BMW unveils new 5 Series sedan

BMW officially released the new 5 Series sedan at the Olympic Stadium in Munich,Germany. Internally known as the F10, this is the all-new upgrade we were talking about in our E-Class versus A6 versus 5 Series test in the November 2009 issue of OVERDRIVE. Officially the 2011 5 Series shared its platform with the latest 7 Series (and therefore, with the Rolls-Royce Ghost). The car itself is 10 cm shorter in wheelbase than its larger cousins. But, it is also over 7 cm longer than its direct competition, the new E-Class.

The sharing of the platforms, according to BMW, allows significant sharing of components and the joint development and now the joint production — at BMW's Dingolfing plant — will give BMW a big efficiency boost. The platform sharing also means that the strut-setup in the old BMW 5 (the E60) has been replaced by a four-link setup as in the BMW 7er. The F10 also replaced the E60's active steering with a new electric power steering assist mechanism, to reduce parasitic power losses — and therefore boost economy. The system is similar to the 7 Series' as expected and given that we found nothing to complain about in the 7, the 5 should be good too. On the options list - we're not sure that this option will come to India - is active rear wheel steering. And the F10 also boasts active roll control, adaptive damping - both optional and brake energy regeneration.

The interiors bear even more 7 Series cues. The dash layout, for instance, is turned to face the driver. Also facing the driver is the fourth generation of iDrive. All the models will get an in-dash seven-inch LCD for audio and aircon information display with the navigation-equipped models going up to a 10-inch screen. The car will also get an electro-mechanical parking brake. The BMW ConnectedDrive suite of driver assistance gizmoids now include a parking assistance, a collision warning with brake application in the Active Cruise Control system - and that also works with the Stop & Go system, a new speed limit warning. The night vision and HUD will be there, of course, but the night vision can now pick up individual persons and there's a lane departure warning system as well.

The new BMW 5 Sedan has been announced with a fair range of engines. The top engine is a turbocharged V8. Other petrol engines include a turbocharged petrol six cylinder and two normally aspirated petrol sixes. In the diesel range are two turbocharged six-cylinder options and a four-cylinder turbo with common rail direct injection.


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