BMW 520d 2007 Review

The 5 Series just got cheaper, and not by slashing the price or equipment. BMW has opted to pinch the latest 2.0-litre turbo diesel from the 1 Series (and X3) to generate a new, entry-level model for the 5. The torrid sales battle currently being waged between BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz - not forgetting Lexus - demands fresh thinking. And at $79,900, the 520d undercuts the 523i by $5K and, for the moment, gives BMW a clear diesel-driven advantage over its rivals.

The 520d comes with the same trim and equipment as the 523i (so it's hardly poverty level) and though it's short 15kW, it has a massive 105Nm extra. At 8.6 seconds to 100km/h, it's actually 0.1sec quicker and feels even more sparkling and almost as refined, at least when cruising. A quick punt in the manual revealed a lack of grunt below 1500rpm, but that's not going to be an issue with the flowing ZF-automatic that's standard in Australia.

At 1510kg, the diesel is only 10kg heavier than the petrol six, and you'd never pick the difference in the way the 520d handles, steers or rides. If you can cope with the ugliness of the admittedly less frequent, diesel-filling experience, the more expensive 523i suddenly seems hard to justify.

OIL'S WELL
BMW, slow to appreciate that Australians would accept the diesel alternative even in the X5 and X3 SUVs, has now embraced the concept across all but its 7 Series and sports car models.

The X5 3.0d was first available in March 2003 and, with close to 70 percent of all X5s oilers, one in five BMWs sold here is a turbo diesel. Munich is moving fast to introduce diesels that produce less emissions than the EU's voluntary limit of 140g/km of CO2. In addition, brake regeneration - to become standard on the 3, 5 and 6 Series, and the X3 and X5 - is claimed to cut consumption by up to seven percent. In Germany, there is now a 635d powered by the brilliant 210kW twin-turbo 3.0-litre diesel - yet to make it to Australia - while the new 123d gets a 150kW twin-turbo four.

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