BMW 530d News

Funny TV ad for BMW 5 Series.

Just as the German brand's 7 Series flagship was eased back last year from the brutality of the 1990s, the upcoming 5 will ease away from the hard edges of the current E60 model when it hits the road next year.The first clear pictures of the 2010 5-Series have emerged from the Carparazzi cameras in Europe, complete with the signature psychedelic swirls now used to camouflage every new BMW model. The car is codenamed the F10 and could be presented as early as the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.The biggest change is coming at the front of the 5-Series, where a softer look and pedestrian-impact regulations will give it a much softer look. But the twin-kidney grille continues and the front overhang will be reduced.Carparazzi sources say the F10 will have a significantly larger cabin, with the wheelbase stretched by nearly 10 centimetres and the track also widened. The body will only be around two centimetres longer, while height will be cut a fraction.A new design of 17-inch alloy wheel will be standard, with 18 and 19- inch wheels as optional equipment.The mechanical package is likely to pick up variations of the existing 5-Series engines, but with tweaking for better economy and emissions. The starting motor is expected to be a 2.5-litre inline six and the top models will continue with a V8.There is no news yet on the Formula One-inspired V10 fitted to the M5 sedan, or whether BMW is likely to swing the hybrid powertrain it is fitting to the X6 SUV across to the mid-sized Five.

It is about to pick up the lower-and-longer lines of the upcoming BMW GT Concept, which are also reflected in the latest Z4 coupe-convertible.The 5 Series is well into testing in Europe as BMW's new-model rollout plan has it following the 7 Series flagship, which was previewed last year and goes on sale soon in Australia.The new 5 is called a 2010 model, which means sales in the final quarter of this year in the USA and a likely preview appearance at the Frankfurt Motor Show in October.It was caught during testing in Germany and, despite heavy camouflage cladding, the new shape is obvious and a contrast to the current Five.It is expected to come with more conventional headlamps, a more prominent version of BMW's signature 'twin-kidney' grille and a cleaner front end.The new 5 Series is known inside BMW as the 'F10' and is a major change.Apart from a shorter front overhang, it has a wheelbase which has been stretched by nearly 10 centimetres to improve cabin space and a wider track. But the overall length is only increased by two centimetres and the height is being reduced slightly.It will roll on standard 17-inch alloy wheels with optional wheels in 18 and 19-inch sizes.Mechanically, the basic engine is expected to be a 2.5-litre six with the current 4.8-litre V8 at the top end.But European sources say that, despite BMW's switch to turbocharged engines for its performance cars, that a more-powerful version of the 5-litre V10 used in the current M5 is also in the works for the new model. 

The explosive growth of the BMW model range is about to be defused in Australia. The line-up is being trimmed to cut competition and duplication, making it easier for customers in showrooms.The plan is to have only three choices of any individual model, with two petrol engines and one diesel. The current list includes 36 individual models in the 3 Series sedan line-up . . . without counting the coupe, convertible or station wagon.“We get a lot of questions about whether we have too many models. I think we do have too many,” BMW Australia managing director Guenther Seemann says.He believes BMW must cut the choices to streamline business, though he says there will still be all-new models in future — with the X6 four-wheel drive and M3 sedan up next — as the German company looks for customers.The work has begun, though there are a dozen individual BMW lines, from the baby 1 Series to the four-wheel-drive X5 and flagship 7-Series, with 50 official engine choices. BMW has 189 individual models on the list.“We've already begun tidying up. The 116i hatch has been removed from the range, there are the manuals in the 3 Series and one of the X3 manuals,” Seeman says.“In the 5 Series range, one of the V8s will go. I believe for each and every model line-up in the future, as we add models, we need two petrol and one diesel variant in each case. No more. We have so many different model lines, it is not practical or possible to display them all in a showroom.He says it will take time to get things sorted, partly because there are so many models.“It will happen in the next two years. Globally, there are five petrol and five diesel engine choices. And that is just in the 3 Series range,” he says.But there is definitely space for some additions, like the four-door M3 sedan.“We are starting the business case. It looks good, I must say,” he says.“We will bring the four-door version, but I do not know at what price. We always follow the normal BMW pattern, where a two-door is more expensive than a four-door. We have to price it lower than the M3 two-door.” 

