100-109 BMWCAR 0606
Contents
1. The entry level model was the 5251 powered by the 2 5 litre 170bhp M52 engine its misleading badging a BMW characteristic while the next model up was the 193bhp 528i In 1995 performance diesels didn t yet exist and devotees had to make do with the 525tds which took its engine from the E34 equivalent It was neither especially torquey with 19116 ft or all that fast with 143bhp and it wasn t even that economical with an average fuel consumption figure of 34mpg but things would be very different in the not to distant future These three were soon joined by the entry level 5201 which mustered 150bhp from its two litre straight six and then the 5 Series muscle arrived in the shape of the V8 powered 5351 and 540i The 5351 badge may have been the same as that of the E34 model but the engine was all new and delivered 235bhp and 243lb ft of torque though the star of the show was undoubtedly the 540i Its 4 4 litre V8 had the same capacity as its E34 counterpart and while the E39 also produced 286bhp this peak was achieved 100rpm lower down the rev range The 51016 ft that the engine generated was a useful 1516 ft up on the E34 and was produced at a much more accessible St models by some margin and while the six cylinder cars had rack and pinion steering the V8s retained the E34 s recirculating ball arrangement due to space constraints In 1997 the Touring arrived and looked identical to the saloon bar the add2. BMW made its Steptronic gearbox available as the automatic option on all models bar the 520d which could only be had as a manual The next major change would come in 2001 when the E39 would receive its facelift which amounted to a number of cosmetic changes the smallest of these were the widening of the of the chrome strip around the kidney grilles and the change from square fogs to a round design The bigger changes involved the front and rear lights the latter adopted Hella s Celis clusters which employed LED strips that replaced the regular rear sidelight bulbs creating illuminated strips that 102 BMWCar stretched across the width of each cluster The front received forward facing indicators with chrome side inserts projector headlights and most importantly of all the angel eye halos that have proved so popular Equipment levels on the cars were reasonable without being overly generous but any sensible buyer will have specced the essentials so it won t be too much of a concern these days Early cars came in either regular or SE flavour all cars had ABS traction control twin airbags and an alarm while SE meant air con alloys fog lamps and OBC The 540i added a six speed manual gearbox M Sport suspension electric suspension control and rear air Suspension Options included an automatic gearbox which later became Steptronic the M Sport suspension and PDC When the Touring was launched the trim levels were re
3. Probably and now possibly the best used car in the world here s everything you need to know about the last car you ll ever need to own W ords Sel de Latour 10100 gri T s A the E39 continued to impress and gave two generations of its main rival the E Class a good drubbing only being defeated by the latest incarnation and that was at nearly nine years old Such was its success and so popular was it with the public that even now three years after production ended and the E60 has settled in there are many who cannot get on with the new design and favour an E39 over the later car The E39 wasn t just a pretty face though and BMW s engineers had put in a great deal of effort to make significant improvements over the E34 The E39 s bare shell was 50 per cent stiffer than that of the E34 and the use of aluminium suspension along with lighter drivetrain components meant a saving of 36 per cent over the equivalent steel parts which meant a lower kerb weight than its predecessor despite the size increase As well as being bigger on the outside the E39 was bigger on the inside with a longer wheelbase and more room for front and rear occupants Over its eight years in production the E39 has undergone a number of revisions with a multitude of engines to choose from which were replaced and expanded following its facelift The E39 5 Series was initially launched with two petrol engines and one diesel
4. Serious overheating and copious amounts of steam coming from under your bonnet could well mean a cracked expansion tank Luckily you can buy this separately from the radiator it ll cost you 38 plus VAT from a dealer The biggest worry you can have when buying an E39 is the dreaded Nikasil problem Early engines used Nikasil in the cylinder liners which reacted with certain ingredients in petrol causing it to corrode the cylinder lining Symptoms include poor starting a rough idle when cold increased oil consumption and eventually the car refusing to start altogether A compression test is the best way to see what s going on with your engine low compression means big problems The cars that were affected were six cylinder models from 1996 to 1998 and V8s manufactured from 1996 to mid 97 Most cars will have been fixed under BMW warranty and you can check whether a car has had the corrective engine surgery performed by handing over the VIN to a dealer There are however some cars that will still be running fine without any work and these are the ones to be careful of as they may well be on the verge of some major problems Do your homework and you ve got nothing to worry about If your alternator is playing up giving over voltage then the easiest thing to do is to get it reconditioned Removing it is an easy task in itself with information readily available on various forums and it should cost no more than 60 to g
