... (For the second time this year!) My old car was a BMW 525TDS which I'd run for about 3 years (and about 90,000 miles) practically trouble free, so my first choice of vehicle when looking about for a change of car was another diesel BMW.
Unfortunately I was waylaid and seduced into purchasing ... Read review
BMW approved BMW 5 Series Diesel Saloon 530D Sport 4dr Auto automatic in Titanium ... more
Silver.The car has covered 72,398 miles and has a manufacturer recommended combined MPG of 34.00.Additional Info: Insurance Group 16. Emission Count 221g/Km, What Green C...
Autoecosse approved BMW 5 Series Diesel Saloon 530D SE 4dr Auto automatic in ... more
Unspecified.The car has covered 91,000 miles and has a manufacturer recommended combined MPG of 36.20.Additional Info: Insurance Group 17. Emission Count 208g/Km, What Green C...
BMW approved BMW 5 Series Diesel Saloon 530D SE 4dr Auto automatic in Mystic Blue.The car ... more
has covered 68,500 miles and has a manufacturer recommended combined MPG of 36.20.Additional Info: Insurance Group 17. Emission Count 208g/Km, What Green Car Rati...
BMW approved BMW 5 Series Diesel Saloon 530D SE 4dr Auto automatic in Silver Grey.The car ... more
has covered 57,825 miles and has a manufacturer recommended combined MPG of 36.20.Additional Info: Insurance Group 17. Emission Count 208g/Km, What Green Car Rati...
BMW approved BMW 5 Series Diesel Saloon 530D SE 4dr Auto automatic in Black Sapphire.The ... more
car has covered 37,102 miles and has a manufacturer recommended combined MPG of 36.20.Additional Info: Insurance Group 17. Emission Count 208g/Km, What Green Car R...
BMW approved BMW 5 Series Diesel Saloon 530D SE 4dr Auto automatic in Silver Grey.The car ... more
has covered 58,581 miles and has a manufacturer recommended combined MPG of 36.20.Additional Info: Insurance Group 17. Emission Count 208g/Km, What Green Car Rati...
Marshall Citroen approved BMW 5 Series Diesel Saloon 530D SE (231) 4dr manual in ... more
Unspecified.The car has covered 66,990 miles and has a manufacturer recommended combined MPG of 42.20.Additional Info: Insurance Group 17. Emission Count 179g/Km, What Gre...
Dees Croydon approved BMW 5 Series Diesel Saloon 530D M Sport Business Edition 4dr manual ... more
in AVALON.The car has covered 7 miles and has a manufacturer recommended combined MPG of 44.10.Additional Info: Insurance Group 18. Emission Count 170g/Km, What G...
Grange Jaguar Brentwood approved BMW 5 Series Diesel Saloon 530D Sport 4dr Auto automatic ... more
in Black.The car has covered 49,950 miles and has a manufacturer recommended combined MPG of 36.20.Additional Info: Insurance Group 18. Emission Count 208g/Km, Wh...
BMW approved BMW 5 Series Diesel Saloon 530D M Sport 4dr manual in Silver Grey.The car has ... more
covered 59,685 miles and has a manufacturer recommended combined MPG of 42.20.Additional Info: Insurance Group 18. Emission Count 179g/Km, What Green Car Rating ...
BMW 3 Series - Saloon - Rear (RWD) - 6 Speed Manual, 6 Speed Automatic - 1995 cc - Max Speed: 137 mph - 150, 170 bhp - Petrol - Available Trims: ES, SE, Sport, M Sport
BMW 5 Series - Saloon - Rear (RWD) - 6 Speed Automatic, 6 Speed Manual - 1995 cc - Max Speed: 144 mph - 177 bhp - Diesel - Available Trims: M Sport, SE
BMW 3 Series - Saloon - Rear (RWD) - 6 Speed Manual, 6 Speed Automatic - 1995 cc - Max Speed: 140, 143 mph - 163, 177 bhp - Diesel - Available Trims: ES, SE, Sport, M Sport
BMW 3 Series - Saloon - Rear (RWD) - 6 Speed Manual, 6 Speed Automatic - 1995 cc - Max Speed: 130 mph - 143 bhp - Petrol - Available Trims: M Sport, Sport, SE, ES
Advantages: A fantastic high performance vehicle for silly money (Second hand) Disadvantages: Not a lot! Well, maybe the boot space.
