2018 BMW 530d M Sport Test Drive Review

Performance – While the on paper specifications may suggest that this is the same 3.0-litre diesel motor as before, actually, it isn’t. The all-new 2993cc TwinPower Turbo straight-six diesel engine makes 265 HP of power at 4000 RPM and a massive 620 Nm of torque at 2000-2500 RPM. That huge torque is available from as low as 2000 RPM and that makes the powerplant very quick and the plus side is that there is barely any turbo lag. This being an aluminium engine is surprisingly quiet and isn’t noisy at all, all thanks to the metal used inside the engine block. Refinement levels are what will mighty impress you for sure. In fact, this engine is so refined, it might pass off as a petrol motor sometimes. Higher in the rev range, the powerplant does get vocal but this isn’t the diesel clatter and instead is a sweet engaging sound. Where the 3.0-litre powertrain truly shines is the way it redlines. It pulls like a petrol and goes all the way to 5500 RPM and the best part is it holds there and makes you feel you aren’t redlining at all, wow!

250 km/hr limited top speed is quite less, considering how capable this car is!

Flatout acceleration in the 530d is so brutal that it is sure to give a run for its money for cars that cost twice as much. 0-100 km/hr comes in just 5.7 seconds and we did manage to crack the same timing as well on our VBOX. There’s also a Launch Control mode on offer, for which you will have to shift to the Sport mode, put the gearbox in Sport and turn off the Traction Control, left foot on the brake, right foot on the accelerator, rev the engine till 2500 RPM and the system will tell Launch Program activated. All you have to do now is dump the brake and voila! You are on the move. An 8-speed automatic gearbox (sourced from ZF) does the job of sending power to the rear wheels. The gearbox is super smooth as well as fast in shifts. There are paddle shifters offered for you to manually take control of things. In the manual mode, the gearbox doesn’t upshift unless and until you do so and that’s where the driving experience comes alive. The 530d gets three driving modes – ECOPRO, Comfort and Sport. ECOPRO gives the maximum mileage while the Sport mode is for an enthusiastic drive. Comfort mode offers you the best of both the worlds. In terms of efficiency, in the ECOPRO mode, the car will return you around 10-12 km/l in the city and around 14-15 km/l in the highway. However, put it in the Sport mode and push it hard, the mileage figures will drop to under 10 km/l.

Driving Dynamics – The previous generation 5-Series (the F10) wasn’t much fun to drive but with the G30 things have changed. The 530d stays true to BMW’s sheer driving pleasure tagline. Though the wheelbase is up by 7 mm, front and rear track are widened by 5 and 3 mm respectively, the luxury sedan weighs approximately 100 kgs lighter than its predecessor courtesy the extensive use of aluminium in the body. The 530d feels light on its feet and is a hoot to drive around the corners. There is a bit of body roll as the vehicle measures close to 5 metres in length and has a wheelbase of nearly 3 metres, however, it is well contained.

The steering offers immense feedback and is great to hold but we did feel it to be a size bigger. Ride quality is better than the F10 but there is some sort of firmness to the suspension irrespective of the driving mode you are in. The 530d gets adaptive dampers which adapt automatically depending on the road conditions. The car feels stable at high speeds and the grip from the tyres is stupendous. The 530d M Sport gets 245-section tyres up front and 275-section tyres at the rear. Braking performance is supreme and the 5 stops exactly where you need it to.