5. so it s a case of finding the broken one It you ve got auto dimming mirrors which no longer dim then could also be the wires that are attached to these which could be worn you ll need to get the glass replaced and that s not cheap The front wheel bearings are also a weak point and may need to be replaced A faulty OBC with a pixillated display is a common problem and there s no cheap or reliable fix other than getting it repaired service people are offering on the internet or getting a new display though this isn t cheap Some facelift cars have low OBC while some have high OBC which was standard on facelift 540is the way to tell the difference is that low OBC has a separate doors open indicator while high OBC features a wide display with alphanumeric warnings If you start experiencing all sorts of bizarre and seemingly unconnected electrical gremlins occurring at once such as radio problems the airbag light coming on and the electrically adjustable steering wheel moving of its own accord then you ve probably got a faulty ignition switch A new one will stop all that You might not know but the V8s have a neat soft starting feature whereby rather than having to hold the key in the start position before the engine fires you simply need to twist it to start once and let it go the starter motor activating and disengaging itself with just one twist of your key A vibration through the steering
6. wheel at 50 60mph is often due to a combination of out of balance wheels and several tired bushes at the front end If your airbag light keeps coming on it s likely to be the passenger seat occupancy sensor or the sensor wires get both changed just to be sure of curing the problem If you fancy some heated seats you can buy aftermarket retrofit kits as dealers no longer sell these try www heatedseatkits com Despite the well put together interior the plastic seat trim is a weak point and can come loose or snap JUNE 2006 107 1998 R reg 520i SE High mileage metallic China blue grey cloth manual MoT September 06 alloys air con fsh 1 995 It s a manual it s got cloth seats and it sounds like it s been to the moon back but this is the cheapest E39 that we could find SE spec means a few mod cons the exterior looks pretty tidy and the full history offers some reassurance If you re desperate to own E39 and you haven t got a lot of cash here s your next purchase MONEY 2003 53 reg 530d SE 29k miles silver black leather sunroof air con CD changer xenons 18 inch alloys service pack fsh 25 900 You d have to really want an E39 for this kind of money but this 15 a fine example It s a good colour both inside and out it s an auto it s got one of the best engines and the xenons and CD changer are must haves especially for this kind of money No surpri
7. 6s as standard and at least a single slot CD player On later cars the Sport is without doubt the best model to buy just make sure it s got the standard aluminium trim and not optional wood xenons are a worthwhile investment sat nav is a nice addition though don t pay through the nose for it Full service history 15 essential and an extended warranty is always a good thing to have though it s not that common so be prepared to wait if you want that extra safety net worked itself lose Re attaching will see the headlight washers working properly Alternatively simply remove fuse number two which controls the headlight washer system and they ll stop working altogether and wasting your fluid A sticking bonnet can easily be cured by having one person putting pressure on the sticking side while another pulls the bonnet release 54015 have been known to misfire usually caused by the use of low grade fuel and not allowing the car to warm up properly before driving it hard Don t scrimp when it comes to petrol possibly even buying super unleaded to keep the engine happy Both the water pump and fuel pump are weak points the plastic impellers on early water pumps can fail As long as the car has been serviced regularly and received regular oil changes then high mileage shouldn t be an issue Wear and tear will always occur so various components will need replacing but the internals will be in fine fettle
8. 7 30 26 7 30 26 2 30 4 21 4 20 6 46 3 34 39 8 37 7mpg There s so much variety that you really don t have an excuse for not finding your perfect partner Whichever model you re interested there s plenty of choice though as we mentioned earlier the smaller engined variants aren t worth going for as they won t be that much cheaper than the other cars on offer and they ll struggle to cope with the E39 s weight Things start getting interesting from the 5251 and 5251 and both of these will give you a great driving experience but we d look at getting either a 528i or a 530i which are easily the two best all round models in the whole range If you want a diesel forego the under engined 520d or the 525tds and look at a 525d or 530d The 525d great all rounder and will appeal to those who want a frugal yet capable car but if you want to push the boat out then the 530d is certain to exceed all your expectations The 535i and 540i are very tempting as they offer a lot of car for the money and in theory only the fuel bills will be bigger than those of the other models If something goes wrong with the engine though you could be faced with some hefty bills and the extra weight and recirculating ball steering dull the driving experience a little Make sure you get a car with leather and if you want to play it safe an auto box as well Worthwhile options include climate control PDC bigger alloys as most cars came with 1
