The sixth generation of the BMW 5 Series consists of the BMW F10 (saloon version), F18 (long-wheelbase saloon), BMW F11 (wagon, marketed as Touring) and BMW F07 (fastback/hatchback, marketed as Gran Turismo) executive cars and were produced by BMW from January 2010 (for the 2011 model year) to 2017, with F10 being launched on 20 March 2010 to domestic market and F11 in the summer of 2010. The F07 Gran Turismo was produced from early September 2009 to 2017, being launched in the domestic German market in late October 2009. The F10 5 Series shares a platform with the F01 7 Series full-size luxury saloon and the F12 6 Series executive-sized grand tourers. The F10 generation is the first 5 Series to offer a hybrid drivetrain, a turbocharged V8 engine, an 8-speed automatic transmission, a dual-clutch transmission (in the M5), active rear-wheel steering (called "Integral Active Steering"), electric power steering, double-wishbone front suspension, an LCD instrument cluster (called "Black Panel Display") and automatic parking (called "Parking Assistant"). A long-wheelbase saloon version (model code F18) was sold in China, Mexico, Turkey and the Middle East. Introduced in 2011, the M5 model is powered by the BMW S63 twin-turbocharged V8 engine coupled to a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. The Gran Turismo (F07) is the first and only 5 Series to be produced in a fastback body style with a hatchback truck opening. In February 2017, the G30 5 Series was released as the successor to the F10. Based on the G30 platform, the G32 6 Series Gran Turismo succeeded the F07.

Development

From November 2005 to December 2006, the exterior was designed by Jacek Fröhlich under the leadership of BMW Group Design Director Adrian van Hooydonk. The Touring version was designed by Jean-Francois Alexandre Huet. While the Gran Turismo version was designed by Christopher Weil. The F10 was unveiled in Munich on 23 November 2009.

Body styles

Saloon (F10)

The Saloon was the second body style to be launched. It was unveiled at the Munich Olympic Stadium on November 23, 2009 and production began in January 2010. The Saloon models have a length of 4899 mm.

Touring (F11)

The Touring model was unveiled at the 2010 Leipzig Auto Show and production began in January 2010.

Gran Turismo (F07)

The 5 Series Gran Turismo is a 5-door fastback body style which began production in September 2009. It has a length of 4998 mm and is longer and taller than the 5 Series Saloon/Touring models and has a hatchback rear door. The tailgate has a unique two-way opening mechanism, which may be opened in a traditional car-like fashion, or the entire hatch may be open in a traditional SUV fashion for larger objects. The 5 Series GT features frameless doors, which is a first for a four-door BMW model. Although sold as part of the 5 Series range, is suggested that the Gran Turismo chassis has more in common with the F01 7 Series, Due to its tall proportions, the F07 has been described as a "7 Series hatchback". It has a wheelbase of 120.7 in, a front track width of 63.4 in and a rear track width of 65.1 in. When combined with the raised roofline, this results in more passenger and luggage space than the E61 5 Series wagon/estate and similar headroom to the E70 X5 and F01 7 Series. The cargo capacity is 439 litres with the seats raised, or 1801 litres with the rear seats flat and the partition stowed. All F07 models use an 8-speed automatic transmission. The 5 Series GT was introduced as the BMW Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show and the production version was unveiled at the 2009 International Motor Show Germany in Frankfurt and sales began in the fourth quarter of 2009. In most countries, the 5 Series GT was sold along with previous generation E60/E61 5 Series Saloon and wagon/estate models, therefore the 5 Series GT was the first model of the F10/F11/F07 generation to be launched. The F07 535i GT was the first model to use the N55 turbocharged straight-six engine, which replaced the N54. Sales of all-wheel drive ("xDrive") models began in June 2010. For the following G30 generation, the Gran Turismo models were moved to the 6 Series model range and renamed the G32 6 Series Gran Turismo.

Long wheelbase saloon (F18)

A long wheelbase (LWB) version of the BMW 5 Series Saloon was developed for the Chinese market, as a lower cost alternative to the 7 Series. The wheelbase of the F18 is extended by 14 cm over the standard 5 Series Saloon, resulting in an overall length of 5039 mm. The F18 was assembled at BMW Plant Shenyang in Shenyang.

