BMW 5-Series Gains New 2.0-Liter Four-Cylinder Turbo Engines

There’s a lot going on in Munich today as BMW has unleashed details on its new model year portfolio. Following the news on the 6-Series, we bring you the updates to the 5-Series range that includes the four-door sedan, the Touring (station wagon) and the Gran Turismo liftback.

We’ll begin with the changes to the engine lineup of the 5-Series saloon and Touring models. Starting from this fall, European buyers will be able to order the 5-Series with BMW’s brand-new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine, which is offered in two forms producing 184HP and 270Nm (199 lb-ft) in the 520i and 245HP and 350Nm (258 lb-ft) in the 528i.

The 184HP 520i Sedan accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.9 seconds (automatic: 8.0 sec), while the Touring in 8.3 sec (automatic: 8.4 sec). Top speeds are 227km/h (141mph) (automatic: 226km/h / 140mph) for the Sedan and 220km/h (137mph) (manual and automatic) for the Touring model.

The average fuel consumption for the sedan is 6.8 – 7.0 l/100 km (40.3 – 41.5 UK mpg) (automatic: 6.5 – 6.7 lt / 42.2 – 43.5 mpg UK) with CO2 emissions of 157 – 163 g/km (149 – 155 g/km).

The 245HP 528i sedan completes the 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint in 6.2 seconds (automatic: 6.3 seconds), and the Touring in 6.4 seconds (automatic: 6.6 seconds). Top speeds are 250 km/h (155 mph) for the Sedan and 244 km/h (152mph) for the Touring model (in both cases the figures are the same for both manual and automatic versions).

In terms of fuel consumption, the 528i Sedan returns 6.8 – 7.1 lt/100 km (39.8 – 41.5 mpg UK) (automatic: 6.5 – 6.8 lt / 41.5 – 43.5 mpg UK), with CO2 emissions of 159 – 165 g/km.

Also new is the 520d EfficientDynamics Edition featuring a 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel with 184HP and 380Nm (280 lb-ft) that returns a combined fuel economy of 4.5 lt/100 km (62.8 mpg UK or 52.3mpg US) and CO2 emissions of 119g/km.

For the new model year, the 525d offers a 13HP increase over the previous model with its four-cylinder diesel engine now developing 218HP at 4 ,400 rpm and a peak torque of 450Nm (332 lb-ft). The same goes for the six-cylinder 530d that also gains a 13HP boost for a total output of 258HP at 4,000 rpm and peak torque of 540Nm (398 lb-ft) or 560Nm / 413 lb-ft with the automatic transmission. The 535d’s straight-six diesel was also tweaked and now produced 313HP and 630NM (465 lb-ft) at between 1,500 and 2,500 rpm.

Other changes to the 5-Series range include the expansion of the firm’s all-wheel drive system to more models, namely the 528i xDrive, 535i xDrive, 550i xDrive, 525d xDrive, 530d xDrive and 535d xDrive, plus the introduction of the 407HP V8-powered 550i Touring.

BMW is also offering as standard its start and stop system, as well as a Driving Experience Control switch that allows the driver to customize accelerator and, engine response, the power steering characteristics, the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) thresholds and, on automatic models, the shift characteristics of the transmission through four modes - “COMFORT”, “SPORT”, “SPORT+” and ECO PRO.

Finally, autumn 2011 will see the launch of an M Sport package for the 5 Series Gran Turismo, which includes an aero kit with new bumpers, dark chrome tailpipes, 19-inch or optionally, 20-inch M alloy wheels with mixed tires, sport seats, steering wheel and trim, plus a lowered M suspension.

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