TurboLlew
Honorary ///Member
Thought I would capture some of my thoughts on the 520d here:
Having attended the launch of the G30 5 series at Kyalami a few weeks ago, I was thoroughly impressed by the 540i which I drove on the day. However, what was less impressive was the rather high price (R1.3 million) for a car in that particular trim level. This is more than an F10 M5 cost when it was launched, a sad commentary on the situation the country finds itself in.
Whilst purists still have their doubts about the era of turbocharging, the mass-exodus from BMW has not happened as many have embraced boost and the benefits at the altitude us Gauteng residents find ourselves in. I suppose there are very few inexpensive avenues left for those who insist on naturally aspirated fun. Either way, apart from my reservations behind the 540i name, the G30 lived up to the classic BMW formula of a well-sorted straight-six motor and a large frame that somehow shrinks around the driver, the engineering making it feel no more intimidating than a 1-series to drive. It does bode well for the upcoming AWD F90 M5.
But what about the entry level cars? It is easy to be blown away by a very highly specified car, hence I was very interested to try out the 520d to see what the differences really were in the real world. The JSN team gave me such an opportunity when my M5 went in for some a holiday check and some routine maintenance which would take 2 days. This gave me a chance to live with the entry level G30 with a few boxes ticked (Sunroof, M Sport, Pro Navigation) at a more ‘realistic’ price of around R850K.
The car certainly looks the part from the outside, with the aggressive active front kidneys to the rear that could be mistaken for a 4-series at first glance.
Inside and from a touch and feel perspective it felt a lot more like a conventional car than the 540 I drove at Kyalami. It had a traditional key, no fancy mood lighting and a cluster that was a cross between the full digital instrumentation from the launch car and a traditional physical cluster. Still a very nice place to sit.
The 520d is going to win no sprint or top speed records, but it is a very pleasant car to drive, particularly in comfort mode. Steering is light and although not as rewarding as BMWs of the past, still better than the equivalent vehicles from Audi and Mercedes in my view. The perfect car for someone who needs a larger, comfortable vehicle but doesn’t want an SUV perhaps? (ie my wife!) I was underwhelmed by the power delivery because although this car is built with BMW’s ‘carbon core’ technology, it is still ‘only’ 100kg lighter than the F10. This is enough of an improvement that it feels great with the higher powered motors, but not enough that the 20d power plant feels adequate. It is simply not as nimble or fleet footed as its 530/40 sisters. However whilst I didn't really love it, this is the first BMW that my wife has openly expressed a desire to own, being a Mercedes fanatic and closet M car lover... I think I've slowly brought her over LOL
Interior quality is a step up from the base F10 models, but I do feel that Nappa should be standard on cars in this price range. Having tried the new iDrive/Connected Drive system for a longer period, it has grown on me. I still prefer the simplicity of the older system but it is not as complex as I first thought it would be. There is the right balance of tactile controls and I suspect that touch functionality will seldom come into play. The M-Sport package includes sport seats and illuminated sills which add a special touch, even if they are somewhat misplaced on a car with this level of performance. I expected a much more basic cluster than the launch car, but was pleasantly surprised by the ‘hybrid’ cluster design.
Things I liked
Very comfortable
Very light on diesel. Half a tank still had the range indicating over 650km!
Exterior styling: it really looks better in the metal than pictures
Seats: Very easy to get comfortable and find a good driving positon
Excellent visibility
Things I didn’t
The base sound system is very (unacceptably) poor, particularly relative to the Harman Kardon system which was in the 540 which I mentioned in another thread is much improved over the F10! Definitely a box that you will have to tick
Steering feel being very light – unavoidable in the current era for non-M cars.
Leather quality
Seats: Manual forward/back adjustment when everything else is electrically adjustable
Car of this size really needs a rear camera or even surround view. Despite the fact that it ‘shrinks around the driver’ other aids would be useful and are boxes worth ticking.
In closing
I enjoyed my time with the 520d and having understood the differences, have a very clear view of what is needed to turn the G30 into a great car. The prices are hard to swallow and I am not sure the market will sustain them for much longer once the band-aids of GFV and residual deals can’t even save you from R15000+ installments. For this money, you need to be getting a very special car and the 520d with a couple of options is simply not it… however, for a little bit more you can get a 530d which is probably the sweet spot as a daily for the fuel conscious. We are still debating the merits of spending close to R1M on a piece of machinery that doesn’t carry an M or AMG badge, particularly when demo M3s and lightly used M5s are roughly the same price as the 530d. However, when considering a brand new car of this size and with the right boxes ticked it makes a good case for itself!
Thanks to JSN (Mickal, Shaun, Ronald) the extended time with the car and also for the incredibly quick turnaround on questions, finance projections and finding a car with the options I liked after the feedback.
