2011 BMW 528i Review

A white four-door sedan...the entry-level model of its series.

Doesn't sound exciting...but it all depends on what that sedan is. If you haven't recognized the photo yet, I'll let you in on the secret. It's the BMW 528i.

And it just may be the most perfect car on the road.

I've always enjoyed BMWs, but I've had three outright revelations while holding a steering wheel with a blue-and-white roundel in the center:

The first, at the tender age of 17, entrusted on a winding road in the Eastern High Sierra of California with a friend's older brother's 2002tii. 38 years later, that still stands as one of the best cars I've ever driven.

The second, in the early 80s, stepping into a 635csi coupe with a price tag of $40,000 (astronomical at the time) and thinking "no car is worth this", only to be convinced after 5 minutes in the foothills west of Reno that it was not only worth it, but that it was, in itself, a reason to go make that kind of money.

And the third, most recently,  a week in the Z4 sDrive35i, which has raised the bar for sporting two-seaters to a level I wouldn't have imagined.

And now, the fourth revelation. The new 5-Series.

It is, quite simply, the best sedan you can buy, regardless of price. However much more money you spend on something else, you'll be buying power or features, not excellence and value. Cars simply don't come more solidly built, more thoughtfully designed, more perfectly balanced than the 528 i.

The one we drove for a week, courtesy Chapman BMW in Chandler, Arizona , came box-stock...zero options. But on the 528i, standard includes a list of features that are extra-cost with most other cars, that is if you can find an 8-speed automatic transmission in another car. Electronic limited slip differential? Four-wheel disc brakes with ABS? Dynamic Brake Control? Dynamic Stability Control? Dynamic Traction Control? 17-inch alloy wheels with run-flat tires? Rain-sensing wipers? Fog lights? Power-adjustable, heated and folding outside mirrors?  All standard.

Not done. 10-way power adjustable driver's and front passenger's seat with four-way lumbar support and memory for the driver's seat, steering wheel and outside mirrors? Leatherette upholstery and dark wood (yes, real wood) trim? An AM/FM/CD/mp3 12-speaker (including 2 subwoofers) audio system with 205 watts of power, including HD radio (makes AM sound like FM and FM like CDs), prepped for satellite radio installation if you choose? Vehicle and key memory? Power moonroof?  Automatic climate control? Power tilt and telescoping steering wheel? Leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio and cruise control functions? Bluetooth? iDrive? Tire pressure monitor? All part of the package.

And now the best part...you get to drive it, too. BMW has forever made the sweetest six-cylinder engines in the world, and the 3.0 liter DOHC inline 6 under the hood of the 528i is no exception. Velvety smooth and pulls like a freight train. Its 240 horsepower is more than adequate for brisk acceleration (as in 6.6 seconds zero to 60).  That's 10 horsepower more than last year's model, and it packs and extra 30 pounds per foot of torque, too (see "pulls like a freight train", above).

Handling is direct and intuitive. Within minutes on the road, the car becomes a direct extension of your hands and your brain. There's immediate, controlled response. Chapman BMW asked me to keep the miles on this one below 200, so I didn't have a chance to take a nice drive on a winding road like Northern Arizona's Oak Creek Canyon (linking the town of Sedona with I-17), but I have no doubt the 528i would have aced it and had me even more impressed.

Icing on the cake: Pairing the 3.0 liter 6 with an 8-speed automatic transmission pays off big in the EPA mileage ratings: 22 city/32 highway.

Yes, 22 city/32 highway. And it's a bigger deal than you think. It means the 528i gets better gas mileage than many small economy cars. Really. Here are a couple of examples from upcoming TireKicker reviews:

Scion xB: 22 city/28 highway.

Kia Sportage: 22 city/31 highway.

So what's it cost?

Base price: $45,050. For the one we drove, add delivery charges, tax and license and you're done. No $45,000 isn't dirt cheap. But go back and look at that list of standard features. Add those to your typical $30,000 sedan and you're at or past $45K in a heartbeat. And is that car as well-built, quick, superbly balanced and does it get 22 in the city and 32 on the highway?

This one's a winner. And it proves BMW is about more than status. There's major-league substance here. Every other automaker should be taking notes.

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2011 BMW Z4 Review

Welcome to the gotta-have-it car of 2011. Men, women, kids....doesn't matter. Pull up in this and get ready for the questions:

Is it as wonderful to drive as it is to look at?

How fast is it?

Can you toss me the keys for an afternoon?

Here are the answers:

Yes.

Plenty.

I promised the folks at Chapman BMW in Chandler, Arizona that I wouldn't do that. 

Longtime TireKicker followers know that I believe in BMW magic. TireKicker's first review (complete with the story of my first teenage encounter with a 2002tii) was of a BMW convertible (the 128i).

Well, the BMW magic has never been stronger than it is in the Z4. The styling re-defines the concept of animal magnetism (something like this can't possibly be just metal). The retractable hardtop gives you the best of both worlds...the practicality and security of a fixed-roof coupe and the wind in your hair and sun on your skin of a convertible.

And it's a magnificent melding of the contemporary and the relatively recent past, grabbing styling cues from the limited-production 2000-2003 Z8.

The Z4 comes in three levels, the sDrive30i, with 255 horsepower and a base price of $47,450; the sDrive35i at 300 horsepower and a base price of $51,900 and the sDrive35is...335 horsepower and a starting price of $62,500.  Our week was in the middle of the line sDrive35i.

If there is a more balanced driving machine, I can't remember driving it. The car is light and nimble, steering responses are rightnowquick and, despite a short wheelbase and overall length, the ride is smooth while still giving great feedback from the road.

And inside, where the driving gets done? Well, the Z4 is every good thing about BMW. Phenomenal ergonomics, top-quality materials, an unflinching devotion to quality workmanship. And an integrated group of electronics that actually help get distractions out of the driver's way rather than adding to them. It's all (even the more complex functions) simple, direct and intuitive.

Even optionless, the Z4 sDrive35i would be a fantastic car, but our tester had several key option boxes checked: Titanium Silver Metallic paint (which everyone we encountered remarked on as the most beautiful shade of silver they'd seen), $550; the Premium Package (universal garage door opener, power front seats, lumbar support and BMW Assist with Bluetooth), $2,500; the Premium Sound Package, which upgrades the audio system while adding an iPod and USB adapter and a 1-year satellite radio subscription; the Sport Package (an increased top-speed limiter, sport seats and adaptive M suspension) for $2,300 and a further bump-up to 19-inch alloy V-spoke wheels for $1,200.

But that's not all. The 7-speed double clutch transmission (which includes a sport steering wheel with paddles, Servotronic and a multi-function steering wheel) was also on the list for $1,575. Those extra gears pay off in improved fuel economy...EPA estimates 17 city/ 24 highway.

$400 for the anti-theft alarm system, $500 for Comfort Access keyless entry, $500 for heated front seats, $2,100 for an excellent navigation system and an $875 destination charge brought ours to a bottom line of $66,200.

And you know what? It's worth it. It's three things: A brilliant car for driving, a work of art to look at, and over the long haul, an investment. Mark my words...this is a classic in our time. A car that 30 years from now and beyond you'll look at and say "I wish I'd bought one".  Any one of those things would be enough to secure the Z4 a slot on TireKicker's Top 10 Cars (So Far). All three? It's a lock.

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