The BMW 525d was introduced before the model revision of the 5 Series in March 2000. The diesel power plant stood at the pinnacle of engine technology development. Common rail injection enabled the engine to run smoothly in the context of the drive concept and this made a significant contribution to driving comfort. A turbocharger with variable turbine geometry (VTG) brought about a reduction in the lack of starting power at low speeds. This was still common for the current state of the art at the time. It meant that the engine developed power similar to output in petrol engines.