...My old car was a BMW 525TDS which I'd run for about 3 years (and about 90,000 miles) practically trouble free, so my first choice of vehicle when looking about for a change of car was another diesel BMW.
Unfortunately I was waylaid and seduced into purchasing a Nissan Maxima QX 2-Litre Auto back in June (2008). This big Nissan was/is a marvellous car (review to follow) but after the frugality of the BMW 525TDS I simply found that a ... ...was after an older model BMW 530D SE (E39 model) which many of my taxi driving buddies had already purchased and who gave the car glowing recommendations on all fronts especially economy, comfort and performance. After a few false starts I eventually found a 1999 model in a local garage with a mere 109,000 miles on the clock (this is nothing on a large diesel engine) and a full BMW service history. The service history is very important when buying ... more
I recently changed my taxi. (For the second time this year!) My old car was a BMW 525TDS which I'd run for about 3 years (and about 90,000 miles) practically trouble free, so my first choice of vehicle when looking about for a change of car was another diesel BMW.
Unfortunately I was waylaid and seduced into purchasing a Nissan Maxima QX 2-Litre Auto back in June (2008). This big Nissan was/is a marvellous car (review to follow) but after the frugality of the BMW 525TDS I simply found that a overall miles per gallon figure of between 18mpg and 19mpg was simply unliveable for someone who drives such a huge annual mileage as I do, so after a couple of months I decided that much as I loved the car it simply had to go.
I'd already decided on my next car. I was after an older model BMW 530D SE (E39 model) which many of my taxi driving buddies had already purchased and who gave the car glowing recommendations on all fronts especially economy, comfort and performance. After a few false starts I eventually found a 1999 model in a local garage with a mere 109,000 miles on the clock (this is nothing on a large diesel engine) and a full BMW service history. The service history is very important when buying a car as not only does it verify the mileage, it also shows it has been looked after properly and is thus less likely to develop serious (or even terminal) faults shortly after you drive it off the garage forecourt.
After a bit of haggling about the price (I am a Scotsman!) and the offer of a 3 month parts and labour warranty the deal was struck for a mere €7100! This was a whopping Euro850 less than the original ticket price of €7950, but it's a buyer's market at present with the current recession hitting used car sales very hard.
So why a BMW 530D and not one of the many other fine "oil burners" that are now becoming so popular on the roads of the UK and Ireland? (Diesel cars have been popular in the rest of Europe for the last 15 years or so!) Two main reasons. The first was that I was already very familiar with BMW diesels and the second was the strong recommendations from my taxi driving colleagues. A wee tip here; if you really want to know about how good (or bad) a car is then take the time to make a trip down to one of your local taxi ranks and ask the drivers their opinion. You could save yourself from making a very costly mistake.