9. TWIN TURBO pma ined eee omPH PRINTED IN THE UK ISSUE 06 2006 USS9 99 CANS13 95 AUSS10 99 4 25 Qo E3QUITIMATEGUIDE ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BEST CAR IN THE WORLD Rally raider profiled Spot or dese too ee ll All the BMW oe SESS This article was brought to you by www ge38 com Ultimate 995 may not have been especially important year for you but it was the year in which BMW would launch what was set to become one of its most successful models and one of its best The E39 the fourth generation 5 Series made its first appearance in the autumn of 1995 and from the off it was clear that BMW was a winner Of BMW s various designs over the years this was one of the best and it managed to look fresh and new while retaining the all important BMW styling cues that customers held so dear The quad headlights were there along with the kidney grille and the Hofmeister kink while on the inside the car retained the driver centric layout that BMW had become so well known for At the time the E39 may have seemed like a brave departure from the angular lines of the E34 but this wasn t some wild new look for the brand it retained the family features and the evolution of the model was evident The E36 and E38 had already been launched by this stage so the 9 styling brought it in line wi
10. and makes the automatic experience more involving With so many different models to choose from it s hard to know where to start First to go are the 5201 520d and 525105 as far as getting a taste of the 5 Series experience goes all three can offer you executive motoring on a relative shoestring and all three are fine automobiles in their own right However the 525td is too unrefined and too slow the 520d only has four cylinders and is slower than the 525105 and the 5201 is equally underpowered and is barely more economical than its more powerful six cylinder engined counterparts You d do well to spend a little more to get a slightly more powerful Five to get the most from the experience The V8s weren t especially popular when new partly because of the price and partly because they may have seemed somewhat excessive but they make a great secondhand buy This is mainly thanks to the fierce depreciation which means that today the cheapest V8s aren t any more expensive than the six cylinder models The 5351 made some sense initially but when the 530i was introduced the two extra cylinders and 15bhp couldn t justify the 5 000 price difference Now however it s a great way to get eight cylinders under your bonnet and 245bhp with plenty of torque means brisk progress at the expense of petrol V8 models came with generous equipment levels so you re getting a lot of car for your money but for a little more money you can ha
11. et it reconditioned and as good as new GUIDE A tappety noise 15 likely to be the result of poor quality oil or the wrong viscosity make sure you stick to the recommended type but take a look at forums to see if other E39 owners have found something that works better Power steering fluid reservoirs often leak the standard hose clips are regarded as being the problem Viscous fan couplings can also fail which causes the engine temperature to increase when in traffic so keep an eye on the gauge h Tourings often suffer from faulty rear wipers The most obvious cause may the wiper motor but it could also be a missing connector pin within the motor assembly or a poor electrical connection If the wiper arm is extremely stiff you need to pump a load of oil into the little hole in the arm where it attaches to the glass move the arm around by hand and then add some more oil Eventually the arm should free up If the PDC isn t working check the fuse It s also worth cleaning the sensors putting the car in reverse and checking each sensor to see if it makes a ticking or clicking noise which indicates it s working correctly You can easily upgrade to the later Celis rear lights though a few minor modifications will be needed to ensure they fit correctly and you ll need to ensure that the kit your buying includes the LED modules as they run lower voltage and your OBC will think you ve got a blown bulb o
12. et stuck into the back roads with vigour While the regular cars may be far from sporty the suspension allowed for a compliant and comfortable ride but at the same time managed to stave off excess body roll Drive a petrol six and a diesel back to back and you can feel the extra weight in the nose but it s not enough to spoil the fun it s only the V8s that suffer partly due to their engine weights but also due to the recirculating ball steering It s not terrible but it does rob you of some steering feel making the car seem more aloof but it s a minor point when you balance against the performance All cars came with a manual gearbox as standard which is so good that it s a shame that the vast majority of 595 were specced as autos The manual box features a lovely smooth gearchange with a well weighted action and a perfect throw allowing you to power through the box when the mood takes you The auto is an excellent box in its own right offering up creamy smooth nearly imperceptible shifts as it shifts up through its five ratios If you re happy with an auto then what you really want is one of the later Steptronic equipped cars while this was a still a five speed gearbox you could throw the lever across to a separate plane which then allowed you to shift up and down through the gears by nudging the gear selector It s not as good as a manual but the extra control over the gears is a welcome addition
