Putting BMW's Diesels To The Test...

Gosh I wonder how it feels to be driving that 7? The review looks great. Btw, any idea how many of it has been sold so far?

both are very heavy cars, surprisingly the 520 only 100 kg more than the 3! Doesn't matter how much torque you say you got if you got a fat ass to haul! I tried both cars also, the 520 felt much quicker but both less so than the Peugeot 407 diesel (forget what engine size). Way to go with diesel/performance and FC, diesel still the best engine all round, even the crappy hybrids cannot manage the same economy of a small diesel.

eiling, when I returned the car, our friend from BMW PR remarked that 10 have been sold. For a car of its size, the 7 is amazingly nimble and very agile. You are only conscious of its size when squeezing through tight corners, and even then radar sensors are all around to guide you.

kaylcar, most of the journalists who tested the cars concluded that the 520d felt remarkably faster than the 320d despite both cars having the same engine and the 5 having to haul less weight. Theories point to the newer gearbox design being used by the 5.

When BMW took us for the media drive in KT, the 5s were much more well run-in than the 3s. I got to know that behind the scenes, BMW ferried the 5 test cars up to KT by trailers and then had drivers drive the 3s up just to get more mileage in the car. But alas, the 3s had less than 1,000km each on the odo when we got behind the wheel. It was briefly suggested that the 3s felt sluggish because they were not as well run-in, but journalists who manage to get both cars back for review at later dates still say the 5 feel faster than the 3.

I'm also an staunch believer in diesel technology. As it is now, I'm driving a diesel here in Malaysia.

Given the Euro5 Diesel Fuels (which ironically is sourced from our own backyard only to be exported), Euro4 Diesel and Euro5 Diesel engines are the most cleanest, odourless, smokeless and most important of all...most economical engines on the planet. IMHO, they are actually more green than a Hybrid or a Fully Electric car.

The F10 is a wonderful car to expect. Even though it is a pity the diesel variants would not be immediately available during its coming Malaysia launch, one can still purchase a F10 520d or F10 530d directly from Munich, Germany. We can personally collect our vehicle there and liase with them to make the shipping and customs formalities done.

You could do that, but problem is that when you bring those cars in, they are not tuned to run in our Euro 2M diesel. Even if BMW Malaysia gives you full service support, you will still be faced with problems of clogged injectors and particulate filters due to the high sulphur content of our diesel.

This is also why you should be extremely careful in getting parallel imported cars. Both our petrol and diesel fuels are filtered based on very old standards, and an increasing number of modern engines cannot run on them without significant adjustments to their ignition/injection systems.

A good example is the new Merc W212 E-class. I was told by an insider that MBM had to push hard for the engineers in Germany to retune the E200 CGI and E250 CGI to have both these models suited for local use. The 1.8-litre turbo engine in these cars use direct injection, which have a very high level of tolerance and precision. Without detuning them for our fuel, those injectors will clog way too frequently.

BMW Malaysia now faces a similar dilemma with the F10 5-series, as both the 523i and the 528i feature a 3.0-litre High Precision Injection engine. Already the 3.0-litre displacement is damaging to their chances in our engine capacity discriminating market, the High Precision Injection system is also not likely to be able to run with our petrol.

In recent years, fuel prices have been steadily rising, but curiously, we still have to pump the same rubbish into our tanks, be it petrol or diesel.

It's a real pity our beloved country don't provide Euro4/Euro5 Diesels at the pumps

Anyway, I anticpated Gunner's reply above.

Not to worry Gunner, unlike parallel importers, the guys & gals at Munich will tailor make the BMW we intend to purchase This is because they will only start building/manufacture our unit after we have submitted our order (and specs + options) and after all payments & finances have been fully settled. We just need to inform Munich at the time of placing our order with them that the ordered car is to be exported & used + maintained in Malaysia & using Malaysian Diesel. The rest, they will know what to do...from ensuring the vehicle is installed with right-hand drive steering and equipments to right-hand drive front & rear lighting to even the minutest details as the coolant type for the radiator & all cooling systems lubrication. These guys & gals are truly amazing & very professional

But of course, as Gunner correctly pointed out, for a certain degree of peace of mind, one don't go wrong by purchasing a BMW from our local distributor/importer

Actually, the F10 523i 2.5l and 528i 3.0l are not HPI engines. They are the existing engines which have been selling since the E60 5 series. So they have no problems with our Euro2M petrol.

The Euro spec F10 523i and 528i share the same naturally aspirated N53 3.0-litre HPI in two different states of tune - 204hp/270Nm (523i) & 258hp/310Nm (528i).

For Malaysian market however, what I managed to gather is that the 2.5-litre N52 will be recycled in the 523i, but I'm not sure which state of tune they will be using. Neither am I sure what other powerplants will be seeing action. Did you hear of a 528i running on the 3.0-litre N52?

Nice write up. 520d most probably felt a bit quicker on rolling acceleration due to higher final drive of 3.231 against 320d's 3.154.

Sifu TheGunner,

Is it possible to opt (at an extra cost, of course) for the idrive in the 320d sport? From what I heard, the 320d sport does not come with the idrive. Or as far as Malaysian market is concerned, the 320i and 320d sport can never be opted with the idrive?

Thank you kindly for your valuable feedback to this query Sifu TheGunner