Car of the Week - September 23, 2002

2002 BMW 530i

The BMW 530i is the middle child of the 5-Series - a 4-door sedan equipped with a 3.0-liter L6 engine linked to (in this case) an optional 5-speed automatic. The exquisite ride is accomplished via a number of systems: a steel unit body highly resistant to twisting and bending - a fully independent suspension with a multi-link double wishbone design - stabilizer bars front and rear. The result is a magic carpet experience - it glides on the freeway and slinks through mountain curves effortlessly.

Meanwhile inside you are bathed in something very special to those of us with households full of young children - silence. Ah, the the quiet of the 530i - reducing engine acceleration sounds to a sigh. This is a result of double-pane windows, and parts of the body being filled with expanding foam. Add to the hush a soft leather plush fully adjustable seat and you may be tempted to pull of the road and catch 40 winks. But fear not, merely slide your favorite CD into the wood covered player and feast on a sound system with delicious separation and clarity. Young and old, male and female, it's all thumbs up for the 530i.

- Mark & Katie Fulmer

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