2011 BMW 5-Series Review and Prices

By Chuck Giametta and Jeff Maddrell

2011 BMW 5-SERIES BUYING ADVICE  

• The 2011 BMW 5-Series is the best premium midsize car for you if you want a performance benchmark that’s rediscovered its styling mojo.

• The 2011 BMW 5-Series is the first fully redesigned version of this highly desirable sedan since 2004. The sixth-generation 5-Series is slightly larger than the 2004-2010 edition. It’s more powerful yet more fuel-efficient. Perhaps most important to fine-car lovers everywhere, it’s less alienating in appearance. It’ll need all that to reassert itself against such gems as the recently revised Audi A6 and Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the all-new Infiniti M.

• Should you wait for the 2011 BMW 5-Series or buy a 2010 BMW 5-Series? Wait for the 2011 BMW 5-Series.Truth be told, 2010 5-Series models are more enjoyable to drive than 90 percent of the cars on the road. But the 2011 replacements should be every bit as satisfying and their styling and technology will be fresh for years to come.   

2011 BMW 5-SERIES CHANGES

• Styling: The 2011 BMW 5-Series sedan incorporates visual cues from the two cars that sandwich it in this German automaker’s lineup. From the larger 7-Series flagship sedan it borrows a bold presentation of BMW’s traditional twin-kidney grille, plus headlights alluringly integrated with the hood and front fenders. From the smaller BMW 3-Series, it sponges much of its body-side styling, including a full-length character line at door-handle level. The new tail gracefully blends influences from both cars. The styling of the 2011 5-Series sedan is central to its story because it helps close an unpleasant chapter in BMW’s proud history. That would be the 1992-2009 reign of former designer Chris Bangle, whose taste dictated severe “flame surfaced” body creases, beetle-browed headlamps, and a bustled trunk derisively tagged the “Bangle butt.” In fairness, that butt proved influential; virtually every luxury sedan now mimics it. And BMW’s post-Bangle cars retain some of his favored proportions. But the latest Z4 roadster and 7-Series sedans, and now the 2011 5-Series and the upcoming 2012 3-Series, all return to the swept-back lines and smoother forms that defined classic, pre-Bangle BMWs. Size-wise, the 2011 5-Series sedan grows by 1.2 inches in overall length and by a half inch in width compared to the fifth-generation 5-Series; the roofline is fractionally lower, too. A new substructure with roots in 7-Series engineering lengthens the 2011 5-Series’ wheelbase by a significant 3.2 inches. Wheelbase is the distance between the front and rear axles and a prime determinate in how a car looks and how much room it has for passengers. The 2011 5-Series sedan’s 116.9-inch wheelbase is the longest in its competitive set and helps minimize the front and rear sheetmetal overhangs – a look essential to a BMW’s sporting character. The car’s track – the width between wheels on the same axle – increases a stability-enhancing 1.7 inches in front and 1.8 in the rear. Cabin width is up as well, but rear leg room increases less than an inch, despite the longer wheelbase.

• Mechanical: The BMW 5-Series has always been high on any list of the world’s best-mannered sedans, frequently qualifying as the standard by which others are measured. BMW contends the 2011 model achieves new levels of ride and handling. It begins with a steadfast commitment to a near-50/50 front/rear weight balance. Aiding that goal is the car’s rear-wheel drive layout, which distributes the mass of the drivetrain along the length of the car instead of concentrating it in the nose, as do front-wheel-drive designs. Rear-drive also frees the front tires to do nothing but steer, but it isn’t optimal for slippery-surface traction. So BMW again offers the 5-Series with optional all-wheel drive (AWD), a popular feature with BMW buyers in the snow belt. Strong, smooth power also is part of the BMW formula and the engine lineup of the U.S.-market 2011 5-Series mirrors the one that served the fifth-generation well. The 2011 BMW 528i will have a 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder preliminarily rated at 258 horsepower, an increase of about 28 horsepower over the 2010 528i. The 2011 BMW 5-Series 535i will use a twin-turbocharged 3.0 inline six with some 306 horsepower, a nominal gain of 6 horsepower over the 2010 535i. The BMW 550i model will again have a V-8 but the 2011 version gets a twin-turbo 4.4-liter of around 407 horsepower instead of a naturally aspirated 4.8-liter with 360. All 2011 5-Series models are available with BMW’s xDrive AWD system; the V-8 model was previously unavailable with xDrive. AWD versions are designated 528xi, 535xi, and 550xi. BMW puts an exclamation point on the sporting identity of the 5-Series by making it one of the only premium sedans available with manual transmission, though only the 2011 528i is expected to offer one. Optional on that model and standard on all other versions of the 2011 5-Series is an eight-speed automatic, a new transmission that replaces a six-speed automatic. It’ll be available with steering-wheel paddle shifters. The all-independent suspension continues to employ weight-saving aluminum. A bundle of standard and optional adjustments fine-tune suspension stiffness to suit road conditions and driving preference and bring into play a variety of countermeasures to body lean, tail slides, and nose plow. The 2011 5-Series borrows from the 7-Series BMW’s Integral Active Steering system. This steers the rear wheels counter to the fronts below 37 mph to increase maneuverability and steers them in sync above that to sharpen handling.

