Four new 5s for Oz

BMW's latest 5 Series range will give buyers a choice of three petrol and one diesel engine when the all-new car arrives Down Under later this year. Due to go on sale on June 3, the first F10 5 Series sedans to hit showrooms will be three petrol-engined models, the naturally-aspirated 528i and turbocharged 535i and 550i.

The single diesel model, the four-cylinder turbo 520d will arrive around 12 weeks later.

Though European deliveries start next month, Australia will beat markets like the USA to the punch with the new 5.

The new executive sedan is built on the same basic platform ('backbone' in BMW-speak) as the marque's latest 7 Series flagship. It boasts an extra 80mm of rear legroom but more conservative styling than the E60 generation it replaces.

All variants, including the turbodiesel four, will be equipped with BMW's latest ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic gearbox. And in keeping with the Bavarian brand's moves over the last 12 months or so, local specification levels are up right across the 5 Series range. For example: the satnav, Bluetooth and other features that were included in the Professional Pack offered with the last generation 525i and 530i are now standard across the new sedan range.

The new entry-level petrol model is the $99,900 528i. Featuring a naturally-aspirated 3.0-litre inline 190kW/310Nm six, the 528i is 30kW and 60Nm up on the outgoing 2.5-litre 525i yet its combined fuel economy has been trimmed from 9.4L/100km to 8.0L, says BMW Australia.

Additional standard equipment (over the E60 525i) includes: head-up display (now standard on all 5 Series sedans), Bi-Xenon heamplamps, park sensors front and rear, through-loading and 18-inch alloys.

With the new specification taken into account BMW claims the new 528i has price parity with the outgoing 525i.

The new 535i features a new direct-injected twin-scroll single turbocharged version of BMW's famous inline six powerplant that matches the output of BMW's previous twin-turbo six at a considerable fuel saving. The new 225kW/400Nm powerplant is just 0.4L/100km thirstier (8.4L/100k) than its 528i stablemate, and is 0.9L/100km more frugal than the 200kW atmo 530i model it essentially replaces.

Priced from $128,900, the 535i builds on the 528i's spec with eight-speed Sports transmission (including paddle shift -- an $800 upgrade on the 528i), keyless access and start, rear camera, upgraded climate control, adaptive headlamps and more.

Top of the range (at least until the rumoured new M5 arrives in 2011), the new 550i packs a revised 300kW/600Nm twin-turbo direct-injected V8 engine and a pricetag just under $180,000. Your $178,900 (to be exact) buys a car that's 30kW/110Nm up on the last atmo 550i, takes just 5.0sec to get to 100km/h and is also more economical than the car it replaces at 10.4L/100km (was 10.8L/100km).

New 550i owners benefit from four-zone aircon, upgraded heated and ventilated front seats, DVD changer and other goodies over and above those already noted on the 535i.

Under the skin, all new 5 Series models feature BMW's latest Dynamic Driving Control and, in the case of the turbo petrol variants also get Dynamic Damper Control as standard fitment.

As featured in the new 7 Series, the former system tunes steering, throttle, gearshift and stability/traction control response across Normal, Sport and Sport + settings. The damper control system on the 535i and 550i adds a Comfort setting and continuously varies both compression and rebound damping to deliver optimised ride and/or handling across all road conditions.

For the time being BMW Australia has not confirmed the excellent new six-cylinder 530d for local consumption. The sole diesel, the 520d, is also yet to have its pricing announced, however, given the rest of the new 5 Series range is priced to match their Mercedes-Benz competitors (almost dollar for dollar), we'd suggest the four-cylinder oiler will be within an easy tweak of the $80,900 E 220 CDI.

BMW says its new 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine is 10kW up on the Benz's 125kW but at 380Nm it's 20Nm shy of the E-Class. At 5.2L/100km it's a handy 0.7L/100km more frugal based on Euro (not ADR) cycle testing, BMW claims.

Like all BMW's there's a hefty options list available for the new 5 range. Notable addons include sport suspension ($900), parking assistance ($1600), radar cruise control ($4700) and Adaptive Drive ($7000 – available on 535i and 550i only).

The much vaunted new four-wheel steering system (see our first Euro drive for more info) is an option on all Aussie 5 Series. It's priced at $3600.

Look out for our full international launch coverage of the new BMW 5 Series and more BMW news later this week.

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