BMW 530D M-Sport : Test-Drive, Review

BMW 530D M-Sport

The 530D M-Sport best defines what Thanos said: Balanced, as it should be

It’s odd to start with the verdict, but I’m going ahead with it. It’s frankly brilliant and if you’re planning to buy a luxury sedan around the 80 lakh mark, put your money on the BMW 530D M-Sport.

Here’s why:

On the outside, the new G30 5 Series looks sharper. The new front face now has bigger kidney grilles with louvers, that automatically close the grille when the engine doesn’t need all that air. This makes the car more aerodynamic and saves you precious fossil fuel to burn later on. The headlamps are sleeker which give it a grown up yet aggressive face. This particular one, having the M-Sport moniker gets M treatment all over the body. You get M-Sport badges on the front quarter panels, striking bigger alloy wheels with blue brake calipers.
There are sporty new bumpers with air inlets into the wheel wells. This regulates the air flow in the wheel wells which in turn reduces turbulence and gives it a quieter ride.
BMW have nailed it with the design of the 5er yet again. It’s aerodynamics are rated at 0.22 Cd. In simpler words, smooth through the air. Smoother than the most successful pick-up lines out there.

On the Inside

BMW 530D M-Sport
The interior of our tester was adorned with white leather seats. The dash gets piano black center console with wood as well as aluminum treatment. That, added with the floating touch screen makes the interior an elegant and contemporary place to be in. There is loads of tech and information display as well.
The new I-Drive infotainment is intuitive and gets crisp graphics. There are loads of options that you get control over. It displays options for mood lighting ( many colors and color combinations to choose from), navigation, seating positions and a lot more. The aircon is now touch screen as well.
The front seats are enormous and get 24-way electronic adjustment with memory function. The steering is chunky, wrapped in soft leather which gives a good grip. Then there is the heads up display which lets you have any information regarding driving up on the windscreen.
The rear seats a well cushioned too. There’s a good amount of legroom and tall businessmen and women wouldn’t fall short in comfort. You also get two screens mounted to the back of the front seats for the rear occupants to control the infotainment. But, as you inadvertently touch the screen, it doesn’t work. Because those aren’t touch screens. There’s a remote for that. Took me a while to figure that out.
But, if you have gone for the 530D M-Sport 5 series, the best place to be is the driver’s seat.

The Engine:

Here is the crown jewel of this 5er. The engine is a 3 liter inline 6, powered by diesel. And before you meh about it being another diesel sedan, hear this out.
It, with the help of its twin power turbo, develop 265hp and 620, mind-blowing torques. It’s more than the Mustang GT does with a 5 liter V8!!
All that torque peaks at just 1800 rpm, right upto 2500 rpm.
And again, the engine is smooth, very smooth for a big diesel. You can barely hear it on the move. And not at all against the fantastic Harmann music system. This engine gives the 5 Series a lot of effortless mile munching credentials. You can waft about normally at any highway speed and rpm, yet prod the throttle and any moment and you get loads of torque grunt to pass anything.
The top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/hr. You’ll barely ever reach that mark on our streets but be assured it’ll get there (and beyond) without breaking a sweat.
The 8 Speed Automatic transmission, paired to this engine, is like Jarvis to Tony Stark. The shifts are smooth and seamless. And never are you in the wrong gear. And it will never get confused about your next move. Yes, in Eco-Pro driving mode, it’s a bit slow. But in that mode, It’s like it gives you a moment to answer the question ‘ Are you sure you want to burn that much fuel’. But in the other modes, there’s no way you can put a finger on the performance of the gearbox.
Talking about driving modes, there are 5 of them, the Eco-Pro, Comfort, Dynamic, Sport and Sport Plus. I’m thinking most readers won’t want an explanation as to what mode does what. But here’s the thing. If you’re going to drive around at normal speeds, Eco Pro is the mode for you. It doesn’t take away the performance and saves you fuel for added range. Clever, very clever.

The Ride:

 

BMW 530D M-Sport
The 5 Series floats on the roads. There’s no other way to put it. Road noise filtering in the cabin is a bare minimum, and there’s no sense of the friction going on underneath you.
Now, this 530D shod in 18-inch wheels with fat, but low profile tyres do let a few potholes be heard in the cabin, but otherwise, the ride is sublime.
And all this comfort doesn’t take away the driving experience out. Find a curvy road mountain road, and this car will be a riot to drive in. The steering is accurate and weighs up very well. Throw it around a corner, and a the bulk of this luxury sedan moves as if it weren’t there.
Not to forget the 620 Nm at your feet, and you can flick the tail around (possible in the Sport Plus mode; Traction control is really clever and will know your sliding intention if in other modes). BMWs are supposed to be drivers cars and that fact had taken a back seat with the soft and comfortable ride in the F10 5 Series. But its back, make no mistake.
In fact, the ride and the engine compensate for any flaws you can find, which you won’t, easily. It’s a perfect balance between a practical diesel sedan and a sporty 5 Series. 620 Nm. Yum.

Verdict 2 :

Buy it. Just buy the 530D M-Sport if you are in the market with ₹66.20 lakh in the pocket. That’s the ex-showroom price for one. Thanos would be proud of the balance. Am I too eager for Endgame? You can tell….
Check more images of the BMW 530D M-Sport in our gallery.
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An utter car guy, he’s the guy on the keyboard. Driver’s seat is his place for solace. Apart from talking cars and driving, Kedar also spends a fortune on die-cast miniatures of them, especially old American Muscle. He loves to understand his ride fully and once he does, he loves to explore its limits. American Hotrodder David Freighburger is his icon, while he dreams to daily drive a 68′ Dodge Charger some day.