Styling

Drawing styling cues from the new 7 Series and the recently unveiled 5 Series GT, the new F10 5 Series sedan succeeds the Chris Bangle-designed E60.

Moving away from Bangle's polarising design, the headlights of the new 5 Series have lost the upturned outer edges of the outgoing model, while BMW’s trademark kidney grille gets a similar treatment to the 7 Series and the upcoming X1.

Compared to the outgoing model, the new 5 Series Touring appears more muscular, more sculpted and more athletic. Subtle rear wheelarch flares prevent the car’s flanks from looking too slabby, and a strong character line runs from the front wheelarches to the taillights.

BMW describes the new 5 Series' rear-end styling as "muscular". Tail-lights are shaped similar to the 3 Series, and the rear deck bears a familiar protruding lip.

Interior

The interior of the new 5 Series features a centre stack angled toward the driver - similar to the interior of the new 7 Series and 5 Series GT.

Standard specification includes Dakota leather upholstery, a sports leather steering wheel, and four-way electric adjustment for the driver and front passenger seats. The range topping BMW 550i also receives comfort seats with ventilation and heating.

Equipment

A new fourth generation iDrive system features in the F10, succeeding the third generation unit that debuted barely a year ago in the 3 and 7 Series. BMW has not yet offered details on the new iDrive's advances over the previous generation.

Standard safety includes front, side and side-curtain airbags, seatbelt pretensioners and force limiters and active head restraints.

Active Cruise Control with Stop-and-Go - stopping the car completely if needed and accelerating again when safe - figures among the optional safety features.

Other optional features include lane-change warning, heat-sensing night vision, parking assist and a surround view camera system that offers a birds-eye-like view of the car via high-mounted cameras.

Mechanical

The range kicks off with the 528i, powered by a naturally-aspirated inline-six petrol engine producing 190kW and 310Nm of torque. Fuel consumption is listed as 8.0 l/100km, while the 0-100km/h sprint is covered in 6.7 seconds.

The 535i is powered by a 225kW turbocharged inline-six with 400Nm of torque. Unlike the outgoing 535i - with which it shares identical power figures - the new six uses only one turbocharger and swaps the existing throttle system for BMW's Valvetronic variable lift system.

The range-topping 550i Sedan is powered by a 298kW twin-turbocharged 4.4 litre V8 - the same as that offered with the X6, 750i and 550i Gran Turismo.

BMW estimates a 0-96km/h (0-60mph) time of 5.0 seconds for the 550i, onto a top speed of 240km/h when fitted with the sport package. Without it, top speed is electronically limited to 210km/h.

The 520d produces 135kW via its four-cylinder turbodiesel, with a fuel consumption figure of 5.2 l/100km. The 520d is fitted with Auto Start Stop.

The entire 5 Series range meets Europe's strict Euro V emissions standards.

The new 5 Series Sedan will be paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission as standard. Although available internationally, BMW's six-speed manual transmission will not be offered with the Australian-delivered 5 Series (at least not yet).

The 535i and 550i can be optioned with BMW Adaptive Drive: an assortment of electronic driver aids that include Driving Dynamics Control, Electronic Damper Control and Active Roll Stabilisation.

Built on the same new architecture underpinning its GT sibling and the 7 Series saloon, the new 5 Series has a wheelbase around 100mm shorter.

At 2970mm, the wheelbase of the new 5 Series reaches nearly 100mm longer than the 2872mm wheelbase of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

Making the most of the shared platform, BMW has carried over much of the suspension components found in the 7 Series and 5 Series GT.

Multi-link suspension features at all four corners, replacing the strut-type systems that have held up the 5 Series since its introduction in 1965.

Active Front Steering - which debuted on the outgoing E60 5 Series - is featured in the new model, combined with the optional Active Rear Steering, counter-steering the rear wheels to give a tighter turning circle.

Pricing

The all-new 2010 5 Series range sees an increase in price for some models, the price of the 520d increasing by $6900 and the range-topping 550i rising by $8100.

• BMW 520d - $83,300
• BMW 528i - $99,900
• BMW 535i - $128,900
• BMW 550i - $178,900

Manufacturer’s Recommended List Price is shown and includes GST and Luxury Car Tax (LCT) but excludes dealer charges, stamp duty, statutory charges and on-road charges.