The BMW 5 Series has been completely redesigned for 2011. Over the course of five generations, the BMW 5 Series has been one of the best automobiles money could buy. Now, BMW has revamped the line with a newly designed 5 Series — a near-perfect blend of performance, luxury and interior. The station wagon has been replaced with the 5 Series GT.

The mid-size sedan has a rear-wheel drive for all cars and an all-wheel drive model. It is also turbocharged for all models except for the base engine.

The 2011 BMW 5 Series sedan is offered with three engines that correspond to four trim levels: 523i, 528i, 535i and 550i. The 535i and 550i are also offered as xDrive all-wheel-drive variants. The base is the 523i and 528i features a 3.0-liter inline-6 with 204 hp and 258 hp. Stepping up to the 535i gets you a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 that produces 306 hp. Finally, the 550i has a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 that produces 407 hp. Each model comes standard with rear-wheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission. An eight-speed automatic is optional and all-wheel drive should be a late-model-year introduction.

The 5 Series is better equipped than previous generations, with standard features that include a sunroof, power seats, a power tilt-telescoping steering wheel, Bluetooth and a 12-speaker sound system. Typical luxury upgrades, depending on the model, include adaptive xenon headlights, parking sensors, navigation, night-vision camera, active cruise control, an automatic parallel parking system, ventilated front seats and heavenly 14-way “multi-contour” front seats.

The current BMW 5 Series returns to a more conservative appearance, one that bears a stronger resemblance to other BMW sedans. It is also bigger and heavier, while mechanically sharing much with the 7 Series. Interior controls and electronics were also upgraded to the latest BMW standard, and the design itself returned to a more driver-centered dash layout.

In many ways, the latest 5 Series represents a visual return to the past while incorporating the technological advancements of the present and future. These can best be seen under the hood, where turbocharging has yielded impressive gains in fuel economy. The new electric power steering is about on par with the old system in terms of feel, but low-speed effort has been greatly improved.

Body style, trim levels and options
The 532i comes standard with 17-inch wheels, ornamental front grill chrome surround, rain-sensing wipers, on-board computer, service interval indicator, leather steering wheel with multifunction buttons, automatic air conditioning with 2 zone control, Radio BMW professional with CD drive, double tuner, MP3 decoder and AUX-in control.

On the inside you’ll find leatherette upholstery, eight-way power front seats, driver memory functions, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, the iDrive control interface, BMW Assist emergency telematics and a 12-speaker CD audio system with HD radio.

The 535i is equipped in a similar fashion but includes adaptive xenon headlights. The 550i adds leather upholstery, upgraded front seats, parking sensors, auto-dimming mirrors, interior ambience lighting and a hard-drive-based navigation system with voice controls and real-time traffic updates. These features are optional on the 528i and 535i.

Opting for the Dynamic Handling package equips the 5 Series with an adaptive suspension. Required for this package is the Sport package, which includes 19-inch wheels, performance tires, special exterior trim and the multi-contour front seats.

Other major options, which may or may not be grouped into other packages, include keyless ignition/entry, a night-vision camera, automatic highbeam headlights, active cruise control, active four-wheel steering (535i and 550i), an automatic parallel-parking system, side-view and top-view cameras, a rearview camera, a premium audio system, an iPod/USB adapter, satellite radio, a rear sunshade, heated and ventilated front seats, rear climate control, a rear-seat entertainment system, a head-up display, a heated steering wheel and smartphone integration.


Safety
Standard safety equipment for the 2011 BMW 5 Series includes stability and traction control, antilock disc brakes, front-seat side airbags, side curtain airbags, active front head restraints and the BMW Assist emergency communications system. The stability control system integrates several features designed to improve braking performance, such as periodically wiping the brake rotors dry in wet conditions and automatically snugging the brake pads to the rotors when the driver abruptly lifts off the throttle.

When equipped with active cruise control, the 5 Series also comes with a pre-collision system that can warn the driver of the possibility of rear-ending a vehicle ahead. If a collision is imminent, it can also automatically apply the brakes.

The available lane-departure warning system alerts the driver via vibrations in the steering wheel if the car starts to veer out of its lane; the same sensation is felt for the available blind-spot monitor, which also utilizes side-mirror indicators when other vehicles move into the BMW’s blind spots. A night-vision system is capable of displaying possible hazards that are otherwise out of regular headlight range.


Interior design and special features
Both drivers and passengers will be quite pleased with the 5 Series’ cabin. There’s nothing particularly fancy going on, but the overall look of the dash is clean thanks to the standard iDrive interface that eliminates the need for a gaggle of buttons. The layout is quite similar to that of the 7 Series, with a center display screen and a configurable display in the gauge cluster. The iDrive controller, thanks to the new physical buttons and menu structure, is pretty easy to figure out and provides a large amount of customization of the car’s features. Opting for the navigation system is recommended, as its screen is larger and much better looking than the standard center display.

The front seats are quite comfortable, with the optional multicontour seats in particular providing an impressive amount of adjustability. In the back, there’s enough room for a pair of 6-foot adults to be comfortable, and the backseat is nicely contoured and padded. The trunk, at 0.396 cubic meters of luggage capacity, is actually below average for this car segment. bt