Sheer driving pleasure. The tagline that will make BMW aficionados weak at their knees. My experience with BMW engine has so far been running on smooth waters. Driving the E46 M Sport, and occasionally the E90 M Sport, had me captivated by the brand's silky smooth, untrammeled power delivery from the roundel's hallmark straight 6 engine.
Since then, this writer has been head over heels in love with straight 6. The manner the engine picks up without any hint of sputtering from low rpm to the higher spectrum of the tachometer is breathtakingly surreal.
In Malaysian context, having a small displacement straight 6 seems to be a win-win proposition, as you save yourself from punitive road tax that comes with a large displacement V12 (essentially two straight 6 engines tied up to a common crankshaft), and greater power from having higher cylinder count in contrast to a 4 cylinder engine.
My experience with BMW vehicles (specifically the E46 and E90 that I am currently driving) on the aspect of ride and handling has been on the positive note as despite riding on a lowered and stiffer M Sport suspension and rolling on low profile tyres, it exceptionally filters out any jiggles introduced by the atrociously pockmarked Malaysian road making it a comfortable vehicle for a balik kampung trip. The exception would be when driving over speed bumps as if you're not careful, the lowered M Sport suspension will make its displeasure known from an unpleasant thump from bottoming out.
At the recent Malaysia Autoshow 2017 taking place at MAEPS, I had the opportunity to get my hands on this handsome looking mid-size sedan launched by BMW Malaysia since this March - the all new 7th generation G30 530i M Sport. Despite having just 4 cylinders banging away under the bonnet, it doesn't detract from BMW engine's customary seamless, on demand pick up which I learnt from the short test drive and more importantly, rides over bumpy surface deftly.
Technical Specs
Worldwide, the G30 comes in various iteration, including but not limited to the 520i, 530i and 540i. Folks in Malaysia will only be getting the 530i iteration, solely with M Sport trim. The engine powering the rear-driven 530i M Sport is a 2.0 litre B48 turbo straight 4 petrol with 252 hp and 350 Nm of torque paired up to a ZF 8 speed Steptronic Sport transmission with paddle shifters. This translates to a 6.2 seconds 0-100 kph acceleration time, 250 kph top speed, 5.8 litre/100 km of fuel consumption and 132 g/km CO2 emissions.
As a straight 6 fan, I was a bit wishful for the 540i variant to reach the Malaysian shore, its B58 3.0 litre turbo straight 6 pumping out 340 hp and 450 Nm of torque to the rear wheels. On the flip side, it's a compromise worth taking as given the Malaysian road tax is charged based on engine displacement, the smaller 2.0 litre turbo 4 can cut down on the total road tax Malaysian motorists have to fork out. In spite of being smaller, it doesn't detract performance even an iota as I discovered during the test drive.
Hiding beneath the skin is a lowered M Sport suspension with Dynamic Damper Control. The front suspension is sprung by double wishbone, while the rear makes do with a sophisticated five-link suspension.
To adapt to your preferred driving style, there's Driving Experience Control that provides choices of different driving modes, namely Eco Pro, Comfort and Sport. Apart from that, an Adaptive mode further complements the system by automatically adapting the car's behaviour based on driving style, road topography and sundry other factors.
To the business of tyres, expect run-flat tyres with 245/40 front and 275/35 rear wrap around a 19-inch M light-alloy 10 double spoke rim.
Exterior
What are the visual differences between the G30 and outgoing F10? Starting from the front, the adaptive LED headlights extend all the way to the kidney grille in an F30 fashion. Speaking of kidney grille, it is now wrapped around thicker chrome surround to accentuate the sedan's purposeful look. The lower side air intakes feature a restyled LED fog light, featuring a horizontal slat over the outgoing F10 round fog lights. Over to the side, just aft of the front wheels is an air vent, previously absent from the F10.
Over to the back, the new G30 sports dual trapezoidal chrome tailpipes over a pair of round tailpipes found on the previous generation F10. Also, the rear fog lights had been relocated to the lower apron as opposed on the bumper directly beneath the taillights as on the F10. Speaking of taillights, it now seems to look much slimmer, wider and elegant compared to the F10's bulkier looking taillights.
This being an M Sport, the famous M badge graces the fender just aft of the front wheels and the door sill.
Interior
Inside, M steering wheel and sports pedals make up the interior M finishing.
The G30 features revision to the interior technology from the outgoing F10. Chief of all is the iDrive 12.3-inch central display which is now freestanding over the flushed design as found in the F10. On top of that, the new generation iDrive introduces touch and gesture control much like on its bigger sibling, the G12 7 Series, enabling you to adjust certain parameters such as audio volume or toggling between different menus by simply touching the screen or twirling your finger in the screen's direction.