So what do I think of the car thus far, (I've had it about three months now) and what are its strong and weak points? Its strong points are legendary. The 530D has been described in various motoring circles as the finest diesel car in the world, and I'd be very hard pushed to argue with that assessment. First of is the absolutely scintillating performance. And when I say scintillating that's exactly what I mean. This car is so quick it will scare the living daylights out of an inexperienced driver (and even some passengers!) with a 0 to 62 miles per hour time of only 7.1 seconds. Add to that an incredible top speed of 152mph, so much torque (pulling power) through the gears that you pass other vehicles as though they were standing still, and road holding that would put a limpet to shame and you have a car that is sure to both delight and excite you. It was my wife (who simply loves speed) who came up with the title of this review for me. I had her out in the car for the first time and was putting it through its paces on a quiet section of dual carriageway. After catching her breath she comes out with the statement, "It's just as well it doesn't drink Red Bull or we'd be taking off!" (Red Bull gives you wings. Heh, heh)
There's another *HUGE* plus factor in regard to the performance. With most cars the faster and harder you drive and work the engine the more fuel it will drink. This doesn't appear to happen with the large BMW diesel engine. No matter how hard you are with your right foot the car still achieves an overall miles per gallon figure of over 40mpg. I've verified this over the last month using the on-board computer facility that gives you digital read outs on the dash of nearly everything you'd ever want to know. For a car that is so fast and with such mind boggling performance this is simply incredible! In fact, I'm now getting about 10mpg more than I managed with my old BMW 525TDS. (2.5 litre diesel engine)
The automatic gearbox is a delight. Gear changes are seamless, and there's absolutely no lag in the powerful turbo when you use the kick down to accelerate quickly. For those who enjoy a manual box BMW have incorporated a "steptronic" feature. Simply move the gear lever over to the "S" position and you can drive the car as fast as you like through the gears by selecting the "+" or "-". Plus moves you up a gear and minus down a gear with the added security that the gearbox won't allow you to "red line" the car (and thus risk damaging the engine) but will automatically change up a gear if it feels you are driving just a tad too enthusiastically.
The suspension is just right; not firm enough to jolt you but not soft enough to cause body roll in the car when you are pressing on through a corner. Add features like anti lock braking (ABS) and traction control (to avoid you skidding) and you have a car that is very difficult to drive badly and very unlikely to allow you to get yourself into any sticky situations from a safety point of view. Talking about safety; this BMW has so many airbags (driver, passengers, side, etc) that it would resemble a balloon factory if they were all to go off together. This is reassuring, but obviously it's a feature of the car you hope never to put to the test. A nice set of alloy wheels with a set of quality tyres ensure that the car handles like a dream. (Another wee tip; always use the best quality tyres you can possibly afford on a performance vehicle)
Comfort levels are high as you would expect in a car that has been the market leader in the "executive" market for as long as you'd care to remember. The driver's seat is infinitely adjustable to ensure that anyone can find a comfortable driving position, and the steering wheel also adjusts for height. So no getting out after a long journey with a back pain that requires almost immediate medical attention! I have a little crib here though. For such a big car I feel that the legroom for the rear seat passengers could be little better, and with three fully grown adults occupying the rear seat it's a wee bit of a squash. (Although liveable) My car comes equipped with very attractive (and hopefully long wearing) black fabric seating, although in an ideal world I would have bought a model with black leather upholstery. At least the ice cold and very effective air-conditioning/climate control system ensures that both driver and passengers travel at a constantly ambient temperature, as does the very effective heating system during the winter months. (Separate controls for the rear seat passengers by the way)
At this point you've probably twigged that I absolutely adore this car. So is there anything else I don't like about it. Hmmm....If pressed I'd have to say that the boot space leaves something to be desired. It's pretty deep, so if I'm picking up passengers with lots of suitcases (as I often do at the airport) then you can get four or five bags in with relative ease. But it is also fairly narrow, with the wheel arches (and 6-disc CD changer) infringing into the boot space. This means that when I'm off playing golf (which I am fairly often) I can only comfortably fit in my own set of golf clubs and electric trolley. My companion's golf bag has to go across the rear seats! With my old Nissan Maxima you could easily get three or four sets of clubs into the boot.
Another minus factor would be the servicing costs, especially if you are foolhardy enough to use a BMW main dealer. Garages these days seem to make most of their profit out of after sales service, so my advice here is to find a good back street mechanic who knows their stuff. Also use either second hand or "spurious" parts (eBay is great for BMW parts and accessories)whenever possible to keep down the cost as a BMW garage will ensure you need to take out a second mortgage to purchase even the simplest of replacement parts!
Overall the BMW 530D SE comes with my highest possible recommendation. It certainly lends credence to BMW's motto of it being the "ultimate driving machine" and nowadays it's possible to get a reasonably priced used version in good condition for less money than you'd pay for a bog standard family saloon.
