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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 BMW 5-Series (F10) Forums General 5-Series Sedan and Wagon (F10 / F11) Forum Autoblog's first drive review of BMW 535i
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      01-25-2010, 03:11 PM   #1
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Autoblog's first drive review of BMW 535i

From Autoblog:
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/01/25/2...s-first-drive/

Quote:
The outgoing BMW 5 Series may have ushered in a dramatic leap forward in terms of dynamics, technology, safety and creature comforts, but it's the previous generation – the E39 – that Bimmerphiles still speak of in hushed tones. The departing E60 may have been a more capable package, but it was also the source of much controversy and hand wringing. Blame Chris Bangle. Blame byzantine iDrive menu structures. Blame spirit-muffling layers of electronics. Hell, blame improved competition or hidebound brand loyalists who refuse to accept the new. No matter whose camp you point the finger at, the 2004-2010 5 Series was a polarizing creature, both aesthetically and from behind the wheel. Despite (or perhaps because of) all this, BMW enjoyed record-setting global sales of the Fiver, suggesting that that the traditionalists had it all wrong.

Still, one look at the new-for-2011 F10 model might reasonably lead you to believe that a bit of mulligan has occurred at the hand of Adrian van Hooydonk and his design team – a toning down of the E60's most divisive elements. To be sure, the E60's Dame Edna spectacles have been consigned to a dusty drawer and the raised "Bangle Butt" has kept its date with Celebrity Fit Club. In the not-so-dearly departed's place is a handsome new sedan that appears simultaneously more in line with the 5 Series' lineage yet firmly set on the future. But to label the sixth-generation Fiver as an aesthetic or strategic regression would be incorrect, van Hooydonk tells us. As he points out, BMW design has a tendency to periodically muscle in with big, bold, design statements – to knock down walls – and in the follow-up model, its stylists can move about a bit more in the clean air made possible by its predecessor. Fair enough – we prepared to check our Weltschmerz at the door and give this new Fiver a shot. Has it all been worked out for the better? BMW invited us to hop a couple of planes to Portugal in order to find out.

In person, a lower roofline and a stretched wheelbase (at 116.9-inches, it's 3.2 inches longer than the E60, making it the broadest in the segment) have combined to give the 2011 5 Series a markedly sleeker appearance. The swage line that originates from just behind the front fenders and gets progressively more defined as it moves rearward lends directional thrust, as does its more aggressively shaped greenhouse. Wide, nearly vertical kidney grilles are attached to a snub nose, and even if the headlamps are now more conservative, the more upright grilles suggest that BMW is pondering a return to the forward-leaning, shark-like front end that defined its history. Indeed, AvH tells us that the sportier the model, the more pronounced we can expect this design hallmark to be (see the E89 for guidance). Overall, this is a confident, well-balanced shape, a clear design unencumbered by the shouty details of its antecedent.

All-in, BMW says that the automatic-equipped 535i weighs in at 4,090 pounds, about 100 pounds portlier than a comparably equipped outgoing model – remarkably little in view of its added size, rigidity (+55 percent over the E60) and technology.



Underneath its controversial skin, the outgoing E60 ushered in a new era of high-tech solutions for the 5 Series in virtually every arena, from driving dynamics to creature comforts to safety and overall efficiency. In this regard, with the F10, BMW has buried the throttle more firmly into the carpet than ever before. New engines, gearboxes, suspension architecture, rear-wheel steering, user-selectable adaptive drive settings, brake energy regeneration, and yes, another generation of iDrive have been whipped up in a bid to keep the 5 out in front of the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Audi A6 and Jaguar XF.

See here for rest of this great article: http://www.autoblog.com/2010/01/25/2...s-first-drive/
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      02-01-2010, 04:13 PM   #2
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I cannot stand that beige interior. I really wish BMW would start loaning these Auto Rags a 5'er with black or Fox Red interior (if it will be available).
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      02-02-2010, 11:15 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ProlifikBMW View Post
I cannot stand that beige interior. I really wish BMW would start loaning these Auto Rags a 5'er with black or Fox Red interior (if it will be available).
I personally like the beige interior. The problem with it is that it is so heavily promoted in demo cars and magazine articles that it will become quite popular / common. Hopefully they will have additional cool leather options for the USA.
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      02-03-2010, 03:21 AM   #4
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I dont understand what the hell is with e39?!? I had one and i have an e60 now!! The e60 is better looking, is better to drive, is better in everyway!!
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