The BMW 5-series has long been the object of affection for countless sports sedan enthusiasts from the moment the first 520 roll from the BMW factory back in 1972. The 2012 BMW 5-series takes that success and brings in a few changes but they don't tamper with what's made it's such a winning formula. The new 5 Series is now a smaller version of the executive 7 Series which isn't a bad thing not a bad thing at all and there's no confusing the 5 Series for any other premium sedan.
The old styling has been morphed away as we gain more traditional BMW contours. The main trim levels for the 5 Series include the 528i, 535 i, and 550i. There's also an active hybrid 5 model as well as the Gran Turismo hatchback and the ultra high performance m5.
If there's a more upscale and accommodating interior in a four-door sedan we haven't found it standard and optional features are too numerous to mention but the higher trim levels come standard with most of what anyone would want keyless entry leather upholstery 10 way power seat iPod USB bluetooth connectivity and on and on and on. Now if you're not going to the v8 model where its standard equipment we recommend getting the hard drive based navigation because with it you'll get the much larger 10.2 inch in - screen rather than the much smaller screen that comes with the standard iDrive interface.
Like we said the 2012 5 Series shadows the 7 Series pretty closely except for the backseat which is a little smaller in the 5 now adults can sit back there with some comfort but a car like this usually offers more legroom. The BMW 5-series gives you three twin turbo powertrain choices from the base two litre inline-four with 240 horsepower in the 528i to the 300 horsepower inline six to the brawny 4.4 liter v8 in the 550 i that spools out over 400 horsepower.
There's rear wheel or all-wheel drive on tap with all of those engines but be aware that the base 528i only comes with an 8-speed automatic transmission but rear-wheel drive 535 and 550 models are available with a 6-speed manual which is pretty unusual in a luxury sedan. Previous five series may have been a bit more athletic but the 2012 are still excellent highway handlers with poison comfort however they may not be as enticing to buy as their competitors.
Fuel economy is exactly what you'd expect in this class of premium sedans with the 528 eyes inline for scoring the best numbers five series are blessed with a full assortment of safety equipment such as ABS stability control and eight airbags and they all add up to top-notch scores and IIHS crash tests. When you price out a 5 Series the base 528 I stickers at around 47 thousand dollars while the 550 I sedan with xDrive all-wheel drive starts at just over 64,000 and that's before options and BMWs powertrain warranty runs for four years or 50,000 miles.
Other cars to consider include the Audi a6 that can give the 5 Series a real run for its money and the upcoming s6 will be a tough act to beat. The mercedes-benz e-class can't be overlooked nor can the Lexus GS but it doesn't offer as many engine choices it may not be the luxury performance adrenaline rush it used to be but the 5 Series has nothing to be ashamed of it's a smaller version of the 7 Series and it comes in a smaller price and you can choose from several different versions and dozens of standard features and options and that means there's just as much luxury as there is variety so this 5 Series is still on top of its game.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthe BMW 5-series has long been the object of affection for countless sports sedan enthusiasts from the moment the first 520 roll from the BMW factory back in 1972 the 2012 BMW 5-series takes that success and brings in a few changes but they don't tamper with what's made it's such a winning formula and the new 5 Series is now a smaller version of the executive 7 Series which isn't a bad thing not a bad thing at all and there's no confusing the 5 Series for any other premium sedan the old styling has been morphed away as we gain more traditional BMW contours and the main trim levels for the 5 Series include the 528i 535 I and 550i there's also an active hybrid 5 model as well as the Gran Turismo hatchback and the ultra high performance m5 if there's a more upscale and accommodating interior in a four-door sedan we haven't found it standard and optional features are too numerous to mention but the higher trim levels come standard with most of what anyone would want keyless entry leather upholstery 10 way power seat iPod USB bluetooth connectivity and on and on and on now if you're not going to the v8 model where its standard equipment we recommend getting the hard drive based navigation becuase with it you'll get the much larger 10.2 inch in - screen rather than the much smaller screen that comes with the standard iDrive interface like we said the 2012 5 Series shadows the 7 Series pretty closely except for the backseat which is a little smaller in the 5 now adults can sit back there with some comfort but a car like this usually offers more legroom the BMW 5-series gives you three twin turbo powertrain choices from the base two litre inline-four with 240 horsepower in the 528i