Styling

The F10 uses a more traditional BMW exterior styling approach compared with the controversial styling of its E60 5 Series predecessor. The "Bangle butt" is removed, a Hofmeister kink is present, a traditional kidney grill is used and crease lines are used on the bonnet (similar to the E39 5 Series and earlier generations). Reviews of the styling have ranged from slightly bland, to handsome and muscular.

Equipment

The interior features an updated iDrive system and a 13 mm increase in rear knee-room for rear passengers. The F10 saw the return of the centre console being angled towards the driver, as used on the 5 Series from 1981 to 2003. The equipment available on the F10 includes regenerative braking, a driving mode selector ("Dynamic Drive Control" with Comfort, Normal, Sport and Sport+ modes, an 80 GB hard disk for navigation data and music storage, Head-Up Display, radar cruise control which can completely stop the car and accelerate from a standstill ("Active Cruise Control with Stop and Go"), blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning system, night vision rear-wheel steering ("Integral Active Steering"), side-facing cameras in the front bumper ("Sideview"), a virtual overhead graphic of the car to assist with parking ("Topview") and speed limit display, which uses a camera to recognise street signs and display the speed limit. The full set of M Performance parts can be fitted to all Models with the M sport trim. These include blacked out grilles, a carbon fibre splitter, spoiler for Touring models, carbon fibre mirrors, side skirts only for M Sport models and an M Performance silencer for 535i models.

Engines

Petrol

The factory ratings are as follows: In Europe, the naturally aspirated six-cylinder models used the direct-injection BMW N53 engine, however many countries outside Europe continued to use the older BMW N52 engine instead, due to high sulfur levels in the locally available petrol. In Greece and Turkey, the 520i model used the 1.6 litre version of the BMW N20 four-cylinder engine, which produced 170 PS at 5,000 rpm and 250 Nm at 1,500–4,700 rpm.

Diesel

The factory ratings are as follows: For the 530d model, an M Performance Kit was offered in some markets, which increased power to 210 kW and torque to 600 Nm. North American 535d models used the 190 kW engine from the European-specification 530d models.

Drivetrain

Transmission options for the model range (excluding the M5) were a 6-speed manual or an 8-speed ZF 8HP automatic. The M5 uses a 7-speed dual clutch transmission (with a 6-speed manual also being available in the United States and Canada).

Chassis and suspension

The F10 uses the same platform as the F01 7 Series. Front suspension is double wishbone with double-pivot lower arms (previous 5 Series generations used Macpherson struts). Rear suspension is a multi-link design with 5 links called "Integral V". Most suspension components are made from aluminium. The chassis is constructed from various grades of steel and the body is 55% stiffer than its E60 predecessor. Compared with the aluminium front structure used by the E60, the F10's steel components are heavier but cheaper to produce and repair. To reduce weight, the bonnet, front fenders and doors are made from aluminium. The rear-wheel drive version of the 2011 535i has a rollover risk of 9.3% and a 5 of 5 stars overall safety rating.

M5 model

The M5 model of the F10 generation was initially powered by a version of the BMW S63 twin-turbocharged V8 engine rated at 412 kW at 6,000 – 7,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 680 Nm from 1,500 – 5,750 rpm. The official 0 - 100 km/h time is 4.4 seconds. The top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h, which could be increased to 305 km/h if the M Driver's Package was purchased. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission ("M-DCT") is used, along with a limited slip differential that can provide torque vectoring between the rear wheels. In North America, the M5 was available with a 6-speed manual transmission, the only market to be offered this option. In 2014, BMW introduced a "Competition Package" version, with power output raised to 441 kW and 700 Nm of torque.

