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The BMW 5-Series is the ultimate executive luxury sedan which blends excellent driving pleasure with uber luxury that too in a timeless design.The 5-Series F10 model, introduced in India in 2010 updated in 2013, is now available in the 530d M-Sport variant which is a slight departure from the normal 5-Series - as explored by Indian automobile website MotorBeam.com.
The BMW 5-Series is the first choice of wheels for the person who is in the quest of a mid-size executive luxury sedan. For years countless experts have agreed that unless you take your car to the local race track everyday, the latest generation 5-Series is just as beautiful to drive as the M5 muscle car.
Thus when BMW took a 'normal' 5-Series and added a bucket-full of M5 parts to make it the 530d M-Sport, we decided to take the vehicle through its paces and see what’s it worth.
The BMW 530d is the spruced up avatar of the average 5-Series sedan with some subtle visual upgrades. The changes include new adaptive LED headlights, a re-angled BMW kidney grille, M-Sport body kit which gets sharp and sporty bumpers and a diffuser at the rear.
Other tweaks include LED fog lights, new 18-inch alloys and redesigned tail lights. The mature design simply grows on you over time due to is polish-ness and class.
Inside, the car is spattered with a number of //M badges such as on the door sill and the sporty three-spoke steering wheel. The centre console features a 10.25-inch TFT display that comes with an updated iDrive system.
It is complemented by a 600-watt Harman Kardon surround sound system, 6 DVD changer with USB and AUX connectivity. The digital instrument cluster changes its colour and information theme according to the driving mode and the air conditioning is super effective and precise.
The front seats are electrically adjustable with lumbar support and memory function. The seats are very supportive and additionally you get extended under-thigh support in the front seats.
Middle seat is equally comfortable but suffers from a lack of legroom and a huge transmission tunnel. There are two screens provided at the rear for entertainment on long drives. Features for the back include rear AC vents, wide sunroof and manual sunshades.
The BMW 530d is powered by an incredibly smooth and silent 3.0-litre straight 6 diesel engine, mated to an 8-speed Sport automatic transmission, that produces 258 BHP of maximum power at 4000 RPM and 540 Nm of peak torque between 1500-3000 RPM.
Unlike other diesel motors, the straight 6 oil burner is not marred by the initial turbo-lag and a heavy mid-range. Instead, the motor just pulls relentlessly from the word go and 540 Nm of torque kicks in early and continues for a good while and then the tremendous power handles the top range beautifully. 0-100 km/hr also takes just 5.8 seconds.
The BMW 530d offers one of the most taut chassis money can buy with the car ready to turn its nose eagerly, which is addictive to a certain extent. The suspension has a very balanced nature that provides a comfortable ride and sharp handling.
It’s the run-flat tyres which tend to transmit those harsh and sharp sections of the road. The steering system is an electronic unit but is still full of feedback and weighs up precisely at high speeds. Brakes are also brilliant with a positive pedal bite.
The BMW 5-Series protects you with a plethora of safety equipment on-board. The car is equipped with Active Protection, which pre-tensions safety belts, moves the seats to an upright position and windows are closed. Airbags, ABS, Dynamic Stability Control, Cornering Brake Control complete the full safety suite and makes the car score a full 5-star Euro NCAP rating.
The 3.0-litre diesel engine is a powerful beast while being fuel efficient at the same time. BMW has worked on fuel efficiency which has increased significantly to a claimed 14.69 km/l. The BMW 5-Series is as emotional of a driving experience as it can get with the driver feeling as the true king of the road.
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