Please visit my Blip TV channel at: www.blip.tv Please read my full written review bellow! A full in-depth review of an e39 2001 BMW 520i 2.2L. Positives: Refinement, comfort, road presents, motorway power, build quality, chassis, exclusivity Negatives: Sluggish low rev takeoff, buying / running / maintenance costs Performance: (3/5) The 520i shares the same design engine as the '525i and 530i' models, just with a smaller capacity. The 520i '2.2' engine was actually designed to replace for the previous 520i '2.0' model, adding an extra 20BHP. The 520i '2.2' engine actually has similar performance to the larger 523i '2.5' models which was later replaced by the more powerful 525i in the year 2000. The 2.2L unit itself is powerful above 3500 revs, but lacks torque lower down the rev range. But an advantage to this is the sublime 'higher rev' motorway cruising. The engine does however strike a respectable balance between power and economy compared to the rest of the engine range. The 2.2L unit can feel a little slow to react away from traffic lights, partly due to the weight, and BMW's ASC 'anti skid control' which cuts power to the rear wheels to prevent wheel spin. This system is a very respectable safety feature on rear wheel drive car's like this one, but does effect low speed performance. The manual transmission however could do with another gear, but, being a manual, the acceleration time is improved over the more common automatics. Handling: (3/5) The 520i is an <b>...</b>
