Official News on the New 5

The All-New BMW 5 Series

The elegant and high-tech successor to BMW’s multi-award winner

Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, March 31, 2003… Announcing the all-new 5 Series, which will make its dramatic first appearance in the US this fall. True to long-standing BMW tradition, the new 5 Series brings to market numerous technical innovations including:
Innovative lightweight construction with an aluminum/steel body with an all-aluminum suspension and chassis
Available Active Front Steering, Active Roll Stabilization and run-flat tires
Choice of a 2.5- and 3.0-liter inline six cylinder engines or a 4.4-liter VALVETRONIC V8 engine all available with a choice of six-speed manual or six-speed STEPTRONIC automatic transmission
iDrive control concept with available head-up display
Available adaptive bi-xenon headlights and Active Cruise Control
This new 5 Series follows one of the most successful and lauded model series in BMW’s history, the E39 5 Series. The awards that model has won over its seven-year run include four AutoWeek “America’s Best” awards, seven Edmunds.com “Most Wanted” awards, six Car and Driver 10Best awards and a total of twelve Automobile Magazine All-Star awards. In its last full calendar year of sales, the 5 Series set an all-time sales record of nearly 41,000 in the U.S. The task of improving upon such an icon would be daunting for most manufacturers. However, for BMW one need look no further than the new 7 Series, a car that set new standards for performance, handling, luxury and safety in the premium-luxury sedan category. It is now time to push those same benchmarks in the executive class.

At first sight of the all-new 5 Series, the eye is captivated by the sporty and elegant styling which exudes both power and sophistication, from the muscular front end with its unmistakable curved headlight clusters featuring dual headlights, to the Coupe-like greenhouse to the sleek trunk with angular taillights. Not immediately apparent is the fact that the 5 Series has grown slightly to accommodate more passenger and luggage space.

The interior: More sophisticated, roomier, more advanced
The interior is fresh and new, and contains some of the renowned interplay of convex and concave surfaces from the BMW Z4. Featuring the iDrive concept, the 5 Series is a pioneer in its class in driver-oriented ergonomics. Most functions essential for driving are located directly in front of the driver, on or around the steering wheel or column. Basic comfort functions are housed in the center console, while all other settings, functions and services are located quickly and efficiently within the iDrive Controller and Control Display specially modified for the 5 Series. It is located such that there is ample room for a console-mounted manual or automatic gearshift. The optional head-up display makes a significant contribution to active safety, by presenting important driving information directly in the driver’s line of vision. This new system even allows the driver to select which information will appear on the windshield, for example speed or navigation instructions. Passenger comfort is further enhanced by the new automatic climate control system, which features evaporation temperature control. The rear seating area has grown from the previous 5, and trunk area is significantly expanded as well.

The all-new 5 Series will again be offered in three versions
The all-new 5 Series will again be offered in three versions, two featuring BMW’s award winning inline six cylinder engines and one featuring BMW’s ground-breaking V8. The 525i will feature a 2.5-liter inline 6 that produces 184-horsepower and 175 lb-ft of torque while the 530i’s 3.0 in-line six offers 225 horsepower and 214 lb-ft of torque. Finally, the 545i will feature the same award-winning, leading-edge 4.4-liter V8 engine that powers the 745i sedan, which uses double VANOS variable valve-timing, VALVETRONIC throttle-less engine control and infinitely variable intake manifold runner-length control, to produce 325 pulse-pounding horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque. A 6-speed manual transmission will be standard on all three versions, and an optional fully-electronic STEPTRONIC six-speed automatic will also be available.

Technical innovations abound
This all-new body makes extensive use of aluminum to form an extremely stiff yet lightweight platform, in fact, far lighter than its predecessor. This leads to better performance and fuel economy and an ideal front/rear weight distribution, in a car that is also larger than its predecessor. The rigid chassis and perfectly-tuned suspension are crafted entirely from aluminum.

The 5 Series debuts the world’s first Active Front Steering system. Active Front Steering offers a new level of driving comfort, motoring pleasure and safety on the road. This sophisticated system electronically varies the degree to which the front wheels turn in relation to steering input from the driver. Under normal driving conditions at low and medium speeds, the steering ratio becomes more direct, which reduces the amount the steering wheel must be turned. This enhances the car’s performance in city traffic, when parking or in curves. At high speeds, the steering ratio becomes more indirect and thus provides superior directional stability and very good, docile steering response. AFS works hand-in-hand with Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) by monitoring the yaw rate and changing the steering angle accordingly. This reduces the number of DSC interventions and thus offers optimum control comfort for the driver and passengers.

Also networked with AFS and DSC are the optional Adaptive Headlights. With this system, the two bi-xenon headlights are controlled in real-time as a function of the steering wheel angle, yaw rate and road speed, perfectly illuminating the road ahead in a bend. As an additional active safety enhancement the new 5 Series features Adaptive Brakelights. When the driver applies the brakes hard, or upon activation of the ABS, the rear taillights join the brakelights at the same intensity to signal following vehicles. Active Cruise Control (ACC), recently introduced on the 7 Series, will also available now on the new 5. This radar-based system is specially designed for highway driving, which makes it easy to maintain a safe and comfortable distance from the car in front. ACC also allows the cruise control to be more practical for driving in heavy traffic.

Crafted in Dingolfing, Germany, this spectacular new 5 Series will be available for sale in Europe in July, and in the U.S. market this October.

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