• Features: The 2011 BMW 5-Series is aimed at well-heeled buyers comfortable with cutting-edge technology. Thus, the company’s iDrive central controller returns to govern most navigation and audio functions, even to supervise suspension and climate settings. This controversial bit of gear – basically a center-console mouse whose inputs display on a dashboard screen – came into the world with the 2002 7-Series, the first Bangle-designed BMW. It’s been simplified over the years but continues to confound the unpracticed. Still, like the Bangle Butt, iDrive was an innovation copied, with varying success, by virtually every other luxury carmaker. The dashboard in the 2011 5-Series is essentially the same clean, modern-furniture design introduced in BMW’s new Gran Turismo four-door hatchback, an odd car/wagon crossbreed as large as a 7-Series but wearing a “5-Series” prefix. All 2011 5-Series sedans come with an instrument-panel screen that displays navigation and systems information; it’s available in a standard 7-inch size or as an astonishing 10.2-inch wide-aspect monitor. Also available is a new rearview camera that adds top and side-view perspectives. Among other new features is a parallel-parking option that automatically backs the 5-Series into a curbside spot. Rivals beat BMW to market with this feature, but only BMW’s can determine if the target parking spot is large enough while the 5-Series cruises by at up to 22 mph. Also available are such driver aids as lane-departure warning that vibrates the steering wheel; head-up projection of key gauges onto the windshield; and an infrared night-vision camera that detects people and animals up to 300 feet away and displays their ghostly image on the navigation screen.   

2011 BMW 5-SERIES PRICES

• Prices for the 2011 BMW 5-Series sedans had not been released in time for this review. Some early reports say BMW aims to price the 2011 535i model the same as its 2010 counterpart, while other reports suggest an across-the-line increase of between 3 percent and 5 percent.

• For reference, 2010 5-Series base prices are listed below. (Prices in this review include the manufacturer’s destination fee; BMW’s fee for the 2010 5-Series was $825.)

• The 2010 528i sedan started at $46,625 with rear-wheel drive and $48,925 with AWD. The 525i sedan was priced from $51,925 with rear drive and from $54,225 with AWD. The 550i sedan came only with rear-wheel drive and started at $61,225. The 2010 BMW 5-Sereis lineup also included a station wagon version of the 535i. It came with AWD and was priced from $56,625.

2011 BMW 5-SERIES FUEL ECONOMY

• EPA mileage estimates for 2011 models had not been released in time for this review. Fuel-economy ratings for the 2011 BMW 5-Series are expected to improve slightly of 2010 levels. The more efficient eight-speed automatic transmission and advances in engine technology should help offset the additional horsepower and any weight gains associated with the redesigned car’s larger structure.

• For reference, the 2010 528i was rated at 18/28 mpg (city/highway) with a six-speed manual transmission and 18/27 with a six-speed automatic. AWD versions of the 528i rated 17/25 with both manual and automatic transmission.

• The 2010 535i was rated at 17/26 mpg with both the six-speed manual and six-speed automatic. AWD versions of the 535i rated 16/25 with manual transmission, 17/25 with automatic.

• The 2010 550i rated 15/22 mpg with manual transmission, 15/23 with automatic. BMW is again expected to require premium-octane gas for all 5-Series engines.

2011 BMW 5-SERIES RELEASE DATE

• The 2011 BMW 5-Series goes on sale in March 2010.  

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE BMW 5-SERIES

• Look for lots of movement on the powertrain front, including a possible gas-electric hybrid model. Chances are slim, however, that this sixth-generation 5-Series will return a station wagon body style to its U.S. lineup. The fifth-generation wagon was a slow seller in American, and the larger, more versatile 2010 BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo is expected to fill its role.

• Close at hand is the anticipated arrival of a diesel-engine 5-Series likely during calendar 2011 as a 2012 model. It’ll likely be tabbed the 535d and use a 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder turbodiesel with around 260 horsepower and more than 400 pound-feet of torque.

• Calendar 2011 should also include the return of the high-performance M5 model. To compliment a passel of suspension, tire, brake, and transmission upgrades, the new M5 is expected to use a specially tuned version of the 550i’s 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 with around 550 horsepower. It’ll replace an outgoing M5 that packed a 500-horsepower V-10.

• Finally, the 5-Series’ first hybrid model is expected for model-year 2012. Called the ActiveHybrid 5, it’ll likely pair a gas six-cylinder engine with an electric motor and be capable of running on gas, electric power, or any combination of the two.  

2011 BMW 5-SERIES COMPETITION

• Audi A6: Roomy, classy, solid, and sophisticated, Audi’s midsize sedans and wagons have lured some 5-Series intenders put off by the BMW’s styling. They discovered a lineup thoroughly refreshed for model-year 2009 in which the vast majority of models come with Audi’s quattro AWD. The range extends from naturally aspirated and supercharged V-6 models, through a V-8 version to the M5-baiting V-10 S6. Audi’s cabin décor is a real delight. Base price range is roughly $47,000-$78,000.  

• Mercedes-Benz E-Class: All new for model-year 2010 and another paragon of old-world values with a dash of unexpected sportiness. This line of rear- and all-wheel-drive sedans and wagons, plus a new coupe, features peerless engineering and unyielding build quality. Skews a bit more conservative than the others in this grouping, but there’s nothing conformist about the performance of the 500-plus horsepower, $90,000 E63. It tops a lineup that starts around $50,000 and includes gas and diesel V-6 models, and a 382-horsepower V-8 version.    

• Infiniti M: You could also easily group the Lexus GS sedan and even the Cadillac CTS sedan and wagon among 2011 BMW 5-Series competitors. But we’ll go with the redesigned 2011 Infiniti M sedan because it’s sportier than the Lexus and, well, has a measure of import cachet Cadillac is still chasing. Craftily restyled and significantly more powerful than the outgoing first-generation M, this sedan from Nissan’s premium division comes in 330-horsepower V-6 M37 form and 420-horsepower V-8 M56 guise. Both offer rear- and all-wheel drive. Look for a base price range of roughly $49,000-$58,000.