I know this isn't an easy thing to do, but just for now let's ignore the BMW M5. If you're not interested in that car's startling performance - or are not prepared to deal with the compromises which result from it - there is a strong case for saying that the 535d is the ultimate 5-Series.

Even if you don't count the M5, the 535d is not the fastest car in the range, nor is it the most expensive. And it has stiff competition from within its own stable, supplied by the 540i and the 550i.

But those are petrol cars, and the 535d is a diesel. Its three-litre, six-cylinder, twin-turbo engine is rightly regarded as one of the best in the industry. Its maximum power output is 286bhp, which would have seemed like either a typing error or a ridiculously optimistic figure just a few years ago, though it's less than either the 540i or 550i can manage.

Like those cars, though, the 535d can go faster than its limited 155mph top speed. Its 0-62mph time of 6.4 seconds is not far short of what the 540i can manage, and although the 550i is a second quicker it uses vastly more fuel. And in any case, 0-62mph times - which don't relate closely to anything you're likely to do on the public road on a regular basis - are not friendly to diesels; it's how the car performs while it's already moving that matters, and there can be no complaints about the 535d on that score. This is a car which, to say the least of it, is quick enough.

The diesel engine is one of many to have benefitted recently from BMW's new EfficientDynamics programme. The cleverest part of this in the 535d is the Intelligent Alternator Control with Brake Energy Regeneration system. To tell the tale simply, the 535d recharges its battery partly through energy recovered during braking and coasting, and the alternator is activated only when needed, which improves performance, fuel economy and CO2 emissions. A win-win-win situation, then.

Source: [url=http://www.newcarnet.co.uk/BMW_preview.html?id=6926]New Car Net[/url]