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[Image from autos.msn.com]
The E39 automobile platform was the basis for BMW 5 Series
executive level car from 1995 to 2003. Successor to the BMW E34, it was
replaced by the BMW E60.
The 5 Series sedan is 4775mm (188in) long x 1800mm (71in)
wide, a roomier 330mm (13in) longer and 100mm (4in) wider than the 3 Series
sedan Hyung-Chul previously drove. It was widely praised in all aspects, and
perennially earned a place on Car and Driver's 10Best list. The E39 was
considered the benchmark of its class and Consumer Reports gave the 2001 530i
its highest car rating ever.
The 5 Series began the BMW three-digit number naming
tradition. The first digit represents the model, and the following two digits
(usually) represent the size of the engine in decilitres, which is the main
distinguishing difference. Additional letters may be added to the end of the
number to define the fuel type (petrol or diesel), engine or transmission
details, and body style. The 'i' originally stood for (fuel) 'injection'.
[text edited from Wikipedia]
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Seen in Episodes 13-19
Shortly after his months-long ‘Cold War’ with Sun-Mi came
to an end, Hyung-Chul upgraded from his dark blue BMW 328i to this silver
‘Executive’ 2000 BMW model 528i. Symbolic of his rising status at MBS, the
car made a more impressive carriage for his regular evening dinner dates with
Sun-Mi to trendy (and pricey) Gangnam restaurants.
The 528i debuts the night Hyung-Chul picks up Sun-Mi after
work at a bus stop on Apgujeongno, in a rendezvous she likens to “some spy
movie.” It must be the first time she saw the car, because Sun-Mi doesn’t
notice that it is Hyung-Chul pulling up until he beeps the horn at her.
In a sort of parallel scene, one of the last times this
car is seen is on the night Hyung-Chul races from a late night business
dinner at CREAM Cake House to meet Sun-Mi at midnight for a “five-minute”
hug. Again, as she waits she does not notice his arrival until he is right
next to her, sweaty and breathless from running, but without the car because
of an intervening road construction project.
Between these two milestones, the 528i is the setting for
several critical turning points in their roller coaster relationship.
Ep.13 – Hyung-Chul arrives to pick up Sun-Mi at their “then
and there’ Apgujeongno bus stop for a long-postponed dinner date.
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“There are plenty of luxury cars available to the
buyers with the means to purchase them. Almost all promise performance as
well as sybaritic comfort, though speed and handling usually take a back seat
to leather, wood and all possible power assists. BMW's 5 Series lineup is
something special, however. No matter what the driving conditions, a 5 Series
BMW is as much plaything as comfortable carriage. In this regard, the 5
Series models are genuine dual-purpose machines, totally competent whether
cantering lazily down the highway or urged to full gallop down a twisting
road.”
- Ray Thursby,
reviewer
[http://www.nctd.com/review-intro.cfm?Vehicle=1999_BMW_540i&ReviewID=466]
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Ep.15 – Young-Mi makes a move on Hyung-Chul after her
“reward” outing to the Once in a Blue Moon jazz club.
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