13. hing the lever across as long as you don t come to a stop or the have the voice control function This can be activated using retrofit coding problem will resume The gearbox uses a crankshaft sensor to calculate the with the 610 module being the last one that was freely codeable and that torque converter speed so if this becomes faulty it is likely to be the cause but was for phone functions only Dealers now charge approximately 300 for a faulty rear wheel sensor may also be to blame the coding and it may well be simpler to buy a later ULF Manual transmissions will often make noises while idling when warm this While we can t condone it there are plenty of leads available which will is normal allow you to watch the TV while on the go You can also buy digital tuners Check your handbrake as they often don t work as well as you might expect giving you access to all the freeview channels and will need adjusting 106 BMWCar GUIDE If you want to lower your car without ruining the ride a popular choice are Eibach springs which drop your ride height by 30mm at the front and around 25mm at the rear and will also improve the car s handling a AY A oe a 95 If your electric mirrors aren t folding then you ll either need Faulty ABS sensors will cause your ABS light to come on there s a sensor in new motor or the mirror control module might be broken If each wheel at the back of the disc
14. ition of the attractively designed estate section The Touring gained a number of practical additions over the Saloon including a separately opening rear window as featured on the E34 Touring which was now easier to use an optional sliding loading floor and a powered tailgate which could be opened or closed from the key fob or a button on the tailgate itself Despite these features the Touring was very much a case of style over substance and while the load bay was flat it wasn t especially large when compared to rivals making the Touring very much what its name suggested a lifestyle estate for weekends away rather than a full on Ikea mobile While the 5251 and 528i had been the saloon s biggest sellers Touring buyers turned their attention to the diesel lump which best seemed to fit in with the car s image 1998 saw the first major changes in the engine line up with revisions to existing engines and the addition of a number of new powerplants The biggest news was the arrival of the 530d which saw the first public appearance of the near legendary M57 engine Most car manufacturers had been working on direct injection diesels which boasted a 20 per cent increase in efficiency when compared to the older swirl chamber design but BMW s efforts would overshadow anything that the others had put together With 193bhp the 530d matched the 528 for power but its torque peak of 30216 ft put it in the same ballpark as the 540i On
15. l joint failures as are common problem If your car has self levelling rear suspension and one side drops down the cause 15 more than likely a leaking air spring These rubber bags take the place of regular springs and can split causing air to leak out These can be easily though not especially cheaply replaced by your dealer The cup holders can easily break so make sure they work properly If your car has the widescreen sat nav monitor then it s a simple A number of owners with manual cars have reported that when warm the gear plug and play swap for the MkIV DVD based sat nav system which boasts lever becomes stiff and stops self centring this is nothing to worry about and faster map access and more information per disc You can find these readily the gearbox will still function normally on the internet Another problem that has been experienced by a number of owners is a fault The standard stereo on the E39 isn t particularly good and uses Nokia with the automatic gearbox where the car refuses to move or rev past a certain speakers replacing them with component speakers from the likes of point while in D but switching to Steptronic mode will allow you to drive Alpine and adding a Basslink will make a huge difference to sound quality normally as long as you change gears yourself It may be possible to continue in When it comes to Bluetooth cars fitted with early UFL modules don t D by switc
16. ll bases but if you can afford a little more then the 5301 is easily the best all round E39 money can buy The engine 15 as sweet as you like it really will do everything you need and just a little more The only negative that comes to mind 15 that if you plan on doing a lot of miles then the fuel economy may be an issue it s not bad but as an auto and with a healthy dose of city driving you might find yourself at the pumps more than you d want The 530d is the answer to all your problems offering great fuel economy and the serious torque means that effortless progress Is just a flex of your foot away Being a turbo diesel it s easy to get more power out of it with a simple performance upgrade Price is the only thing you have to take into consideration as the cheapest 53045 are more than the equivalent 530is meaning you could save yourself some money buying a petrol which would cover your fuel expenses for years to come JUNE 2006 103 Headlights misting up is a common problem check that the rubber drains on the back of the units are attached properly and turn on your high beam for about 10 minutes to dry the lights out Dust in the inner light covers is also a common problem and simply a result of the headlights poor design and there s nothing you can do about tt A faulty rain sensor can be cured by getting the sensor reset it s possible that a new sensor screen will be needed If your headlamp washe
