Heads up for efficiency

As well as a road trip to Millbrook, man about town Roland Rendell puts the BMW 520d ED through his weekly routine and finds plenty to smile about.

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How does a car that measures 11cm short of five metres long, and weighs two thirds of an average African elephant, achieve such an impressive MPG?

More on that later, but it looks fantastic. The bonnet dishes out a frown that suggests the car means business, and I couldn’t help but crack a smile on noticing the similarities between the front grill and the Pringle guy’s moustache.

When you see the back of the 520d ED, you’ll notice subtle differences to the previous design. The spoiler lip is smoother, and the rear lamps feature trailing edges. Both affect the way vortices roll off the car, minimising drag.

After lowering my heavyweight boxers’ frame in to the 520d ED cockpit, I immediately got that pipe and slippers feeling of comfort. The driving position puts you in total control of something big, with all the gadgets you would expect from the German marque at your fingertips.

Heads-up
Push the power on button, the dashboard comes alive, and I feel like the kid in Flight of the Navigator. What Mode am I in?  Comfort mode softens the suspension and the car feels like its gliding across the tarmac. How about 'Sport' mode? A harder, faster ride, and not really what we’re about here. So, 'Eco Pro' mode it is.

Off to the local car park (the M25), where, on a trip to Millbrook, I hope to reach the 60mpg mark. And the car park didn’t let me down on this occasion. Ahead of me on the windscreen is the MPH projected from the head-up display. When I used the built-in sat nav, the directions popped up here too.

After coming to a congested stop and slipping back in to neutral, I took my feet off the pedals and the engine halted - Auto Start-Stop is just one of the Efficient Dynamics functions that helps achieve the car's impressive MPG. Dip the clutch, the car roars back to life. Upon reaching Millbrook, glancing down at the MPG reveals 58.7 - not the stated combined figure of 62.8, but very impressive nonetheless, considering the congestion I’d experienced.

Optimum shift
The ED design has set the bar for emissions in this sector. At 119g/km, this frugal machine out-greens the Mercedes E220 CDI and Audi A6 2.0 TDI by 20g/km and 30g/km respectively.

Brake energy regeneration, electric power steering and high-precision direct injection are all in the mix, but of specific interest to my friend Mr GreenFleet is the optimum shift indicator.

Fuel efficient driving techniques are increasingly adopted by fleet managers looking to minimise fuel consumption, and lower running costs and CO² emissions. Driver training is creeping up the agenda, but not every driver takes too much notice when told how to drive.

This is where the optimum shift indicator helps. The numbers and arrows will tell you when to shift up or down, and getting into the habit pays dividends. However, you'll find the optimum shift indicator tucked away on the dash. Add this feature to the head-up on Eco-Mode, and we really do have a fantastic green driving experience.  

Man about Town
The benefits of Auto Stop-Start became crystal clear during the remainder of the week's driving, which consisted of general running about - to work, shops etc, and involved quite a lot of parking. As this is larger than the average car, I found the parking assist invaluable.

In typical BMW style, they try and make things easy for you. Pull up on your left, ready for a reverse-park, and not only do you get Parking Assist on the screen in the centre of the console, the off-side wing mirror automatically rotates down giving you the perfect view of the curb, so you can avoid scuffing the 17” star spoke alloys.

During my rest-of-the-week nipping about, the MPG never dipped below the 44 mark. Although below the 50 quoted on the European drive cycle, for a man about town, it's impressive.

At £435 over the thirty-grand mark, some might say this is a little pricey. But what you get is a car capable of 144mph and 0-62 in little over eight seconds, while delivering better than average MPG and emissions of just 119g/km. Add the kit, and you’re really not that far off  Knight Rider.

I started by weighing the 520d ED up against an African elephant. The four-legged beast requires 50 gallons of liquid fuel per day to operate. The four-wheeled animal I was in has a 15 gallon capacity, and I didn’t even use half that amount in seven days. That makes it 46 times more efficient than the most powerful land mammal on the planet.