**********
Model BMW 530d SE Engine type Six-cylinder, 2993cc diesel Power 218bhp @ 4000rpm Torque 368 lb ft @ 2000rpm Transmission Six-speed manual, five-speed auto, rear-wheel drive Suspension (front) spring strut axle with double-joint thrust rod (rear) aluminium multilink Fuel 40.9mpg (combined) Acceleration 0 to 62mph: 7.1sec Top speed 152mph Price from £30,950 (New)
Statistics courtesy of the excellent "Top Gear" website
Advantages: Road Manners, Comfort, Its a BMW, Fuel Economy Disadvantages: Can be hairy in the wet, poor stereo
The BMW 5 Series was first launched in 1972 and the first model was known as the E12. The vehicle is a medium executive and nowadays competes with cars like the Audi A6 and Mercedes E Class. Quality and reliability on the very early cars was patchy to say the least and they did have a tendency to rust. It wasn't until the launch of the E34 in 1987 that the BMW started to get such high acclaim. The car was initially available in just the four -box ... ...this review concerns is the BMW E39 530D that was launched in 1998 as a replacement for the rather lethargic 525tds.
The car was purchased in Aug 2004 for 12000 pounds. It was first registered on a V plate.
ROAD MANNERS
This is arguably the cars strongest suit although it is very difficult to quantify. The silky smooth six cylinder engine is incredibly quiet despite being a diesel although you can detect the rattle of the diesel bursting into ...
olijt08 24.04.2008
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of BMW 530d
Advantages: BMW Badge, Subtle but mean looks, Quiet for a Diesel, Economy Disadvantages: BMW Drivers, V Poor Hifi considering price,
...little consequence.
The move to BMW was to fulfil a childhood desire to own one of the best automotive marques available. I now have a 2002 BMW 530d M-Sport, Manual, Black, Leather, Sat Nav.
The drive is very good. Smooth power delivery and remarkably quiet engine for a diesel. Economy is very good considering the 200BHP the engine produces. On a motorway run, i get between 37 - 41 MPG. If your right foot is heavier tho, expect nearer 30. The exterior ... ...perfectly spacious. The BMW audio is appaling considering the price of the car - if possible go for the Harmon Kardon HiFi upgarde which sounds fantastic.
The SatNav / TV option is functional and clear with the latest CD versions offering Postcode search - which pre 2004 they didnt. Servicing costs are a little high - but not much more than other German Brands. However, due to the internally calculated service schedule, if you drive the car carefully, ...
skymouse 12.11.2005
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of BMW 530d
Advantages: Great all-rounder Disadvantages: fairly large car..... fairly large price
...for the car). BMW customer service as far as I can see is excellent, although with the reliability of the car I doubt you should have to visit a garage much.
(Like all newer BMW's, the 5 Series has a set of warning lights on the dash that alert you of when a service is due, very helpful!) Servicing the car costs between £200-£300. This is not cheap, but when put in perspective of the quality of the car and the technology involved, it ends up being ... ...There are lots of BMW dealerships around for servicing needs. See www.bmw.co.uk and follow the 'Locate your BMW dealer' link to find your nearest dealer.
All in all the 530d is a great package, and all though not cheap, you get a lot of car for your money.
Visit www.bmw.co.uk for price lists, or to order a brochure. ...
lostprophet 08.04.2003 (20.04.2003)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of BMW 530d
Advantages: Awesome engine, refined, smooth, understated. A winner Disadvantages: Space in the back is a bit tight for such a big car
Having recently purchased an ex-demo 530D late-2003... one of the last of the line before the new version came out (love it or hate it the new shape is certainly eye-catching)… we have been absolutely bowled over by the Beemer.
