2006 BMW 530 Test Drive

BMW's Passion Quotient

Some cars may be faster, but few rival the 530i for pure driving pleasure.

That's what BMW does best, and we daresay that if BMW were charged with a Buick makeover -- or a Toyota makeover, for that matter -- the resulting products would be much more exciting. But competition is increasingly heated in the lucrative sedan market where BMW's 3, 5 and 7 Series jockey for position. Reinvigorated products from  Infiniti, Lexus,  Acura, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and even Chrysler are forcing BMW to fight harder than ever for its well-earned reputation for making "the ultimate driving machine."

In fact, through the first quarter of 2005 both 3 Series and 5 Series sales are down (the 3 Series is being replaced by an updated model, so some of its current decline can be attributed to the old-model phase out). But Mercedes, too, has lower numbers for the C- and E-Class. What's not down is the Chrysler 300, nearly 50,000 of which have sold so far this year; sales that dwarf every other $30,000-and-up luxury sedan on the market.

That's not surprising: the Chrysler 300 split the near-luxury market wide-open by offering mid-size sedan roominess with V8 horsepower (in the 300C) and a suspension cribbed from the splendid Mercedes E-Class, all for under $35,000. And that makes the similarly sized BMW 530i seem downright expensive, at $46,500.

That doesn't exactly close the case, though. BMW's interior is superb, its handling is excellent, its ergonomics are just about as Teutonically perfected as imaginable and, although this car isn't as powerful as some of its competition, its in-line six-cylinder engine is one of the smoothest-accelerating motors ever produced. In short, the reason you're never stuck behind a BMW driver is because cars like the 530i are thrilling to drive. More about that -- and about whether it's worth the extra dough -- on the following pages.