Driven: 1997 BMW 528i Climbs the Corporate Ladder

From the December 1995 issue of Car and Driver.

American and Japanese brands may lay claim to the latest and best-known crop of “executive expresses,” but it was the Germans who carved out this niche. Long before the madding crowds of Lexi and SHO Tauri and Aurorae clawed their way to respectability, Mercedes-Benz and BMW created 280s and 450s and Bavarias—upsized, semi-opulent sedans tailored to transport salaried bigwigs to and from their meal tickets.

In 1974, BMW subdivided the cate­gory further with the introduction of the 5-series. In the generations since that seminal sedan appeared, it has been groomed and refined. Of late, it has gained V-8 power to meet the challenge of the latecomers. But its mission­—wooing the disposable income of vice­-presidents, dentists, and well-to-do insurance salesmen—has remained the same.

Next April, BMW will bring on its fourth rendition in this series of hyper­kinetic four-door shuttles. An aero-keen riff on a proven theme, the new 5-series sedan will touch down as a 1997 model, with revamped powertrains, less weight, and an appealing bottom line. The 528i, the first step into the seriously moneyed territory of premium Bimmers, will cost nearly the same as today’s car: about $38,000.

The 528i is one of two models that will spark BMW’s aspiration to make the 5-series the company’s most popular model line. It’s motivated by the same newly enlarged 2.8-liter in-line six found in the new 328i. Here, it’s coupled to a choice of manual or automatic five-speed transmis­sions, shrouded in a taut-lined body, and complemented by lightweight front-strut and rear-multilink suspension cast and forged largely of aluminum.

Joining the six-cylinder car will be a lookalike sedan sporting a V-8—bored and stroked to 4.4 liters—that makes 282 hp. That 540i (named through an irregularly applied BMW policy of rounding dis­placement down to the nearest 0 or 5) does not, however, copy the lesser sedan’s sus­pension playbook. The bulky V-8 block would interfere with the innovative aluminum suspension, so BMW instead fits the 540i with a variant of the 740i’s steel suspension, and with its recirculating-ball steering as well.

The omissions in this two-pronged attack are glaring but logical. The 3.0-liter V-8 has been discontinued in this range because of the nearly identical power output of the enlarged six. The specialty M5 model has been booted in favor of the six-speed manual 540i. There will be a 5-series Touring station wagon in Europe; the current wagon isn’t selling in the U.S., however, so it may be supplanted by the next-generation 3-series Touring.

Austria’s verdant Wachau region is home to the hill that the Von Trapp family ditched for their chic Vermont digs and also to perfectly paved switchbacks that condoned some artful dodging at the wheel of a manual-transmission 528i. The pre­liminary report? Nothing but gold stars. As we’ve come to expect, the 528i has ter­rific stability. Even on the occasional rutted roads, the suspension is tightly but­toned, with the kind of fluid ride motion that belies its linebacker grip. The sharp steering and capable brakes play backup to a sweetly composed powertrain with a decided sense of urgency and to a stylish shape with roomier, more handsome accommodations.

The 528i’s 2.8-liter inline six only moves the horsepower gauge up one notch, but the 9-mm increase in stroke helps it twist out 23 additional pound-feet of torque. (Trivia bit: that makes it “square,” daddy-o, because the bore and the stroke are both 84 mm.) Final stats for this cast-­iron duke are 190 horsepower at 5300 rpm and 207 pound-feet of torque at 3950.

The five-speed manual transmission is as sensuous and precise as ever. The five­-speed automatic has more advanced man­agement software that reduces hunting through the top gears. At some point in the near future, it will adopt the Steptronic controls, as in the 740iL, borrowed from Porsche’s Tiptronic automatic.

The serious nature of this automaker is demonstrated by the fact that it worked hard to trim 88 pounds (compared with the last 525i, if similarly set up). The front struts and control arms are aluminum, as are the rear links and control arms, which are mounted to an isolating subframe that is also made of the stuff of Diet Coke cans and Audi A8s. (Unlike the Audi flagship, which contains some elaborate castings, the BMW’s subframe is first formed in straight sections and then hydroformed and welded into complex shapes.) The new variable-ratio rack-and-pinion steering is aluminum, just like the brake calipers and even the base wheels.

The engine room is one of few places where aluminum hasn’t been deployed to cut the 528i’s weight. Europe gets an alu­minum-block version of the same engine (for a savings of 70 pounds), but BMW found that the high sulfur content of Amer­ican gasoline led to premature erosion of cylinder walls in its early V-8s. So, like the just-hatched 328i, the 528i will keep an iron-block powerplant.

The 528i now spans 188.0 inches, which is 2.2 inches longer than the former 525i, and sports a 111.4-inch wheelbase, up 2.7 inches. It was already spacious, but the extra room will please those who find the new Benz E-class a bit too large and BMW’s own 328i a snug fit.

The slick, stubby four-door body shakes up the old 5-series repertoire with a complex curved C-pillar and a softer greenhouse. The raised and scalloped nose is probably the 528i’s most striking detail (a harbinger, too, of the coming Z3 roadster). The trademark BMW nos­trils are now integrated into the hood and are rimmed thinly in chrome. The cabin silhouette makes it appear less crisp than the former car, but its wedgy stance aligns it more with the zippy 3-series sedans than with the studious 740iL.

The interior breaks no new ground, but softer, matte-finish plastics and a broad band of walnut trim bring it closer to the elusive Audi theorem of interior design. The ergonomics are spottier: the cassette deck is hidden beneath a band of trim above the rest of the radio func­tions, and BMW’s fetish for small Chiclet buttons hasn’t entirely subsided. Generally, the ambience is ordered as well as plush.

It’s a quiet place to spend time, too­—if not as mechanically serene as a Lexus ES300, certainly more placid than an Infiniti J30. Credit here goes to a stiff body structure with large, single-piece stampings (BMW’s single biggest stamping is the 528i’s side panel, which includes the door frames, C-pillar, and rear quarter panels) and to extra isolation from the powertrain and suspension. The rear suspension is cradled on its own rubber­isolated subframe. The rear axle and differential, although integrated into this subframe, are sequestered by another set of bushings. And all doors are triple­-sealed.

BMW’s technical guru, Dr. Wolfgang Rietzle, calls the 528i “the best car we’ve ever done.” Discounting the company’s own M-badged Motorsport offerings, we’re inclined to agree. Stay tuned for a complete rundown.

Source: Reviews - aranddriver.com