German Car Zone

Die Neue Klasse

The dream of a perfect car is promised much but seldom delivered.
What constitutes the perfect car? The right balance and a perfect synergy of dynamics , looks and efficiency?

BMW will revise the term much used in past success "Die neue Klasse" to welcome it's new F10 5er the 6th generation model of the highly successful and important mid class sedan (or if you perceive history the 7th generation if you include the predecessor to the 5er the BMW 1500.

The new 5er will of course replace the successful and avantgarde looking E60 series of the BMW 5er and will be an all new car from the ground up although with the advent of the BMW 5er Gran Turismo although a member of the same family on the exterior surface there are few areas shared with the 5er . Door Mirrors , Side indicator lights and door handles are the relatively evident components indentified between the 5er and the 5er Gran Turismo.

Every body panel is unique to the 5er as BMW claim the 5er Gran Turismo is a stand alone premium concept. The new 5er in design brief was to produce a car that looks expensive but more modern and proportionate than a typical mid segment sedan.
The low roofline and short overhangs are typical of this approach and in general the car is evenly proportioned with a wider track to accomodate larger wheelarches which was a visual problem with the E60 when run on 16" or 17" wheels because it made the car look heavy which meant to have the car looking perfect the optional 18" wheels had to be applied to show the proportions of the modern appearence of the E60.

The 5er preserves the exclusivity of a new BMW and avoids duplicating the 7er's look as a smaller 7er or the phrase known as "One sausage different lengths" BMW have made the new 5er express a dynamic looking appearence that will not only be individual from it's inhouse family but also amongst it's competitors. The more dynamic styling expresses an intent to disguise the heavy look seen in a mid segment sedan the wider track also contributes to the sloution an integrated wider twin kidney grille. More compact but wider than the 5er Gran Turismo or the BMW 7er The wider grille adds more visual to the cars low and wide appearence.

To make the car really stand out will be in the driving and the reduction of weight from one generation to the next. BMW needed a new solution that would help take weight from it's cars and the inclusion of a press hardening process at the 5er's production base will make this highly evident. Body shells and platforms can be made lighter and stronger using this new process. additional areas of the car such as water pumps and transmission cases and suspension mounts have also been made out of lighter materials with the new car retaining it's typical BMW 50/50 Weight distribution.

Efficient Dynamics will be highly featured in the next generation 5er with the usual features now taken for granted but new developments will also feature such as specially designed aerodynamically designed wheels that will now become a cornerstone of Efficient Dynamics.
These are very important because they help with the airflow around the car and contributes to improvements in fuel efficiency.

In light of future legislation BMW have been following especially in regards to the outcome of incentives to people who buy cleaner cars for city environments and the answer BMW have been development is the next phase of it's Active Hybrid series.
BMW will offer two Active Hybrid 5er's one will use the same "mild" hybrid technology as the 7er - The Active Hybrid 5 and the other The Active Hybrid 5d, will use the same system as the Active Hybrid X6 but will replace the V8 for a 3.0d.

Taking into consideration the excellent commendations taken to the 5er Gran Turismo , Interior quality is one feature BMW have taken very close scrutiny to. Although there are some marginal differences in appearance from the Gran Turismo for example the driver is not as semi commanding as the GT and they do not inherit the shelf like ridge which will be a more of a facia than a ridge. The interior takes it's cues from the 7er as a beginning but since the interior has been praised for it's egronomics and design it is only fitting the 5er receives the same kind of dashboard.
Quality will be on the same level and premise as the 5er Gran Turismo meaning high quality of materials , high quality graphics and superior solid construction.

BMW knows where the 5er should be positioned when it comes to dynamics and as an evolutionary cycle other cars come along some good , some not so good to take the crown. And if you factor in the approach some manufacturers go to lengths to strengthen their sporting credentials when their cars are anything but. BMW has focused on this as a priority for the new 5er and have developed a very athletic car with deeply disguised sporting intentions. There are some cars out there that look like mundane barges but have a very jekyll and hyde character when you drive them it's this that BMW want you to see when you see the 5er that it looks dynamic, it looks sporting but is it?

Take your seat.

By working with lighter materials especially within the suspension have allowed the engineers to offer a car that has a character you would only expect with a BMW but with a few surprises especially within the steering and composure , BMW want to retain the 5er's segment with the 5er surpassing the competition that has regained the 5er's crown.


BMW wants the F10 to be seen as car that carries all the BMW attributes from previous 5er generations translated and successfully integrated into the new car. BMW want to get back to building a car that is not just a BMW by name and nature but by going back to the beginning of the 1500 Neue Klasse and BMW's traditional values as a different kind of car
company.

Innovation counts but so does your roots.

Very nice read. We only have to wait to see if the products lives up to these nice words!

Very happy to hear that, a car that doesn't need big wheels to look good is a car that has a very healthy design, this is also the case for the F01 which looks very good even with the small rims.

Awesome read! I can't wait for 5er, we've been following it for so long already!

I am pleasantly surprised by the reference "innovation counts, but so does your roots". I think this type of slogan, sexed up a bit of course, has a lot of potential.

Much more so than that joy thing, which is very much a turn-off to male customers IMHO!

This car has some lofty expectations ahead of it...based on the FEP cars, it might well be on its way meeting and exceeding them. Waiting with bated breath.

This is awesome.