'97 BMW 540i ManualThe awe-inspiring BMW 540i six-speed continues to impress us as the best sedan the world has ever known, with excellent handling, an opulent interior, and more than enough suds to out-gun 99 percent of '60s musclecars. This impressive claim has been proven on "Motor Trend Television," as our sinister 540i blew off a 435-horsepower '67 427 Corvette in a quarter-mile sprint. Editor C. Van Tune has been seen regularly challenging drivers in Mustangs and Camaros to 0-60-mph showdowns, leaving the befuddled ponycar owners in clouds of rubber-tinged dust as the 540i crosses the speedometer-measured finish line in 5.6 seconds. Inside, the Bimmer's split-fold rear seats combine with the voluminous trunk to offer a storage cavity proven deep enough to swallow a set of four mounted tires. It would be expected that a car with such extraordinary talents would rack up miles faster than the Hale-Bopp comet, but this intoxicating sedan has seen mostly city duty for the past few months. A recent oil pan gasket leak has been our only serviceable problem so far, while the first scheduled service is coming due in the next month.
| Base price | $52,350 |
| Price as tested | $58,145 |
| Body style | 4-door, 5-pass. |
| Engine size/type | 4.4-liter V-8 |
Transmission/driveline
configuration | 6-speed man./
front engine, rear drive |
| 0-60 mph, sec. | 5.6 |
| EPA mpg, city/highway | 15/24 |
| Total mileage | 6836 |
| Test mileage | 6826 |
| Fuel consumed, gal. | 453.3 |
| Fuel cost | $644.09 |
| Average mpg | 15.6 |
| Additional oil/cost | 1 qt/$2.15 |
| Routine maint. | None |
| Additional maint. | None |
| Previous maint. | None |
| Problem areas | Front power windows,oil pan gasket |
| Total operating cost | $646.24 |
| Operating cost/mile | 9.5 |
'97 Cadillac CateraTo determine if Cadillac zigged when it should have zagged, we recently acquired a metallic sand-colored example of the new rear-drive Catera. The luxo-sport sedan's $32,995 base price includes such an exhaustive list of standard equipment that it would take a year's worth of Long-Term Updates to cover each item, so we'll touch on the highlights. In the near-lux category, such features as power windows/door locks/mirrors, cruise control, and leather interior are expected. Cadillac goes a step further by tossing in dual-zone climate control, power driver's seat with memory, eight-speaker AM/FM/cassette stereo, security system, anti-lock brakes, traction control, and heated mirrors. We chose a power moonroof ($995), upgraded the audio system to a Bose-amplified unit ($723), added heated front and rear seats ($400), and finished the package with 16x7.0-inch aluminum wheels ($355). Initial logbook entries note a lack of traditional Cadillac feel. Its distinct Euro-flavor comes as no surprise, as the Catera is built in Ruesselsheim, Germany, by GM's Opel division to Cadillac's sport-luxury-minded specifications.