Furthermore, the dashboard had been given a makeover, giving it a more futuristic and digital tactility over the F10's analog switchgear. If you have a love affair with conventional handbrake lever, look away as Electromechanical Parking Brake takes its place.
Leather upholstery keeps you cozy and secured during a long trip. There's also a sunblind on the rear side windows which you can pull if sun tan is not your thing.
Customary on newer BMWs, the conventional oil dipstick is a thing in the past. Taking over its reign is an oil level sensor residing in the oil sump. The sensor measures and relay the reading to the iDrive central display, showing you a bar indicating the current oil level as seen in the picture above.
Safety
Safety first. Making up the suite of safety features are 8 airbags, disc brakes all-round, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with Dynamic Traction Control (DTC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Brake Assist, Cornering Brake Control (CBC) and ISOFIX rear child seat mounting.
Further complementing the safety features are a suite of driver assistance technology that includes Lane Departure Warning, Lane Change Warning, Park Assist and reverse camera.
There's also a head-up display function that projects your current road speed directly in your line of sight to keep you informed of how fast you're going without having to take a glance at the instrument cluster.
Pricing
How much is the asking price? Starting with CKD G30, the car retails at RM389k (OTR without insurance). Add another RM10k to the CBU model, which finalised at RM399k (OTR without insurance). Note that pricing is inclusive of 5 years unlimited mileage warranty + free service and 2 years tyre warranty.
Review
Nitty gritty out of the way, here's my initial impression on the new G30 530i M Sport from the short test drive. Despite having a smaller 2.0 litre engine, the acceleration is still BMW-esque - smooth, rapid, lag-free. There was no noticeable turbo lag. Just lightly prod the throttle pedal the car picked itself up immediately without delay. It feels like having a straight 6, but with 2 cylinders lopped off and a turbo to add urgency to the acceleration. The engine is so powerful that I effortlessly reached 80 kph without being assertive with the throttle, much like on my E46 and E90.
BMW has superbly tuned the 4 cylinder engines to still deliver that creamy, buttery feel of a straight 6 so much that I had briefly forgotten banging away under the bonnet of the G30 530i M Sport is a 4 cylinder engine.
The superb ZF 8 speed transmission shifts through the gears with a sharp, decisive instinct knowing exactly when to shift to keep the turbo 4 within its effective powerband. The shift was chauffeur smooth and fast. Not even for one second the engine felt like it ran out of steam thanks to the competent transmission.
Shifting with the flappy paddles in my opinion doesn't really make much difference to the car's performance characteristics. Sure, it brings some added sportiness to an already sporty car, but the transmission's software is very well-calibrated that the computer can make the decision more efficiently. I suggest you just keep the transmission in 'D' the entire time.
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| Comfort |
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| Eco Pro |
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| Sport
I had the opportunity trying out the Driving Experience Control which lets you choose between different driving modes - Eco Pro, Comfort and Sport. Moving from one mode to another gives you a visually interactive face-time with the digital instrument cluster; the graphic changes to different tone in different mode, from subdued tone in Eco Pro to lurid red in Sport.
I drove in all 3 modes and honestly, I didn't feel any substantial difference in the car's behaviour. Though I noticed slightly mild temperament in Eco Pro, it nevertheless felt like the car was perpetually in Sport mode. Eco Pro, Comfort, Sport, you name it. The car pulled hard in all modes and took corners in a confident and poised gait regardless of driving mode. I jokingly told the Sales Advisor BMW should rename all modes to Sport.
The G30's ride quality is second to none. The terrible road surface didn't unsettle the car even the slightest. The Dynamic Damper Control did a great job in filtering out the road shock from the run-flat tyres before it reached the cabin, delivering that all important ride comfort given the poor road condition we have here in Malaysia. It does this by proactively monitoring road conditions and primes the dampers to either soften or stiffen the damping rate depending on the severity of the bumps and speed you're travelling. The result is a magic carpet, fuss-free driving experience. Conclusion To conclude the short test drive, the G30 530i M Sport is a stonking piece of machinery even without the company's iconic straight 6. The pick up of the 2.0 litre turbocharged 4 pot is potent enough regardless of driving mode to facilitate smooth, trouble-free overtaking manoeuvre. Despite being equipped with a lowered M Sport suspension, engineers had tuned it perfectly to deal with the pockmarked Malaysian road. During and after the test drive, I didn't feel sore nor jarred as the chassis brilliantly soaked up the surface imperfection. In my humble opinion, the new G30 530i M Sport is a livable car that fulfills your daily driving needs. |
