BMW 5 Series Rally Race

Luckily, my final leg included one of my all-time favorite roads, County G16 from Greenfield to Monterey, tough to find from the east but well worth the effort. I drove it as hard and fast as I safely could, reveling in the 550i's V-8 grunt and awesome agility. But its high-zoot sound system, like Bob, remained eerily silent.


We found the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa, on Steinbeck's famous Cannery Row with a breathtaking view of the bay, a little late, or early. Who knew? Celebratory cocktails and a scrumptious buffet preceded the award presentations. None for us, of course, despite much effort on the questions and photos. Our decision to optimize driving enjoyment and ignore (unknown) average speeds had done us in, as expected.


Best news of the night: The driver of the rolled up BMW was sore but intact. His passenger, a Road & Track staffer who races bikes and cars, said he had new respect for the BMW Assist convenience and communication system (a version of GM's OnStar), which detected the wreck and sent help immediately to the GPS-pinpointed location without any action on their part. Also that he'll brace himself before releasing his seatbelt next time he's upside down (banged his head) and might be more selective in choosing future drive partners.

The Cars?

Mostly terrific. The 5 Series styling, controversial at first but subtly tweaked for '08, has grown on us. Regardless of model, every 5's steering is crisp, its brakes solid and powerful and its chassis nimble and responsive. Both available inline sixes deliver more power and performance than the ones they replace. The base 528i's 230-hp 3.0-liter six is up 15 horses and 15 lb.-ft. of torque vs. the '07 525i. The 535i's delicious 300-hp twin-turbo six is up a hefty 45 horses and 80 lb.-ft. over last year's naturally aspirated 530i. The 550i's 360-hp V-8 is unchanged, but a new optional six-speed Sport Automatic offers paddle shifters and a Sport button for quicker shifting. The M5's 500-hp V-10 is an electronically managed road monster.


What's not to like? BMW's iDrive multifunction controller is cumbersome and non-intuitive, but we've adapted to it over time, and these cars have major radio and climate controls on the dash. No need to dive into iDrive for basic adjustments. Twin swing-out cupholders at the right-center and far right of the dash become knee knockers when employed, while the console space used by most makers is taken up by the shifter, iDrive controller, small open bins and an armrest cell-phone box.


The six-speed automatics electronic shifter blips forward for Reverse, rearward for Drive and left for manual control. Park is a button. Seems BMW is on a mission to change oft-used controls—shifters, windshield wipers, turn signals and more—from what we've long been used to into something different that requires getting used to. And how can any so-called "driver's car" have only fuel and economy gauges beyond their (excellent) large, round speedometers and tachs? Even cheapo cars have temperature dials to foretell impending trouble!


That said, it was a great driving adventure in some great driving cars. At the end of the awards banquet, one veteran journalist stood and offered the BMW folks a hearty thanks and a toast, followed by a room-wide standing ovation. Sign us up for next time!