It's not every day you drive along a dark, winding road at night, actually willing a kangaroo to hop out in front of you. But where else could we fully test BMW's freaky, futuristic Night Vision system?We had to discount taking it onto a battlefield against similarly equipped tanks, because we don't have the Top Gear TV show's budget.Hunting a group of C-grade actors pretending to be commandos through a jungle, Predator-style, was discounted for similar reasons.The system, a $4000 option on the 5, 6 and 7 Series, uses a thermal-imaging camera to beam hot and steamy footage of the road ahead, some 300m ahead, in fact, to the display screen in the middle of the dash.It works stunningly well, but can also be supremely distracting if you keep it on while driving around town.The really fascinating stuff is all the useless information Night Vision provides you with.Like how much heat comes out of the diff on a four-wheel drive, the fact that some people are, literally, hotter than others, and some have really hot legs, and that you can see the exhaust system glowing on every car in front of you.In fact, every vehicle looks like it's had one of those hoony blue downlights installed.You can also determine, among the parked cars, which ones have been driven most recently.It really does make you feel like the Predator, if the Predator got a job in a bank, started wearing a suit and bought a posh car.The information you're presented with verges on overload, and watching the screen did make two passengers feel physically ill.The fact that, being a bit of a geek, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen was also bordering on dangerous. But the Night Vision system really comes into its own when you get out of town and there's suddenly a lot less heat to see on the screen, allowing you to look at the road, like you're supposed to.This means your eyes are drawn to the Night Vision screen only when something,  a cyclist, a kangaroo, a particularly keen hitch-hiker poping up in the distance.The advantage in this setting is obvious, as the thermal-imaging camera picks up these hot items before the naked eye can.As BMW helpfully points out, about 45 per cent of fatal road accidents occur at night, even though more than two-thirds of all driving is done during the day.And it's a fair bet that our headlight-loving fauna is involved in a disturbing number of those night-time incidents.With that in mind, $4000 doesn't seem like a lotto spend. Even if it saves you only once, it'sa great investment.What is a slight concern is that, until the technology becomes as common as satnav, you're going to have a lot of rich toy boys driving around showing off their Night Vision to their mates, barely having their eyes on the road.The system we tested was installed in a 550i that was so heavily laden with gadgetry it made the space shuttle look like the Wright Brothers' little plane.When we weren't oohing and aahing over the infra-red images, we did notice that it was a fine executive express with plenty of grunt, sweet steering and a smooth ride.If I could just find that $163,900 I lost down the back of the couch (plus $4000 for Night Vision), I'd think about buying one. 

Chris Bangle had just demonstrated how to make a perfectly symmetrical origami-style dinghy out of a sheet of paper when he glanced over his shoulder to gaze at one of Australia's most recognisable structures."That building, design, shape and form is an icon," Bangle says of the Opera House from his vantage point on the far side of the Quay. "Look at some of the other buildings on the Sydney skyline: they haven't the same effect or lasting design."The Opera House was a huge departure from conventional design, the striking spherical shells making it one of the most prominent designs of the 20th century. When it opened in 1973 it was widely accepted as an iconic structure; quite the opposite to the impact Bangle had on the car world with his radical design direction at the once ultra-conservative BMW at the start of the 21st century.Bangle, the world's pre-eminent car designer, was in Sydney last week for the motor show. And there was intense interest in him for causing the greatest stir in recent automotive history. Bangle rose to fame or infamy — depending on which side of the fence you sit — with his self-proclaimed "flame design", first shown to the world with the arrival of the E65 7-series in 2001.It was revised last year with the E66 sporting a smoother rump, the infamous "Bangle Butt" having some cosmetic surgery.Bangle-hate websites have sprung up since he headed off in his radical mish-mash of concave and convex lines that filtered through to the 5-series and Z4 roadster and coupe. They're full of nasty stuff, some personally attacking American-born Bangle, others calling for his axing from the Munich maker.Bangle acknowledges the wave of protest, admitting he looks into the often murky world of the worldwide web."I look at them. I don't bathe myself in them but I certainly look," Bangle says."You know Andy Warhol said everyone will have their 15 minutes of fame in the future and it's just that I got in before a lot of people," he chuckles."But seriously (websites) are like the faceless media, its a one-way discussion and it's like a wall coming at you."I think in the future everyone is going to have their own hate website and we're just seeing the beginning of it."Bangle qualifies his response by saying he is not immune to criticism."I think criticism is OK, it's healthy as long as there is open dialogue," he says.The car world has to some degree lessened its dislike of the so-called Bangle angles.And Bangle, 50, is very much in-demand on the speaking circuit. In Melbourne recently, Bangle addressed a gathering at the national design centre at Federation Square.He says Australia has a lot to offer the world from a design point of view."You know a lot of the magazines I pick up in Europe say that Australia is the most influential place for residential architecture."I hope to pick up some ideas from my first visit here and take them back and maybe put them to use in the car world," Bangle says.As with most designers in the game, Bangle is totally absorbed by cars. But he is more than simply a one-dimensional character.He used his 50th birthday on October 14 as a premise to throw a party around his personal art exhibition in Munich."I showed 130 pieces of my art collection from portraits and sculptures and had 270 people show up," Bangle says.Among three pieces auctioned on the night with money going to Medicins Sans Frontieres was a steel sculpture reflecting Bangle's trademark flame design.Age has given him a new urgency as one of the most powerful figures in car design: "I guess my sense of impatience has increased in terms of where the industry's going."Bangle's unconventional designs have polarised opinion on the BMW family's looks.He does not see the revision to the 7-series last year as an indication that his styling went too far. "It was half-time in the model cycle and a time for second helpings," Bangle says. "You use those moments to harmonise the whole family and the 7-series is now that much more elegant."

