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AUTOS: BMW Shows Latest Version Of 5-Series Sedan
Sixth generation of midsize car features slimmed-down look and cleaner styling, and an eight-speed automatic.
Bob Golfen  |  Posted November 23, 2009   Munich (GER)
The 2011 5-Series shows a less-radical body style than the previous models with a low, streamlined look. (Photo: BW)
BMW released photos and information today of its sixth-generation BMW 5-Series, which will debut in March at the Geneva auto show.

Pictures of the 2011 midsize sedan show a toned-down body style from the previous controversial look with sharply creased character lines and vertical spokes in its traditional kidney-shaped grille. The long hood gets chiseled detailing that hints at the performance inside.

“The proportions of the new BMW 5-Series sedan are defined in archetypal BMW style by the long wheelbase and hood, short overhangs, aft-set greenhouse, and the coupe-like flowing roofline,” BMW says in its media release. “The slightly wedge-like shape of the body creates a sporty, forward-moving character.”

L-shaped LED taillights dress up what BMW calls the sedan's "muscular rear end." (Photo: BMW)
Horizontal headlights blend into the front styling while L-shaped LED taillights are used in the “muscular rear end.” The doors, hood, front fenders, and suspension assemblies are made of lightweight aluminum, though the new 5-Series loses the previous model’s aluminum front body structure in favor of high-strength steel.

A new multi-link front suspension replaces the strut suspension of past 5-Series cars, similar to that used in the latest 7-Series.

Two engine choices will be available at launch, a 300-horsepower, turbocharged 3-liter inline-6 for the 535i and a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 with 400 horsepower for the 550i. Either choice will be available with six-speed manual transmission or a new eight-speed automatic.

A few months after launch, a naturally aspirated 3-liter inline six will come with the 528i with 240 horsepower with the same transmission choices. The M5 version that will be released in the future reportedly loses the V-10 engine for a new twin-turbo V-8 that produces 600 horsepower.

The eight-speed automatic features taller cruising gears for improved highway mileage over the six-gear automatics that it replaces, BMW says. The additional gearing relates to “quicker shifts, greater smoothness and enhanced efficiency.”

The new 5 Series sedan gets BMW’s Brake Energy Regeneration system, which saves energy and fuel consumption by limiting the time that the engine must power the alternator. Instead of working constantly as in conventional applications, the alternator will have an electronic clutch that releases it from the engine when recharging is not needed.

The extra recharging will be supplied when the car is braking in the same sort of system used in most gas/electric hybrid vehicles. Accommodating the less-frequent charging is a more-powerful battery that can satisfy the vehicle’s high electrical demands without continuous charging.

The interior gets a more conventional luxury look than that in the past 5-Series with multiple choices of wood and trim and driver-oriented dashboard and console. Drivers get a full range of electronic performance and safety enhancements, and an updated version of iDrive controls.

The new 5-Series cars share new chassis architecture with the 7-series, BMW says, a departure from past practice, and “extensive use of shared components.” Both models will be produced at the automaker’s plant in Dingolfing, Germany.

Bob Golfen, Automotive Editor for SPEEDtv.com, is a veteran auto writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, who has driven and evaluated essentially every new vehicle sold in the United States. A lifelong car enthusiast with a passion for collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle, he annually attends and writes about Arizona's famous January collector-car auctions, focusing on Scottsdale’s monumental Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event. SPEEDtv.com fans email veteran Automotive Editor Bob Golfen at

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