to notice the obstacles in front of the ordinary system (read: passing) and slow down if they, in turn, begin to stop. The design works quite tolerably, catching even sharply rebuilt cars. There is only an opinion that, having played with a radar for half an hour, you will get tiredly and forget about it forever. There is no need to talk about the practical application of active cruise control under our roads and Russian driving culture. But as an outlandish toy, why not? But the five can still be ordered with a truly revolutionary steering system. It's even more interesting! The funny thing is that the existence of Ektiv Sting is not so easy to guess.
 
I calmly rang out from the parking lot, added speed, joined the stream and, only going around the highly sticking sewer hatch, suddenly understood everything. Father-lights, how sharply! Where were my eyes and other feelings? Indeed, for all the previous minutes of the trip, I never had to cross my hands tightly holding a leather bagel tightly without fifteen -three. In the course of the case, changing the gear ratio of the rail using an electric motor, the Germans really created a cool steering wheel in place of only 1.7 circulation from and to, in driving modes up to three.
 
 
In the new stepbronics, the polarity of the switching in manual mode has changed from themselves, which increase themselves

 
Do not trust the parkingate, feel free to turn off, but we do not recommend touching the DSC button

 

Card management effect? Yes, somewhere close. Although at high speeds the five, perhaps, rushes too zealously to execute the orders of the driver. With an habit, such a shuffling scares a little, but then you get a taste, and the sharpness of the steering wheel begins to like.
    
In the spring is cheaper!
So far, the new 5th series is sold in Russia with only two engines (2.2 liters and 3.0 l) and in three fixed trim levels. And if 45,900 euros per 520i sedan in the configuration seem quite acceptable for a new prestigious car, then the prices of the 530th drive in a longing for the speaker version will cost 69,900, a luxury of 71,900 euros. These two options (the difference between them in slightly more sophisticated music and adaptive headlights) are equipped in full. This also includes all the fashionable BMW toys, such as active cruise control, stabilizers of the Drive speaker, active steering, not afraid of tire punctures.
 
Unfortunately, it is not yet possible to order 530 in the configuration in a configuration. However, with the start of the production of the new five in Kaliningrad, the assembly, apparently, starts in the spring of 2004, the configurations should be added. In addition, the Kaliningrad five will be definitely cheaper than German. Presumably at 1520%.

You can’t have a pardon to execute!
When there would be enough space, it was possible to sing praises of brakes, impeccable, like a Damascus blade, or praise a magnificent parking-player, thanks to a visual-sound indication, which allows you to literally park by ear, or to mark climate control with a heat accumulator so relevant in Russia. But is it worth it? It seems that it is already clear that the new five was a success. Controversial appearance? So where are you now finding handsome people without flaw?
 
In Hollywood, if you are lucky. A little sluggish to 3000 rpm acceleration? Ecology must be honored. And especially torn off I propose to wait for the appearance of a five with a 4.4-liter 8-cylinder engine. It doesn't seem enough here. I don't like Ai-Drive? Well, you know, everything happens at once only on TV. I personally are now sure that critics say there, no matter how evil the competitors hissed, the new five will definitely go. As an expensive sedan for a driver who, in the eyes of others, wants to look like a slumber in half with James Bond, the new five, like her predecessor, has no equal.
 
BEHIND
 
The image of a car that does not require clarification, attracting attention to the appearance, excellent stability on the trajectory, reliability in maximum modes with a working track control system and course stability, innovative system Ektiv, excellent brakes
AGAINST
Motor thoughtfulness up to 2800 rpm, high price, limited configurations
 
BMW 530I
 
general information
 
Body (number of places/doors)
Sedan-nonsense (5/4)
 
Equipped mass, kg
1570
 
Complete mass, kg
2190
 
Length x width x height, mm
4841x1846x1468
 
Base, mm
2888
 
Front/back, mm track
1558/1582
 
Radius of turning, m
5.7
 
Trunk volume, l
520
 
Speed, km/h
245
 
Acceleration time 0-100 km/h, with
7.1
 
Fuel consumption, l/100 km
14.2/7.5
 
Fuel supply, l
70 (AI-91/98)
 
 
Engine
 
Location
Front transversely
 
Design
6-cylinder, in row
 
Diam. cylinder/piston stroke, mm
89.6/84
 
Working volume, SMZ
2979
 
Power, L.S. (kW) at rpm
231/5900
 
Torque, kgsm (nm) at rpm
30.6 (170)/3500
 
 
Chassis
 
Drive unit
On the rear wheels
 
Transmission
6-speed, automatic
 
Suspension:
 
independent, spring, with stabilizers
 
front
 
type McEzerson
 
behind
 
mollycent
 
Steering
 
rack type with amplifier
 
 
Brakes
 
disk, ventilated
 
 
Tires
 
245/45 R18/275/35 R18
 
Mikhail Medvedev, photo of Maxim Goncharov
 
 

Source: Magazine "Limousine" [10/03]