17. me sensible extras make this the perfect E39 There s also a full service history and it s a facelift model this car wants for nothing and neither will you Worth every penny and when the time comes to move on this will return a tidy sum 108 BMWCar 1 43 scale E39 5 Series Touring black BMW part number 80 42 301 607 1 87 scale E39 5 Series Saloon silver 80 41 O 137 981 E39 5 Series Touring Biaritz blue 80 41 9 421 516 Books BMW 5 Series The Complete Story 2005 The Crowood Press Ltd 14 99 BMW 5 Series Service Manual 2003 Robert Bentley Inc 99 95 BMW 5 Series 6 Cylinder Petrol 93 to 03 Haynes Service and Repair manuals 2005 Haynes 17 99 GUIDE JUNE 2006 109
18. paper its performance figures were all but a match for the petrol equivalent but in the real world the vast reserves of torque made it seem much faster and it was far more economical than the 528i and the old 525tds More importantly it was incredibly smooth and refined a first for diesel and it suddenly gave buyers a real option to petrol Early 1998 also saw the addition of the four cylinder 520d and the 525d both turbocharged and both taking advantage of the new direct injection technology this meant that buyers could benefit no matter what their budget JUNE 2006 107 and enjoy the diesel revolution All petrol engines gained double VANOS and there was a major reshuffle in terms of power outputs and badging The 52015 engine grew to a 2 2 litre which meant 170bhp 15516 ft of torque while the 5231 became the 5251 peak power was now 192bhp but it now produced its 1811 ft of torque 450rpm earlier than before The 5281 became the 5301 which meant power was now up to 231bhp and torque had risen to 22116 ft figures that put it a whisker away from the 535i this in turn gained an extra 1Obhp which meant it now had 245bhp and torque also increased to 255lb ft chopping 0 1 seconds off the O 62mph time The 54015 outputs remained unchanged but the addition of the double VANOS meant that both peak power and torque were produced lower down the rev range at 5500rpm and 3600rpm respectively In addition to all this
19. rs are dumping water around your wheels rather than actually spraying any on your headlights remove the wheel arch liner and it s likely that you ll see a hose that has 104 BMWCar ENGINE Capacity 1991 2171 2494 2793 2979 3498 4398 1951 2497 2497 2926cc Bore stroke 80x66 80x72 84x75 84x84 84x89 6 84x78 9 92x82 7mm Compression ratio 11 1 11 1 10 5 1 10 5 1 10 2 1 10 2 1 10 0 1 10 0 1 Max power 150 170 170 192 193 231 235 245 286 136 143 163 184 193 bhp Max torque 140 155 181 181 207 221 243 255 310 325 207 192 258 302lb ft DIMENSIONS Length width height 4775 1800 1430 1440 mm Track front rear 1515 1530mm Wheelbase 2830mm Tank capacity 70 litre Weight 1410 1495 1420 1420 1440 1540 1610 1630 1490 1480 1595 1625kg BRAKES Front Discs servo assisted ABS Rear Discs servo assisted ABS CHASSIS Suspension Front Double pivot MacPherson struts Rear Multi link axle with trailing arms twin transverse upper links Steering Rack and pinion recirculating ball in V8 power assisted Gearbox Five speed manual six speed manual in 540i optional five speed auto Steptronic WHEELS Front 6 5x15 7x15 7x16 inch Rear 6 5x15 7x15 7x16 inch PERFORMANCE 0 62mph 10 2 8 8 8 5 7 8 7 5 7 1 7 0 6 9 6 2 10 6 10 4 8 9 7 8 seconds Top speed 137 140 142 148 147 155 155 155 128 131 136 143mph Economy 26
20. se to see full service history though the addition of the service pack is a welcome bonus Too much really but no doubt a perfect E39 1996 reg 5401 85k miles green 16 inch alloys leather seats fsh auto air con M Sports suspension rear 3990 efforts lack A 540i for under 4k Now that s value for Its H5 money Not too much given away about the spec but V8s came with a fair amount of toys as standard and it s got the essentials like the auto vised 998 tuners ore 2S produced 350bhp and 37 and leather Low mileage for the year backed up adventurous MK Motorsport fitted a Vortex Hartge claimed a mere 5 1 to 62 along with a by a full service history means it should be in fine ipercharger to the 540i which resulted 74mph top speed The last modified E39 condition Shame it s not in the best colour and 30bhp and a hefty 457Ib ft of torque In 19 featured was LSV s supercharg has small wheels but you ll struggle to get more t t ar MVR pa motor for your money 2001 51 reg 530i Sport 35k miles Titan silver auto CD changer climate control cruise control black leather PDC rain sensor xenons fBMWsh 153 990 Another tough call but we ve gone for this silver 530i as you ll save a few thousand over a diesel version and you cartainly won t regret the decision It s got a low mileage good colour highly desirable Sport spec and so
