| New BMW 5-Series | ||
 |
||
|
(Tue 24 Nov 09) From 1972 to 2009 there were five generations of BMW 5-Series, but now comes news of a sixth. It has slightly more room for passengers than its predecessor, it has 520 litres of luggage capacity, with further space available if you specify the optional split-folding rear seat, and it has more equipment than any previous 5-Series.
At its UK launch it will be available with a choice of three turbo diesel engines (in the 520d, 525d and 530d) and four petrol units (in the 523i, 528i, 535i and 550i). The 520d is expected to be the most popular version in this country, and it's also the first 5-Series to come with a start/stop system, which helps give impressive combined economy and CO2 figures. These have not been finally confirmed yet, but are expected to be 56.5mpg and 132g/km respectively. That's assuming the car has the six-speed manual gearbox which is available on nearly all models. There's also an eight-speed automatic which is standard on the 550i and optional on the others. The 550i is unlikely to be a big seller, but it's an impressive performer. Top speed is limited to 155mph, though there's no doubt that the 407bhp five-litre V8 engine could make it go faster if the electronics allowed it, while the 0-62mph time is five seconds dead, or exactly one second lower than that of the 306bhp 535i. All versions come as standard with Dakota leather upholstery, a BMW Professional radio and Bluetooth connectivity as standard. Previously these would have cost £2230 if specified as options for the 520d, but that car is in fact only £735 more expensive than its predecessor, even including the raise in VAT from 15% to 17.5% which takes effect in January.
Prices for the other models range from £31,235 for the 523i to £50,520 for the 550i. If your budget extends beyond this, BMW is offering a large number of options including Park Assist (which steers the car into a parking space while the driver attends only to the pedals), four-wheel steering, Surround View and Reversing Assist camera systems, a head-up display, Night Vision with pedestrian recognition and two rear-seat entertainment packages. |