Firstly the engine is simply superb... we chose the automatic box, which goes well with the car.. and it handles the straight six in a way that makes the manual gearbox superfluous in our eyes… especially as it has the Sport/Manual ... ...the power and pull of this engine often surprises us even now, several months after first sitting in the car. It pulls from nowhere, once it gets past a slight lag, and just keeps on pulling… past 125 MPH with ease for me and I understand it’ll go to 147 if the road allows. And it really doesn’t feel hard-pressed ever… just rewarding the driver with the woomf of the six cylinders doing their stuff. Easy overtaking and effortless high speed cruising.
...
dolphinlover888 15.01.2005
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of BMW 530d
Advantages: Power, luxury and ecomomy. Disadvantages: Cost, especially when you start adding options.
Having previously owned the fabulous BMW 3ltr engine in an E46 330D, i decided to upgrade to the 530D with a larger boot space. Best descision i have made for a long time. The car oozes luxury! Excellent ride, awesome power delivery through the automatic gearbox and a shape that just grows on you as time goes by.
Economy on this vehicle depends on the position of your right foot. Expect 35-38 for normal driving, 37-41 on the motorway. Not bad for ... ...with sport mode, makes seamless changes and adapts to your driving style. A joy to use.
It may appear a little sparse inside, but has everything you need is too hand. All layed out in a neat and tidy fashion. The dash layout is totally "uncluttered". The seating is very comfortable, both front and rear. Go for the electrically adjustable seats. Very easy and quiet to use. Rear seating is very roomy and comfortable, even over long journeys.
Leather ...
stebbo55 06.12.2007
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of BMW 530d
Advantages: Quality , Power , Style , Handling Disadvantages: Slightly smaller than Merc E class internally
530d Msport Touring .Quite simply Outstanding in all departments . The only possible improvement would be to make it slightly bigger to match the E class for space . BMW have regained top position for refinement , quality and value that Merc had in 90's .
Quality Merc engineering is now let down by appalling paint and corrosion issues across the range from the S class down , now just expensive rotboxes and with no worthwhile warranty either. If only the model W210/11 onwards had had the quality of the W124 in all departments and merc paint quality had been maintained across the range they would now be unassailable. But this was not to be !
This is why I find myself driving a BMW again , my first non Merc since a lovely but flawed (cooling system issues ) BMW 730 from the early90's. What do I now find ...
motorgrass 18.10.2008
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of BMW 530d
Advantages: Driver peace of mind, reasonably priced compared to main dealer warranties. Disadvantages: Only negative for me is that I have to pay for repairs and then claim it back.
A year ago I decided to purchase a warranty form Warranty direct, it cost me £420 to cover my BMW530d, my pride and joy , but with the potential for expensive repairs if it breaks down. I hoped it was the right decision,£420 isnt loose change.From September last year I was unfortunate to have a string of problems, three seperate breakdowns and each time thankfully covered by the warranty.I feared that I might have problems in claiming three times in a short time,I was pleasantly surprised , each claim was handled courteously and efficiently and without any attempt to make me feel uncomfortable, in fact the agent I spoke to assured me that it was why I purchased the warranty and that all genuine claims would be dealt with in the same way.
It is for this reason that I feel able to write this review and to now reccomend the company to ...
Advantages: Comfortable, nippy, good looking Disadvantages: Poor dealer service
isn't a World Rally Car, it handles well also. The 25 has inherited that strange Rover trait of being able to accelerate around corners with no dramas.
Having been also driving several Hyundai cars and a SEAT Ibiza (06) I realised that I never fully appreciated just how good the Rover is! The SEAT sounds rough and feels cheap compared to the little Longbridge Longboat, while the comparison with the Hyundais reveals just how far the Koreans have to come.
I regularly drive all manner of cars in connection with my work, including a whacking great S Class Mercedes and a BMW530d, but the little Rover always brings a smile to my face.
You can't buy new ones anymore, so buy the best secondhand one you can afford. Service history is a MUST. If you don't fancy tinkering yourself, find a good local independent mechanic for servicing ...
SauceDoctor 09.07.2007
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Rover 25 1.4
