BMW 530D First road test review

The 530D is a Six Cylinder engine with a cubic capacity of 2993cc. It produces a whopping 235PS at 4000rpm and a monstrous torque of 500Nm at just 1750rpm. This motor is capable of taking the car close to 250km/h.

Speaking on the launch of the new 5 Series variants including the entry-level 520d, the President of BMW India, Peter Kronschnabl said that he was pleased to provide new efficient engines with more power and fuel efficiency. The new variants include the latest safety features like the night vision technology introduced for the first time in India for this segment of cars.

BMW was the first manufacturer in the world to offer the night vision system when it debuted on the BMW 7 Series in October 2005. Unique to the Highline 5 Series model, the night vision technology uses a Far Infrared (FIR) thermal imaging camera to detect heat emitting objects like pedestrians or animals ahead. It allows for visibility during the night up to a distance of 300 meters (150 meters further than the range of car headlights). The image created by the heat emitted from the objects is projected onto the iDrive screen with the hotter objects being displayed more brilliantly. Based on comparative studies, BMW engineers have opted for the innovative FIR technology, since it is best for detecting people, animals and other objects at night.

The test drive, as BMW calls it, was a teaser drive from Kun Exclusive located opposite the Chennai airport to Mahaballipuram and back. The 80 odd km drive was quiet diverse with some heavy city traffic and a few open roads that allowed the Beemer to go up to 200km/h. In the heavy city traffic, the excellent power spread right from 1200rpm onwards makes rhe car easy to drive and overtake slow moving traffic. On the open roads, she comes in to her own as you can attack corners with a lot of confidence knowing very well that she is not going to step off the line. Even if you had to do heavy braking she will not loose her composure. The new diesel power plants have made this already capable car even better.