to the 300 horsepower inline six to the brawny 4.4 liter v8 in the 550 i that spools out over 400 horsepower there's rear wheel or all-wheel drive on tap with all of those engines but be aware that the base 528i only comes with an 8-speed automatic transmission but rear-wheel drive 535 and 550 models are available with a 6-speed manual which is pretty unusual in a luxury sedan previous five series may have been a bit more athletic but the 2012 are still excellent highway handlers with poison comfort however they may not be as enticing to buy as their competitors fuel economy is exactly what you'd expect in this class of premium sedans with the 528 eyes inline for scoring the best numbers five series are blessed with a full assortment of safety equipment such as ABS stability control and eight airbags and they all add up to top-notch scores and IIHS crash tests when you price out a 5 Series the base 528 I stickers at around 47 thousand dollars while the 550 I sedan with xDrive all-wheel drive starts at just over 64,000 and that's before options and BMWs powertrain warranty runs for four years or 50,000 miles other cars to consider include the Audi a6 that can give the 5 Series a real run for its money and the upcoming s6 will be a tough act to beat the mercedes-benz e-class can't be overlooked nor can the Lexus GS but it doesn't offer as many engine choices it may not be the luxury performance adrenaline rush it used to be but the 5 Series has nothing to be ashamed of it's a smaller version of the 7 Series and it comes in a smaller price and you can choose from several different versions and dozens of standard features and options and that means there's just as much luxury as there is variety so this 5 Series is still on top of its gamethe BMW 5-series has long been the object of affection for countless sports sedan enthusiasts from the moment the first 520 roll from the BMW factory back in 1972 the 2012 BMW 5-series takes that success and brings in a few changes but they don't tamper with what's made it's such a winning formula and the new 5 Series is now a smaller version of the executive 7 Series which isn't a bad thing not a bad thing at all and there's no confusing the 5 Series for any other premium sedan the old styling has been morphed away as we gain more traditional BMW contours and the main trim levels for the 5 Series include the 528i 535 I and 550i there's also an active hybrid 5 model as well as the Gran Turismo hatchback and the ultra high performance m5 if there's a more upscale and accommodating interior in a four-door sedan we haven't found it standard and optional features are too numerous to mention but the higher trim levels come standard with most of what anyone would want keyless entry leather upholstery 10 way power seat iPod USB bluetooth connectivity and on and on and on now if you're not going to the v8 model where its standard equipment we recommend getting the hard drive based navigation becuase with it you'll get the much larger 10.2 inch in - screen rather than the much smaller screen that comes with the standard iDrive interface like we said the 2012 5 Series shadows the 7 Series pretty closely except for the backseat which is a little smaller in the 5 now adults can sit back there with some comfort but a car like this usually offers more legroom the BMW 5-series gives you three twin turbo powertrain choices from the base two litre inline-four with 240 horsepower in the 528i to the 300 horsepower inline six to the brawny 4.4 liter v8 in the 550 i that spools out over 400 horsepower there's rear wheel or all-wheel drive on tap with all of those engines but be aware that the base 528i only comes with an 8-speed automatic transmission but rear-wheel drive 535 and 550 models are available with a 6-speed manual which is pretty unusual in a luxury sedan previous five series may have been a bit more athletic but the 2012 are still excellent highway handlers with poison comfort however they may not be as enticing to buy as their competitors fuel economy is exactly what you'd expect in this class of premium sedans with the 528 eyes inline for scoring the best numbers five series are blessed with a full assortment of safety equipment such as ABS stability control and eight airbags and they all add up to top-notch scores and IIHS crash tests when you price out a 5 Series the base 528 I stickers at around 47 thousand dollars while the 550 I sedan with xDrive all-wheel drive starts at just over 64,000 and that's before options and BMWs powertrain warranty runs for four years or 50,000 miles other cars to consider include the Audi a6 that can give the 5 Series a real run for its money and the upcoming s6 will be a tough act to beat the mercedes-benz e-class can't be overlooked nor can the Lexus GS but it doesn't offer as many engine choices it may not be the luxury performance adrenaline rush it used to be but the 5 Series has nothing to be ashamed of it's a smaller version of the 7 Series and it comes in a smaller price and you can choose from several different versions and dozens of standard features and options and that means there's just as much luxury as there is variety so this 5 Series is still on top of its game\n"
