Overview
The 2010 BMW 5 Series is a 4-door, 5-passenger luxury sedan, luxury sports sedan, or luxury wagon, available in 6 trims: 528i Sedan, 528i xDrive Sedan, 535i Sedan, 535ixDrive Sedan, 550i Sedan and 535i xDrive Sport Wagon (x signifies all-wheel drive). This mid-size luxury car remains a true sports sedan by delivering lively acceleration, precise handling and outstanding safety.
Power and performance
The 528i Sedan is equipped with a standard 3.0-liter, I6, 230 horsepower engine that achieves 18-mpg in the city and 28-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard, and a 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is optional.
The 535i is powered by a 3.0-liter, turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine rated at 300 horsepower. The 550i Sedan is fitted with a standard 4.8-liter, V8, 360 horsepower engine that achieves 15-mpg in the city and 22-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard, and a 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is optional.
The sedans are rear-wheel drive, but the 528i and 535i sedans can be equipped with all-wheel drive. All three engines come standard with a six-speed manual; a six-speed automatic is optional.
Body and styling
Seventeen-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, automatic climate control with separate left/right temperature and air distribution controls, with automatic air recirculation, 2-way power glass moonroof with remote, expanded "one-touch" operation, anti-trapping feature, and sliding interior sunshade, power tilt and telescopic steering wheel with automatic tilt-up, anti-theft AM/FM stereo/CD audio system with 10 speakers, Auto-Store, FM diversity antenna system, and MP3 capabilities, iDrive electronics interface and Dynamic Cruise Control are among the standard features. The 535i gets xenon adaptive headlights while the 535 xDrive comes with parking assist, leather upholstery and auto-dimming mirrors.
Most of the features that are standard on upper-level models are optional on the lower trims, as are numerous additional features.
Safety Features
Stability control, antilock disc brakes, front-seat side airbags and front and rear side curtain airbags are standard. Rear-seat side airbags are optional. The available lane-departure warning system alerts the driver via vibrations in the steering wheel if the car starts to veer out of its lane, and a night vision system warns of possible hazards out of regular headlight range. Both hill start assist and hill descent control are standard on AWD models.
