The Famous 5

BMW gives us an early taste of the all-new 5-series on Indian roads. Shapur Kotwal is suitably impressed.

Dabolim, Goa, 1830hrs, Runway 26. The pilot pushes the throttles wide open and the A320 gingerly begins its roll. Twenty-five seconds and some serious amounts of thrust later, the torpedo-shaped capsule raises its nose to the sky. What makes this departure truly stand out from the ordinary is that we are flying right into one of the most spectacular sunsets I’ve seen in a long time.

But there’s also another reason why this flight is so unforgettable. Thing is, I’ve just stepped out from behind the wheel of Mercedes’ brand-spanking-new E-class, after pedaling it around all day, and then, when I hop off the plane in Delhi, I’ll be getting straight into BMW’s all-new 5-series! How’s that for timing? Now, going from one drive to another is often par for the course; drives of new cars often tend to get bunched up towards the end of the month with deadlines being what they are, but driving two brand-new competitors, one right after the other, well that’s just never happened.

STRAIGHT TALK

The next morning, Delhi is cold and grey. The temperature on the digital dash reads 8deg C, and the mercury dips even further as we head out of town. Sunny Goa this isn’t. BMW’s new 3.0-litre straight-six, however, is lapping it all up, wolfing down all that cold dense air like a hungry beast. I recently drove this car in Portugal, but here on the highway, the engine spinning at 3,000rpm, the seamless manner in which it delivers its power – in one thick, wide stream – is just so addictive. I tuck in and go to full throttle every time I see a hint of an open stretch, and the powerband is so wide and the response so linear, it feels like there’s a controlled explosion going on under the bonnet, the wide rear wheels almost always fighting for traction. The new 5 really does have the ability to pin you in the back and keep you there.