More than 25,000 admirers, tyre kickers and buyers packed the Convention Centre at South Bank on the second day of the show last Saturday, smashing all previous records.The 8000 increase on the previous single-day best crowd was helped by the official season launch of the V8 Supercar championship which featured all the stars and cars of the Holden versus Ford series in nearby Little Stanley St.While most come to dream there are those who use the opportunity to compare notes between rival brands at close range and under the one roof.With fuel prices remaining high, the cost of running a vehicle remains a key buying consideration among many buyers.For those wanting to stretch their dollar further at the pump there are fresh injections of turbo diesel variants in the passenger car line-up including Volkswagen's Polo oil burner for $22,990.Lexus provided the Queensland public with its first look at the GS450H saloon, a luxury petrol/electric hybrid which is scheduled to do business in local showrooms from May.BMW, which is showing off a new range of V8 engines in the 5, 6 and 7-series at the show, says it will have a hydrogen-powered 7-series on Australian roads in two years but there is a need for government intervention to possibly sort through filling station infrastructure.While the future is firmly set on alternative power sources, there remains an unwavering passion for hot blooded exotic sports machines.In performance alley at the show there is the stunning Pagani Zonda Roadster, priced at $1.3 million or the equivalent of four median-priced Brisbane homes.While Holden is flooring the fans with the hot rod Efigy, it also previewed its next four-wheel-drive wagon, the Capitva.VW took the covers off the new Passat sedan and wagon while Fiat had a range of Puntos which will signal the Italian maker's return to the passenger car ranks in Australia this year. The show continues until Sunday.

If you mention the words diesel and engine to most people they trigger memories of noisy trucks and buses that crawl down the road and belch black smoke from their tails. Or they think of an overweight four-wheel-drive heading into the outback. But times are changing - and fast - in the diesel world.A new generation of high-tech, clean-burning diesel engines is coming on fast in everything from compact cars to luxury limousines and new-age four-wheel-drives. And eventually there will also be diesel-electric hybrid vehicles in Australia.Take a walk around the motor show and you will see almost all themajor brands have a high-profile and high-tech diesel engine.They are coming thanks to cleaner fuels with a lower sulphur content, as well as developments on what are called common-rail and direct-injection diesels - which deliver fuel at higher pressures and with better control to boost combustion.Turbos also get huge gains from low-pressure turbocharging, so most of the hero motors are turbodiesels. The old days of glow plugs, which took ages to warm then fire the engine, are also gone.Carmakers are also attracted to the massive torque available from diesel engines, which means strong acceleration at low revs, and the fuel economy benefits, which have become more important as petrol prices have risen.Diesel power has become so impressive that Audi, which is looking to stretch its domination of the classic Le Mans 24-Hour race, has fitted a turbocharged diesel engine to the R10 racer it will use in France in June. The motor show will highlight the arrival of several leading-edge diesels.BMW has its first diesel sedan for Australia, the 530d. It is a genuineluxury car and comes with impressive performance of 160kW and 480Nm of torque, aswell as fuel consumption of just 7.5 litres per 100km. But BMW is also pushing harder and will have its X5 and X3 all-wheel-drive diesels as well as a 320d - a huge hit in Europe and potentially BMW's biggest-selling diesel car - along with a 120d for a preview at the show.The Volkswagen group is big on diesel and Audi has just introduced a fresh 2-litre diesel A4 and even plans tointroduce a high-performance 3-litre diesel in the A4 later this year, as well asconsidering a diesel version of its A8 limo.Not surprisingly, Audi's turbodiesel hero at the show is the giant new Q7 all-wheel-drive wagon, which will be availablein October with a diesel.Volkswagen will have its diesel twins, the latest Polo and Golf, along for the party at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre and intends to put diesel power into its upcoming Jetta and the new Beetle before the end of 2006.There is also a chance that Honda could preview the Accord Euro diesel it has developed for Europe.Even Jaguar has jumped on the diesel bandwagon, fitting a high-tech dieselengine to its luxurious S-Type sedan.The $101,950 S-Type diesel runs a 2.7-litre diesel with twin-turbochargers, whichbump power to 153kW, and has 435Nm of torque.Jaguar does not expect to sell too many but says that some customers will enjoythe new engine. "We know other luxury brands are doingthis but we are yet to see diesel onpeople's radar when they are shopping for a luxury brand above $50,000," says Jaguar spokesman Todd Hallenbeck.Still, the biggest problem for any car company is getting customers to take a taste test. The task for carmakers is to get customers to test drive the new dieselmodels."We know that anyone who drives one (an S-Type diesel) will want it," Hallenbeck says."We are not just talking about people with fuel economy in mind. We are talking about a $100,000 car here; these people can afford to buy any type of fuel they want."This diesel offers great performance, very, veryclean emissions and, by the way, it also returns fuel economy of 8 litresper 100km."Diesel power will also be coming from two of the pioneers in Australia, Peugeot and Mercedes-Benz, with the French company even doing a turbodiesel for the sleek 407 Coupe, which is its stand star.The two-door model is available with a 3-litre V6 petrol or the dieselengine.Mercedes-Benz has four new diesels this year in the latest R-Class, the compact B-Class, the mid-range E-Class wagon and its four-wheel-drive hero, the upcoming GL.