BMW 530d

[CTown Duramax]

BMW 530d

I love turbo diesels, so I rented a BMW diesel in Munich for two weeks over Christmas. I have some observations that diesel readers might find interesting. I wanted to rent an x7 diesel for comparison to my 2021 Tahoe LT diesel, but Sixt didn’t have any available. I wanted to try out the BMW in line six 3.0 liter diesel to compare it to the LM2. The 530d has the 3.0 liter diesel engine and it was available. There are two versions, one has a bigger turbo, the 540d. The x7 diesel uses the higher output diesel. The 530d has exactly the same output hp and torque stats as the LM2, same displacement and in line configuration.


I noticed that the 530d has very strong noise suppression. You have to listen carefully to hear the diesel sounds. It’s more quiet than the LM2. Coming back to the Tahoe after two weeks of 530d makes the LM2 sound more diesel like (fine by me).


The BMW engine has an ever so slight turbo lag not present in the LM2. While the gearing for the 530d is set up for Autobahn speeds, I was able to notice some turbo lag even in “sport mode”, just a little bit that is not present in the GM engine.


BMW electronics and tech. I sat for an hour reading the owner’s manual, but it did not help much. The lay out of the controls, the lack of consistency in design - screen or i-drive, “where’s that button again”? - and the complexity of simple functions presented too steep a learning curve. Nobody wants complicated. BMW designers need to buy a Tahoe. Both cars have the same electronic and tech features. GM deserves high praise for the layout of the stack and the simplicity of the controls. BMW's tech/electronics would be a deal breaker for a lot of people.


Another thing was build quality. The BMW is a unibody, so it’s obviously not going match the Tahoe’s body on frame solid bigness. Overall build quality was very good, but maybe just a bit behind the Tahoe.


Yes, I am comparing apples to oranges. The BMW chassis is super. Its cornering and brakes are mind blowing. It settles in at 120mph+ for fast intercity transit and it goes around curves like it’s on rails. The Tahoe does none of these things. Even so, I'll take the Tahoe any time anywhere.

 

[Geotrash]

BMW 530d

I love turbo diesels, so I rented a BMW diesel in Munich for two weeks over Christmas. I have some observations that diesel readers might find interesting. I wanted to rent an x7 diesel for comparison to my 2021 Tahoe LT diesel, but Sixt didn’t have any available. I wanted to try out the BMW in line six 3.0 liter diesel to compare it to the LM2. The 530d has the 3.0 liter diesel engine and it was available. There are two versions, one has a bigger turbo, the 540d. The x7 diesel uses the higher output diesel. The 530d has exactly the same output hp and torque stats as the LM2, same displacement and in line configuration.


I noticed that the 530d has very strong noise suppression. You have to listen carefully to hear the diesel sounds. It’s more quiet than the LM2. Coming back to the Tahoe after two weeks of 530d makes the LM2 sound more diesel like (fine by me).


The BMW engine has an ever so slight turbo lag not present in the LM2. While the gearing for the 530d is set up for Autobahn speeds, I was able to notice some turbo lag even in “sport mode”, just a little bit that is not present in the GM engine.


BMW electronics and tech. I sat for an hour reading the owner’s manual, but it did not help much. The lay out of the controls, the lack of consistency in design - screen or i-drive, “where’s that button again”? - and the complexity of simple functions presented too steep a learning curve. Nobody wants complicated. BMW designers need to buy a Tahoe. Both cars have the same electronic and tech features. GM deserves high praise for the layout of the stack and the simplicity of the controls. BMW's tech/electronics would be a deal breaker for a lot of people.


Another thing was build quality. The BMW is a unibody, so it’s obviously not going match the Tahoe’s body on frame solid bigness. Overall build quality was very good, but maybe just a bit behind the Tahoe.


Yes, I am comparing apples to oranges. The BMW chassis is super. Its cornering and brakes are mind blowing. It settles in at 120mph+ for fast intercity transit and it goes around curves like it’s on rails. The Tahoe does none of these things.

I used to run marketing for a German software company and spent many months living and working in Germany in 2010-2011, driving out to visit clients and such. Every car I rented was a diesel, of course, but my favorite was the Audi Q7 with the biggest turbodiesel option (6.0L V12 TDI). 300 km/h (180 mph) felt like a dawdle for it. Meanwhile the trees were flying by and the lane stripes merged into a solid line. Also, lane discipline there is nearly absolute. We could learn much from the way the Germans do highways - especially through the midwest and deserts here.

 

[Seamus]

I have owned alot of German cars and had BMWs for years. Always been a GM guy. Now older and more experienced IMHO Mercedes and GM have the best design and most intuitive vehicles. Will never own a BMW again. Always the BMW only things- just complicated and not intuitive. Mercedes is so intuitive and engineered differently. Easy maintenance also. Mercedes and GM for this household going forward!! Thanks for the review, Love my LM2.

