2011 BMW 5-Series Review and Prices

By Jeff Maddrell

2011 BMW 5-Series Overview
The 2011 BMW 5-Series will not be a drastically different car from the 2004 BMW 5-Series. BMW will take advantage of three years of research and development to upgrade and refine the engine and onboard computers. The 2011 5-Series is expected to give the driver an enhanced driving experience from its predecessor but offer little other variety from the current BMW 5-Series.

2011 BMW 5-Series Release Date

The 2011 BMW 5-Series is to be released to consumers sometime in 2010 and the first public viewing will be at the end of September 2009 during the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show.²


2011 BMW 5-Series Gas Mileage
BMW has not released any information on the gas mileage of the 2011 BMW 5-Series. There is some indication that BMW will attempt to increase fuel economy while still maintaining the expected engine performance.⁵ The 2008 BMW 5-Series achieved 17 mpg city/ 26 mpg highway.

2011 BMW 5-Series Price
BMW has not released any information on the price of the 2011 BMW 5-Series. The current BMW 535i has a MSRP of $50,800.

2011 BMW Exterior
The BMW 5-Series was redesigned for the 2004 generation and will not receive any major adjustments for the 2011 model.² The 2011 BMW 5-Series is expected to be slightly larger than its predecessor, with softened, less complicated exterior lines.⁵ The adjustments made to the 2009 BMW 7-Series are a good clue to what BMW has in store for the 5-Series, including the same double kidney grilles featured on the 7-Series.¹

2011 BMW 5-Series Interior
Like the exterior, the interior of the BMW 5-Series was redesigned in the 2004 model, and the 2011 model will look much the same with only slight changes. There should be more rear-seat space and there will definitely be an upgrade to the 2011 5-Series's technology.⁴ The car's iDrive System, an on-board computer and controller, will be updated with many similarities being seen between it and the new Audi MMI controller.³ The Car will use the FlexRay technology allowing for faster communications between the car's different systems. Most of the changes for the BMW 5-Series controls are focused on improving the driving experience.²

2011 BMW 5-Series Engine
The 2011 BMW-5 Series base model's engine will most likely be BMW's 3.0-liters inline-six.4 BMW will release numerous 5-Series models to take avantage of their numerous engines. The 2011 BMW 550i will use the 4.4 liter V8 with an eight-speed automatic transmission.² BMW will include some of their "Efficient Dynamics" into the 2011 BMW 5-Series, including direct fuel injection and a fuel-saving engine start/stop sytem.⁵ The "Efficient Dynamics" improvements may help BMW achieve the improve gas mileage that it is hoping for.

References
1. Korzeniewski, Jeremy. "Spy Shots: 2011 BMW 5 Series." Autoblog. 5 July 2008. Weblogs, Inc. Network. 9 Sept. 2008 http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/05/spy-shots-2011-bmw-5-series/.
2. Hellwig, Ed, ed. "2011 BMW 5 Series Prototypes Caught Testing." Weblog post. Edmunds Inside Line. 25 Feb. 2008. 9 Sept. 2008 http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/generalfuture/articleid=124923.
3. Padgett, Marty. "2011 BMW 5-Series Spied!" The Car Connection. 2 July 2008. The Car Advisory Network. 9 Sept. 2008 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2011/2011-bmw-5-serie....
4. Siler, Steve. "2010 / 2011 BMW 528i / 540i / 550i / 535d / 5-Series - Spied." CarandDriver.com. July 2008. Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc. 9 Sept. 2008 http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/car_shopping/latest_news_r....
5. Poole, Chris. "2010 BMW 5-Series Review and Prices." 16 July 2008. HowStuffWorks.com. http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2010-bmw-5-series.htm 09 September 2008.