Alpina models

Alpina produced two variants of the F10/F11 5 Series, the petrol-engined B5 and diesel-engined D5. The B5 is based on the 550i and is powered by an Alpina-modified version of the BMW N63 twin-turbo V8 engine. The original B5, which was unveiled at the 2010 Goodwood Festival of Speed, produced 373 kW and 700 Nm. The transmission is an 8-speed automatic. Alpina unveiled an updated B5 at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. Power had been uprated to 397 kW and torque to 730 Nm. During 2015, Alpina sold the B5 Bi-Turbo Edition 50, which marked the company's 50th year in operation. The Edition 50 uses an upgraded engine which produces 441 kW and 800 Nm. The standard B5 received this same engine for the B5's last year of production, 2016. The D5 Bi-Turbo is based on the 535d. It is powered by Alpina-modified version of the BMW N57 turbo straight-6 engine, which produces 257 kW and 700 Nm.

Special models

530Le (China only)

The 530Le is a plug-in hybrid version F18 long-wheelbase saloon, which was produced solely for the Chinese market. It was unveiled at the 2014 Guangzhou Auto Show. It was powered by BMW's 160 kW N20 working in conjunction with an electric motor with a maximum output of 70 kW. In pure-electric mode the 530Le can reach a maximum speed of 120 kph and has a maximum range of 58 km. Combined fuel consumption is 2.1 L/100km.

ActiveHybrid 5

The ActiveHybrid is a hybrid version of the 5 Series based on the 535i Saloon. It was previewed by the Concept 5 Series ActiveHybrid at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show and produced from 2011 to 2016. The production ActiveHybrid 5 features a synchronous electric motor integrated into the housing of the automatic gearbox. This is combined with the turbocharged 3.0 litre straight-six engine from the 535i. The electric motor produces 40 kW and 210 Nm of torque. The lithium-ion battery has its own cooling system and has a capacity of 1.35 kWh. Due to the presence of the battery, luggage space is reduced from 520 litres to 375 litres. Electric-only mode can be used at speeds of up to 60 km/h. The ActiveHybrid 5 includes a start-stop system and a coasting mode. BMW claims the ActiveHybrid 5 is capable of an electric-only range of 4 km. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rated the 2013 model year ActiveHybrid 5 with a combined fuel economy of 26 mpgUS, with 23 mpgUS in the city, and 30 mpgUS in highway. The fuel-saving technologies reduces fuel consumption and emissions by more than 10%.

M550d xDrive

The M550d xDrive is the highest diesel-engined model, and was produced in Saloon and Touring body styles. It was a launch model for the "M Performance" sub-brand – alongside the X5 M50d and X6 M50d – at the 2012 Geneva International Motor Show and was produced until 2016. The M550d is powered by the N57S triple-turbo straight-6 diesel engine. The N57S produces 280 kW and 740 Nm, resulting in a claimed 0 to 100 km/h acceleration of 4.7s (4.9s for the Touring). The transmission is a ZF 8HP 8-speed automatic and all models are all-wheel drive ("xDrive").

Model year changes

2012

2014 facelift

The F10 facelift (also known as LCI) models began production in July 2013. Changes include:<ref name="LCI changes">*

Production

Production of the F10 occurred at the BMW Group Plant Dingolfing in Germany and at the BMW Brilliance plant in China. Series production began on 7 January 2010 and the last F10 generation car was produced in February 2017. Complete knock-down assembly of German-produced kits took place in Thailand, Malaysia, Egypt, India, Indonesia and Russia.

Safety

The 2010 530d received five stars overall in its Euro NCAP test.

Marketing

In 2011, BMW North America released an advertisement called "Refuel" to promote the F10's fuel economy and re-introduce BMW's traditional "Ultimate Driving Machine" motto. The ad features an F10 Saloon and a jet plane. BMW Canada's advertisement for the launch of the F10 M5 in 2012 is a 2-minute video called "Bullet". The advertisement shows the M5 launching from a tube and destroying several targets in its path. In December 2011, the F10 M5 featured in a commercial where an illustrator attempted to draw a Christmas card in the M5 while it was being driven around the Circuit de l'Anneau Du Rhin. A movie featuring an M5 prototype driving in snow was also produced. The F10 M5 was also used as a Nürburgring Ring Taxi. It was unveiled at the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed and replaced the E90 M3 as Ring Taxi in April 2012.