The new benchmark: whether you're tearing down the styling or tearing down the car, BMW's 5 Series still sets the standard

Automotive Industries, Oct, 2003 by Gary Witzenburg

BMW's mid-range 5 Series has enjoyed very long run as a darling of the media , upwardly mobile enthusiasts (UMEs) and a growing phalanx of wannabe UMEs. As the original and quintessential "sport sedan," it's been both benchmark and target for automakers aspiring to impress and conquest UMEs, both real and wannabe. At least in terms of image, it's the sedan for those who would drive a Porsche if they had more money and fewer practical needs.

BMW consistently sells some 40,000 5s a year in the U.S. for a 15-20 percent share of the luxo-sport sedan market, slightly fewer than Mercedes' segment-leading E-Class but more than everyone else's entries, which include the Audi A6, Cadillac CTS, Infiniti Q45, Jaguar S-Class, Lexus GS400 and LS430, Saab 9-3 and Volvo S60/S80. Its typical buyer, BMW says, is a 47 year old "driving enthusiast with practical needs" and a $150K annual income. Seventy percent are male, 37 percent have families and 35 percent boast post-graduate degrees.

Now, hard on the heels of its predecessor's highly successful 7-year run, comes an all-new 5 Series for 2004 with increased interior and mink room, improved dynamics and performance and a long list of technology features and refinements. It also arrives wearing BMW's controversial new styling and a somewhat simplified version of the love-it-or-hate-it I-Drive electronics control system introduced on its big-brother 745i sedan for 2002.

BMW styling changes for decades have seemed evolutionary and conservative, with each new modal building on the successful previous generation's shape. No morn. To the company's credit (at least for courage)--and many critic's dismay--this nervy new look seeks to redefine the BMW visual character by setting a bold course for uncharted territory.

Those who like (or have gotten used to) the new 7 Series may appreciate the 5 a bit more as BMW continues to spread its controversial new family look across its modal range. BMW says it "derives aesthetic interest not from lots of lines mad aim but from a complex interplay of concave and convex surfaces." To our eye, it works better on the 5's smaller size.

We've grown to like the front, with its prominent BMW-icon kidney grilles flanked by swept-hack quad headlamps, but we're less enthralled with the somewhat bulbous body and tallish tail. Roughly two inches longer, wider and taller than the '03 on a 2.3-in. longer 113.7-in. wheelbase, it does provide slightly more front head and shoulder room, substantially more rear head, shoulder and leg room and 26 percent more trunk capacity. It also boasts a fairly impressive 0.29 drag coefficient vs. the previous models' range of 0.29 to 0.31.

Bottom of the '04 line is the $39,995 525i, powered by a 184&p 2.5L DOHC 24-valve VVT aluminum 1-5, while the step-up 530i offers a 225-hp 3.0L version of the same silky-smooth six and additional standard stuff for an additional $5K. Both sixes are little changed except for intake and exhaust system tuning to enhance response at low to medium speeds.

Highly motivated by the same sophisticated 325-hp 4.4L V-8 that powers the 745i, the $54,995 545i replaces the previous 540i atop the '04 line. Easily the industry's mast technically advanced V-8, this smooth and muscular engine boast, s BMW's Valvetronic variable valve lift system and fully-variable intake manifold in addition to "Double VANOS" variable valve timing.

Valvetronic, among other things, fully controls engine breathing by varying both lift and timing of the intake valves, which eliminates the conventional throttle while improving power, response and efficiency. The downsides, of course, are cost and complexity, plus additional engine height that contributes to the new-design 7 and 5 Series' high hoods and beltlines. (See AI May, '03 "Its All About Flow" for technical details.)

All three available transmissions are all-new 6-speeds. The 6-speed manuals essentially add an 0.85:1 ultra-overdrive above the previous unit's five ratios. The 6-speed automatics incorporate BMWs "STEPTRONIC" manual shifting for drivers who like to control their own ratio selections for sportier driving on occasion. The 6-Speed Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG)--available at a later date with the optional Sport Package--is a clutchless electro-hydraulically shifted manual gearbox that will shift either automatically or on driver demand through the console lever or paddles on the steering wheal.

Extensive use of aluminum throughout the chassis and the entire front section of the body (both structure and skin) results in a new 5 Series somewhat lighter than its predecessors despite its slightly larger size and heavier feature load. The suspension (a unique double-pivot design in front, sophisticated multi-link in back) is virtually all aluminum. The transmission crossmember, engine mounting brackets, power steering primp housing, driveshaft and rear suspension subframe are all aluminum. An anti-oxidation titanium/zircon coating on aluminum components, plus a combination of rivets and high-tech adhesives, prevent corrosion wherever aluminum and steal are fastened together.