Having attended the launch of the G30 5 series at Kyalami a few weeks ago, I was thoroughly impressed by the 540i which I drove on the day. However, what was less impressive was the rather high price (R1.3 million) for a car in that particular trim level. This is more than an F10 M5 cost when it was launched, a sad commentary on the situation the country finds itself in.
Whilst purists still have their doubts about the era of turbocharging, the mass-exodus from BMW has not happened as many have embraced boost and the benefits at the altitude us Gauteng residents find ourselves in. I suppose there are very few inexpensive avenues left for those who insist on naturally aspirated fun. Either way, apart from my reservations behind the 540i name, the G30 lived up to the classic BMW formula of a well-sorted straight-six motor and a large frame that somehow shrinks around the driver, the engineering making it feel no more intimidating than a 1-series to drive. It does bode well for the upcoming AWD F90 M5.
But what about the entry level cars? It is easy to be blown away by a very highly specified car, hence I was very interested to try out the 520d to see what the differences really were in the real world. The JSN team gave me such an opportunity when my M5 went in for some a holiday check and some routine maintenance which would take 2 days. This gave me a chance to live with the entry level G30 with a few boxes ticked (Sunroof, M Sport, Pro Navigation) at a more ‘realistic’ price of around R850K.
The car certainly looks the part from the outside, with the aggressive active front kidneys to the rear that could be mistaken for a 4-series at first glance.
Inside and from a touch and feel perspective it felt a lot more like a conventional car than the 540 I drove at Kyalami. It had a traditional key, no fancy mood lighting and a cluster that was a cross between the full digital instrumentation from the launch car and a traditional physical cluster. Still a very nice place to sit.
The 520d is going to win no sprint or top speed records, but it is a very pleasant car to drive, particularly in comfort mode. Steering is light and although not as rewarding as BMWs of the past, still better than the equivalent vehicles from Audi and Mercedes in my view. The perfect car for someone who needs a larger, comfortable vehicle but doesn’t want an SUV perhaps? (ie my wife!) I was underwhelmed by the power delivery because although this car is built with BMW’s ‘carbon core’ technology, it is still ‘only’ 100kg lighter than the F10. This is enough of an improvement that it feels great with the higher powered motors, but not enough that the 20d power plant feels adequate. It is simply not as nimble or fleet footed as its 530/40 sisters. However whilst I didn't really love it, this is the first BMW that my wife has openly expressed a desire to own, being a Mercedes fanatic and closet M car lover... I think I've slowly brought her over LOL
Interior quality is a step up from the base F10 models, but I do feel that Nappa should be standard on cars in this price range. Having tried the new iDrive/Connected Drive system for a longer period, it has grown on me. I still prefer the simplicity of the older system but it is not as complex as I first thought it would be. There is the right balance of tactile controls and I suspect that touch functionality will seldom come into play. The M-Sport package includes sport seats and illuminated sills which add a special touch, even if they are somewhat misplaced on a car with this level of performance. I expected a much more basic cluster than the launch car, but was pleasantly surprised by the ‘hybrid’ cluster design.
Things I liked
Very comfortable
Very light on diesel. Half a tank still had the range indicating over 650km!
Exterior styling: it really looks better in the metal than pictures
Seats: Very easy to get comfortable and find a good driving positon
Excellent visibility
Things I didn’t
The base sound system is very (unacceptably) poor, particularly relative to the Harman Kardon system which was in the 540 which I mentioned in another thread is much improved over the F10! Definitely a box that you will have to tick
Steering feel being very light – unavoidable in the current era for non-M cars.
Leather quality
Seats: Manual forward/back adjustment when everything else is electrically adjustable
Car of this size really needs a rear camera or even surround view. Despite the fact that it ‘shrinks around the driver’ other aids would be useful and are boxes worth ticking.
In closing
I enjoyed my time with the 520d and having understood the differences, have a very clear view of what is needed to turn the G30 into a great car. The prices are hard to swallow and I am not sure the market will sustain them for much longer once the band-aids of GFV and residual deals can’t even save you from R15000+ installments. For this money, you need to be getting a very special car and the 520d with a couple of options is simply not it… however, for a little bit more you can get a 530d which is probably the sweet spot as a daily for the fuel conscious. We are still debating the merits of spending close to R1M on a piece of machinery that doesn’t carry an M or AMG badge, particularly when demo M3s and lightly used M5s are roughly the same price as the 530d. However, when considering a brand new car of this size and with the right boxes ticked it makes a good case for itself!
Thanks to JSN (Mickal, Shaun, Ronald) the extended time with the car and also for the incredibly quick turnaround on questions, finance projections and finding a car with the options I liked after the feedback.
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