Photo: Autocar
With the new version of the 5 Series, BMW only took a small step forward, improving on what was already an excellent car, on top of its segment. The LCI models brought EU6 compliant engines and some new variants.
Now the 5 Series range has a new base model in Europe, one the guys from Autocar took for a test drive. It's called 518d and it uses the same 2-liter diesel engine found in the 520d but with less HP.
The new base model has 143 HP and 360 Nm (265 lb-ft) of torque at its disposal so the difference is bigger in HP than in torque compared to the 520d. And you do feel it on the road, the 518d taking 9.7 seconds to reach 100 km/h (62 mph).
However, when you're buying an entry level model you're not really looking for high performance, are you? Especially with a diesel. No, you're looking at costs and this model returns an average fuel consumption of 4.5 l/100 km (52 mpg US) and is one of the most clean variants in the line up with only 119 grams of CO2 per km.
On the road the dynamics of the car will surprise you, especially with the adaptive dampers. The car feels steady and balanced and won't let you down in an overtake, despite having less power.
The only problem with this car is its bigger brother, the 520d. That's because the price difference is too small and most customers will chip in the extra money for a little more HP. However, if BMW was to take the prices down a bit more, the 518d would instantly become more attractive.
Full test at Autocar
The new base model has 143 HP and 360 Nm (265 lb-ft) of torque at its disposal so the difference is bigger in HP than in torque compared to the 520d. And you do feel it on the road, the 518d taking 9.7 seconds to reach 100 km/h (62 mph).
However, when you're buying an entry level model you're not really looking for high performance, are you? Especially with a diesel. No, you're looking at costs and this model returns an average fuel consumption of 4.5 l/100 km (52 mpg US) and is one of the most clean variants in the line up with only 119 grams of CO2 per km.
On the road the dynamics of the car will surprise you, especially with the adaptive dampers. The car feels steady and balanced and won't let you down in an overtake, despite having less power.
The only problem with this car is its bigger brother, the 520d. That's because the price difference is too small and most customers will chip in the extra money for a little more HP. However, if BMW was to take the prices down a bit more, the 518d would instantly become more attractive.
Full test at Autocar
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