21. th the rest of the range and the models echoed each other in their appearance Yes it was bigger in every dimension in fact but its styling was so clean so well proportioned that it looked nigh on perfect It was as sensible as its predecessor but it seemed more mature more sophisticated the perfect way to move the 5 Series on The interior too had moved on but as with the exterior it was a subtle evolution of the traditional BMW values and you could see the similarities between the E34 and E39 The centre console and the instruments were all unmistakably BMW but the levels of refinement and the quality of the materials moved things up a level The dashboard had a matt finish which not only looked and felt expensive but reduced the amount of reflection on sunny days while the whole interior had a much smoother design reflecting the car s exterior design and eschewing the more angular aspects of the E34 Everything had been altered slightly to make it nicer to look at nicer to touch and nicer to use Over its eight years in production it was crowned as the best car in the world by just about every motoring publication on the planet and remained at the top of any buying guide you would care to mention Group tests against all and sundry were shrugged off by the all conquering E39 the 5 Series always emerging the triumphant victor no matter what it was put up against Even in its twilight years 100 BMWCar Best car in the world
22. therwise JUNE 2006 105 A faulty hedgehog heater resistor will cause your ventilation blower to stick and can also cause battery problems so if you have any fan problems this is one of the most likely culprits and it will need changing Noisy air con with a failed bearing sound could mean imminent fan problems while faulty air con could also mean a faulty relay or a clogged up system but you might also need to get the system re gassed or in a worst case scenario you might need to get the compressor replaced which isn t cheap A funny smell from the air con and a lack of cold air means that you need to get the system re gassed a service offered by many garages and specialists Heater buttons can be bought individually from the internet or as a set from your dealer for 17 96 plus VAT It might be cheaper to buy one but if one button goes then the others are sure to follow The climate control buttons can sometimes crack so check them all to make sure they look to be in good condition If you don t like your car s interior trim you can easily get hold of a different kit and swap the bits over as the old ones simply pull out If the driver s window refuses to open but all the others work from the same controls it could either be the motor or rainwater leaking on to the circuit board in the door causing the fault Uneven tyre wear is likely to be caused by worn bushes and ball joints so get these checked out Rear bal
23. ve a whole lot more car with a 5401 Genuinely fast and silky smooth the 540i has all the same V8 charms as the 5351 but with even more clout 60mph in a shade over six seconds 15 not to be sniffed at and the 540i will reach its 155mph limiter with vigour The difference in fuel economy between the V8s is negligible and if something s worth doing it s worth doing right so the 5401 is the best choice if you want the ultimate Five Don t expect too much of a driver s car though as the extra weight and less involving steering make the 5551 and 5401 better suited to long distance cruising than a B road blast The rest of the range is so good and caters for just about every need that it s hard to cut it down any further The 5231 5251 and 525d are all extremely capable cars the petrols have enough power and torque to make the E39 experience exciting while rack and pinion steering means you won t feel left out when the roads get challenging The 525d is both economical and fairly quick to boot making it perfect for those who do a lot of miles but don t need the extra performance of the 530d there s almost nothing in it in terms of price mind And so we re left with the three best models in the E39 range the 528i the 5301 and the 530d All three are quick all three are involving and all three are great to own and drive The 528i is one of the best ways to buy a great 5 Series and will pretty much cover a
24. vised and all cars gained driver and passenger head airbags SEs received a multi function steering wheel while 54015 got DSC Ill In 1998 both the 535i and 5401 received Dynamic Brake Control and in 1999 the first Sport models were launched The most desirable E39 trim Sport meant an aero kit Sport suspension Sports seats Sport wheel 18 inch alloys brushed aluminium look interior trim and Sport kick plates When the E39 received its facelift trim levels were again revised and the ES Edition Sport model was introduced for the 520i and 525d This took some equipment from the Sport and some equipment from the SE and was the cheapest variant available other than the basic spec 7 model There were also five limited edition models produced with each one available in a special colour Avus blue Aegean blue Midnight blue Champagne and Champagne II One of the reasons that the E39 proved so successful was down to its exceptional driving dynamics which meant that no matter which engine option you went for you d still be able to experience the car s exceptional balance and all round abilities This is without a doubt one of the reasons why the E39 was so often labelled as being the best car in the world The sweetest handlers are the six cylinder models the relative lack of weight over the front wheels and the use of rack and pinion steering means eager turn in and precise steering with plenty of feel allowing you to g
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