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BMW 5 Series Driving Experience in Thailand

25 May 2012|7,677 views

BMW's global perspective has been shaped by observing the progress and transformation of ideas on downsizing engines without losing its essence.

There were different groups of journalists, each being allocated to a car at the start point near the BMW Thailand’s office. Ours was car number 6 - the BMW 520i Touring. Driving through the bustling streets of Bangkok as the BMW convoy made its way to Bonanza’s Speedway was an extremely smooth experience, thanks to the traffic police who controlled the traffic.

Despite being the biggest of the lot, the 520i Touring proved to be a breeze to pilot. The energy and power bubbling through the potent new four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo powerplant infused a sense of urgency when needed without losing its sense of sportiness, which was proven at the race track. Keeping up with the pack is but mere icing on the cake.

Meanwhile, the track activities at the Bonanza Circuit demonstrated the enhanced power of the new four-pot engine, which worked in perfect harmony with the innovative chassis engineering to deliver outstanding driving agility and ride comfort. Other than our very own Touring, we also had the chance to get behind the wheels of the 520i, 525d, as well as the 528i. All of which, mind you, impressed us with their handling and enthusiastic attitude.

There were three main courses that were prepared for us - lane change, slalom and a theory course. The Touring, weighing 100kgs more than the sedan, was used for the lane change. The requirement was simple: Drive no less than 50km/h and make a lane change in what is a very tight and narrow series of cones without knocking them. The objective was to demonstrate that the estate, although heavier and bigger, wasn’t clumsier than the sedan sibling. The gigantic size of the car can be felt but when negotiating tight turns at higher speeds, the heft of the car was diminished, thanks to its excellent handling.

The slalom was an easy feat with the 528i Sedan but was slightly tougher with the 520i Sedan. Equipped with the Integral Active Steering, swerving in and out of cones in the 528i was a walk in the park. This is because when the car is travelling above 60 km/h, the front and rear wheels turn in the same direction to ensure an extremely comfortable and superior response on the road when changing lanes. When going under that speed, on the other hand, the front and rear wheels steer in opposing directions to reduce the turning circle, ensuring that every bend is taken with precision.

The 520i, however, did have some difficulty when going through the slalom course at high speeds. Understeer is inevitable without speed control but it does give drivers full control over the car without the need for ‘technologies’ to step in.

Then there is the 525d which came up tops, credit going to its 450Nm of torque on tap - a galore compared to the 520i’s 270Nm and the 528i’s 350Nm. Going round the track, we enjoyed a perfectly good combination of comfort and sportiness in the diesel. Not only did the 525d have better acceleration off the line, it has the obvious frugality on fuel and better emissions too. Talk about having your cake and eating it.

There is a strong sense of occasion and purpose in each and every 5er that its competitors can’t match and the smallest BMW 520i Sedan is no exception. To prove that this four-pot sedan was faster than its predecessor, 523i (which had two more cylinders), a drag race was organised on the track between the two. Needless to say. the downsized 5 substantiated the fact that being smaller in engine capacity simply does not mean that it’s slower. The use of lighter materials as well as having a lighter but no less powerful engine assisted the sedan in smoking the 523i (as you can see from the picture).

Perhaps not all small-engined cars are badly behaved.

The Bavarian marque bears social responsibility and innovative relevance, demonstrating that both fuel efficiency and sheer driving pleasure can co-exist, thanks to the new range of four-cylinder engine 2.0-litre variants powered by the BMW TwinPower Turbo technology that is available on the BMW 520i, BMW 528i and BMW 525d.

Hosting a 5 Series Driving Experience in Thailand, the two-day event has been tailored to showcase the abilities of the different variants of the BMW 5 Series through a series of drive activities, which includes normal-road driving from Bangkok to the Khao Yai National Park.

There were different groups of journalists, each being allocated to a car at the start point near the BMW Thailand’s office. Ours was car number 6 - the BMW 520i Touring. Driving through the bustling streets of Bangkok as the BMW convoy made its way to Bonanza’s Speedway was an extremely smooth experience, thanks to the traffic police who controlled the traffic.

Despite being the biggest of the lot, the 520i Touring proved to be a breeze to pilot. The energy and power bubbling through the potent new four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo powerplant infused a sense of urgency when needed without losing its sense of sportiness, which was proven at the race track. Keeping up with the pack is but mere icing on the cake.

Meanwhile, the track activities at the Bonanza Circuit demonstrated the enhanced power of the new four-pot engine, which worked in perfect harmony with the innovative chassis engineering to deliver outstanding driving agility and ride comfort. Other than our very own Touring, we also had the chance to get behind the wheels of the 520i, 525d, as well as the 528i. All of which, mind you, impressed us with their handling and enthusiastic attitude.

There were three main courses that were prepared for us - lane change, slalom and a theory course. The Touring, weighing 100kgs more than the sedan, was used for the lane change. The requirement was simple: Drive no less than 50km/h and make a lane change in what is a very tight and narrow series of cones without knocking them. The objective was to demonstrate that the estate, although heavier and bigger, wasn’t clumsier than the sedan sibling. The gigantic size of the car can be felt but when negotiating tight turns at higher speeds, the heft of the car was diminished, thanks to its excellent handling.

The slalom was an easy feat with the 528i Sedan but was slightly tougher with the 520i Sedan. Equipped with the Integral Active Steering, swerving in and out of cones in the 528i was a walk in the park. This is because when the car is travelling above 60 km/h, the front and rear wheels turn in the same direction to ensure an extremely comfortable and superior response on the road when changing lanes. When going under that speed, on the other hand, the front and rear wheels steer in opposing directions to reduce the turning circle, ensuring that every bend is taken with precision.

The 520i, however, did have some difficulty when going through the slalom course at high speeds. Understeer is inevitable without speed control but it does give drivers full control over the car without the need for ‘technologies’ to step in.

Then there is the 525d which came up tops, credit going to its 450Nm of torque on tap - a galore compared to the 520i’s 270Nm and the 528i’s 350Nm. Going round the track, we enjoyed a perfectly good combination of comfort and sportiness in the diesel. Not only did the 525d have better acceleration off the line, it has the obvious frugality on fuel and better emissions too. Talk about having your cake and eating it.

There is a strong sense of occasion and purpose in each and every 5er that its competitors can’t match and the smallest BMW 520i Sedan is no exception. To prove that this four-pot sedan was faster than its predecessor, 523i (which had two more cylinders), a drag race was organised on the track between the two. Needless to say. the downsized 5 substantiated the fact that being smaller in engine capacity simply does not mean that it’s slower. The use of lighter materials as well as having a lighter but no less powerful engine assisted the sedan in smoking the 523i (as you can see from the picture).

Perhaps not all small-engined cars are badly behaved.