 

[CTown Duramax]

I will have to rent a Benz diesel my next visit. Turbodiesels now are excellent. All the old disadvantages are gone. All out performance is nearly the same and diesel torque is much better and smoother than gasoline - the old adage "diesel horses are bigger horses" comes to mind.

 

[Seamus]

When I was I Ireland and Scotland 2 years ago there were so many really cool German diesels over there that arent even offered here. Annoying!

 

[RST Dana]

I have owned alot of German cars and had BMWs for years. Always been a GM guy. Now older and more experienced IMHO Mercedes and GM have the best design and most intuitive vehicles. Will never own a BMW again. Always the BMW only things- just complicated and not intuitive. Mercedes is so intuitive and engineered differently. Easy maintenance also. Mercedes and GM for this household going forward!! Thanks for the review, Love my LM2.

Komoressor easy maintenance ? I knew a guy that had one years ago and oil change was $500. The filter was not sold to anyone, it was dealer service use only. He traded before the next service.

 

[Seamus]

Komoressor easy maintenance ? I knew a guy that had one years ago and oil change was $500. The filter was not sold to anyone, it was dealer service use only. He traded before the next service.

That is about the worst Mercedes made. Total garbage. In general MB is engineered to be worked on and maintained, but not perfect. BMW is made perfect and makes no such provisions for you to touch it in general. Give me a GM vehicle any day...but if its going to be German...Mercedes isnt that bad on the normal models. I havent seen a running Kompressor on the road in years. They were crap when new.

 

[Vladimir2306]

BMW 530d

I love turbo diesels, so I rented a BMW diesel in Munich for two weeks over Christmas. I have some observations that diesel readers might find interesting. I wanted to rent an x7 diesel for comparison to my 2021 Tahoe LT diesel, but Sixt didn’t have any available. I wanted to try out the BMW in line six 3.0 liter diesel to compare it to the LM2. The 530d has the 3.0 liter diesel engine and it was available. There are two versions, one has a bigger turbo, the 540d. The x7 diesel uses the higher output diesel. The 530d has exactly the same output hp and torque stats as the LM2, same displacement and in line configuration.


I noticed that the 530d has very strong noise suppression. You have to listen carefully to hear the diesel sounds. It’s more quiet than the LM2. Coming back to the Tahoe after two weeks of 530d makes the LM2 sound more diesel like (fine by me).


The BMW engine has an ever so slight turbo lag not present in the LM2. While the gearing for the 530d is set up for Autobahn speeds, I was able to notice some turbo lag even in “sport mode”, just a little bit that is not present in the GM engine.


BMW electronics and tech. I sat for an hour reading the owner’s manual, but it did not help much. The lay out of the controls, the lack of consistency in design - screen or i-drive, “where’s that button again”? - and the complexity of simple functions presented too steep a learning curve. Nobody wants complicated. BMW designers need to buy a Tahoe. Both cars have the same electronic and tech features. GM deserves high praise for the layout of the stack and the simplicity of the controls. BMW's tech/electronics would be a deal breaker for a lot of people.


Another thing was build quality. The BMW is a unibody, so it’s obviously not going match the Tahoe’s body on frame solid bigness. Overall build quality was very good, but maybe just a bit behind the Tahoe.


Yes, I am comparing apples to oranges. The BMW chassis is super. Its cornering and brakes are mind blowing. It settles in at 120mph+ for fast intercity transit and it goes around curves like it’s on rails. The Tahoe does none of these things. Even so, I'll take the Tahoe any time anywhere.

It’s just that BMW is built for the European consumer, and the logic there is European, familiar to a European, but the Tahoe is an American with American logic. Moreover, put an unusual European in a Tahoe, and he will struggle in the historian from the unusual layout of the cabin))) I can say that, for example, the automatic transmission lever familiar to Americans under the steering wheel, which Mercedes switched to in Europe, was not cursed only by the lazy)))
Yes, the BMW is great on intercity highways at 200 mph, but the Tahoe/Yukon is not far behind it. For me, a comfortable speed on highways is 90-110 mph. And this speed allows you to cover long distances between cities quite quickly)))) It only eats oil at such speeds)))

 

[Vladimir2306]

I used to run marketing for a German software company and spent many months living and working in Germany in 2010-2011, driving out to visit clients and such. Every car I rented was a diesel, of course, but my favorite was the Audi Q7 with the biggest turbodiesel option (6.0L V12 TDI). 300 km/h (180 mph) felt like a dawdle for it. Meanwhile the trees were flying by and the lane stripes merged into a solid line. Also, lane discipline there is nearly absolute. We could learn much from the way the Germans do highways - especially through the midwest and deserts here.

Um...300kmh? Truth? on German cars the limit is 250kmh)

 

[Geotrash]

Um...300kmh? Truth? on German cars the limit is 250kmh)

The Q7 I mentioned wasn't a rental. It belonged to my boss, the CEO of the company, although the way I worded it wasn't clear. Lots of people tuned out the speed limiter on them, including him. Here's a video showing 277, but I tell you it would do close to 300 with minor mods, which he'd done. I saw it with my own eyes.