Falling in Love Again

Late last year, BMW Philippines gave a handful of motoring journalists (this writer included) a shot at the good life by treating us to a very unique lifestyle of the rich and famous-like weekend. With an overnight stay at the oh-so-in oasis called The Farm at San Benito awaiting us, it did not take long for my colleagues and I to give BMW Philippines the nod. But what really made us say yes to the invitation was their insistence that we drive all the way to Batangas in six brand spanking new BMW 5 Series, which at the time was truly a luxury as the car had yet to be officially launched to the buying public. That’s right, we drove the 5 Series late last year and fell in love with the quirky looking Bimmer as early as then.

Of course our little tryst with the said 5 Series ended almost immediately. After our little weekend at The Farm, the 5 Series and this writer had to part ways due to a budget conflict. Since then we’ve seen the 5 rolling around with a number of other men — mostly the more accomplished kind. We saw the beauteous 5 make other men so happy we thought that they’d never part ways. We thought we’d never have a shot at the 5 again. But good things do happen to those who wait — especially if you wait ’til your birthday.

When BMW Philippines Corporate Communications Manager Lito German found out about this writer’s impending big day, he immediately set us up once again. Thus, on the last weekend of August, this writer was able to rekindle an old flame — one that we realize now was never really a spur of the moment thing.

When the 5 and this writer finally met again, the feeling was nothing short of ecstatic. The silver BMW 530d looked as stunning as she did the first day I had met her. She had lost absolutely none of her charm. I knew this for sure because from the moment I drove her out of BMW Philippines’ stables in Philam Tower Makati, I had men looking at me like I was the luckiest bastard in the world. I don’t know if the 5 felt the same way, but let me tell you, deja vu never felt so sweet. I realized then that the numerous awards that the 5 had garnered over its relatively short stint as a production car were truly well-deserved. Yup, she’s been called the Best Luxury Car by Money Magazine, the Best Sedan Under $50,000 by Forbes.com, the Auto Guide Award Winner by the AAA Auto Guide, the Most Dependable Sedan of the Year by American Woman Road & Travel and just recently was named as one of the most stylish cars of 2004 by eCityofStyle.com.

Of course beauty alone does not a good car make. But, really, one squeeze on the 5’s ultra-responsive throttle is all it takes for one to realize that he’s driving an extraordinary vehicle. We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again, the BMW 530d is an amazingly quick car — especially if you consider the fact that it is powered by a diesel engine. Okay, granted, it’s a revised in-line six cylinder turbo diesel with second generation common rail direct injection and it can produce 215 bhp and a very impressive maximum torque of 500 Nm @ 2000 rpm — still, these are not the kind of numbers you’d expect from any kind of diesel engine — BMW or otherwise.

The fact that the 530d has a particularly powerful diesel engine does not, however, diminish its ability to rack up the fuel efficiency numbers. Due in part to its lightweight aluminum front section, and despite its size, the 530d can actually deliver optimum fuel-saving results. In fact, time and again, it has been proven than with good driving habits, the 530d can run up to 20 kilometers for every liter of diesel fuel it consumes. During a recently-concluded fuel econmy run sponsored by the Department of Energy, for example, the 530d topped its class with an astounding 21.237 kilometers per liter. Talk about a cheap date!

So the 530d is tops in styling, power and fuel efficiency. What, pray tell, could be wrong with it? Hmm... let’s see. Equipped with BMW’s vauted Active Steering technology, which adjusts steering inputs relative to your speed, it is a joy to maneuver. And, being a BMW, it necessarily has that sport sedan feel despite its size — which again makes it a little more fun to drive than your average sedan. Move away from the driver’s seat and you’ll find yourself melting in an ergonimically-designed rear seat that practically has the word "pamper" written all over it. Both the passive and active safety features of the 5 are also compliant with the highest international standards (eight airbags, anti-lock brakes, etc.). And, oh yes, it does have the improved iDrive vehicle management system that makes total vehicle management just a few clicks of the cursor away (much simpler than its 7 Series sibling, too).

Truthfully, the 5 Series’ basic car design is so well-thought of that it’s hard to find fault in it. Traditionalists will always say that it strays too far away from the BMW styling norm but that won’t take away the fact that it has a shape that grows on you. Differences in interior appointments like the drab dark brown shade of the leather seats and door highlights (at least of the unit that I used) can easily be addressed by simply choosing a different shade (Hint: go for black!). What else can we say? We’re in love!

Let’s put it this way, the 5-Series is not a car you’ll likely forget. She probably won’t be any car-lovers’ first love, but she’s definitely the kind of automobile that‘ll make you believe in love at first sight. We’d still be together if it weren’t for the usual budget conflicts, but I will surely have only fond memories of the BMW 5 Series.