BMW 530i 5-Speed

Drivers Are Invited

by Glenn Herz

The great charm of the stick shift 530i is that it not only invites but also rewards driver participation and skill. Never common in sedans, this trait is fast disappearing in sports cars as well. With Rover in the net, BMW becomes almost twice the size of Mercedes-Benz. It was also the only German maker so show a profit in 1993. SCML recently sampled this success by driving their larges manual shift sedan, the new 3-liter V8 530i. This model is bracketed by the 6-cylinder 525i and an also new 4-liter V8, the 540.

No Blobs Allowed The car is as impressive as you could expect $45,000+ machine to be. Fit and finish are flawless and the styling retains character at a time when most cars are low Cd pretending blobs. It is awash with fine details including an afterthought locking system that closes the windows and sunroof. A driver’s door handle that, held beyond the normal time, actuates a deicer for that door’s key-actuated lock....