The BMW 5 Series has been a key part of the German manufacturer’s line-up since the early 1970s. It’s consistently balanced the often conflicting tasks of providing a sporty driving experience and a sense of luxury and comfort in a way few rival cars can match. On that basis, it counts the Mercedes-Benz E-class, Audi A6 and Jaguar XF as its main competition.
During its seven generations it’s been powered by everything from small diesel engines and plug-in hybrids to screaming petrol V10s, but whatever the configuration, price, or power output, every 5 Series has managed to succeed at being a large executive saloon (or estate) that’s fun to drive and great to own.
Some generations have been more controversial than others, but almost every version has a loyal fanbase, and with good reason. It seems the public can't help but fall for a car that can handle motorway miles as well as being fun on a twisty road.
Generations: 7
- BMW 5 Series mk7 (2017-)
- BMW 5 Series mk6 (2010-2017)
- BMW 5 Series mk5 (2003-2010)
- BMW 5 Series mk4 (1995-2003)
- BMW 5 Series mk3 (1988-1996)
- BMW 5 Series mk2 (1981-1988)
- BMW 5 Series mk1 (1972-1981)
BMW 5 Series mk7 (2017-)
Bodystyles:
- Four-door saloon
- Five-door estate
Notable features:
- Gesture control lets you adjust the infotainment system with a wave of your hand
- Post-2019 cars had 48-volt mild-hybrid tech in most models
- Top-spec M5s have more than 600bhp, and four-wheel drive for the first time
Launched in late 2016, but with sales not beginning until early 2017, the seventh iteration of the 5 Series, known as the G30, is more varied and more packed with technology than ever. The number of bodystyles has decreased though; what was the fastback 5 Series GT is now marketed as the 6 Series GT.
The other big change is the lack of a manual gearbox option, with all models equipped with an eight-speed Steptronic automatic gearbox. But other than that, the 5 Series range is hugely broad. You can have rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, diesel, petrol or company car-friendly plug-in hybrid power, plus a vast range of power outputs from 181bhp in a 520i to 617bhp in an M5 CS.
If it’s fuel economy you’re after, a mild-hybrid 520d model can manage up to 56.5mpg according to WLTP testing. The plug-in hybrid 530e can achieve a claimed 128.4mpg, but that’s assuming you make best use of its electric-only capability: it can run up to 34 miles on electric power alone. The faster, more expensive 545e plug-in hybrid can manage a claimed 36 miles of zero-emission running.
Trim levels are relatively simple in the 5 Series, with either SE or M Sport models available. Standard equipment in the SE includes ambient lighting, leather seats and dual-zone climate control, as well as cruise control, front- and rear parking sensors, and an impressive 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with a very useful iDrive rotary controller. M Sport models come with bigger alloy wheels, black trim instead of chrome and sports seats. Adaptive damping is also available as part of the M Sport Pro pack.
A facelift in 2020 brought revised styling front and rear, while all the diesel engines are now twin-turbo. There are also adaptive LED headlights as standard (matrix LEDs or laser headlights are still a cost option), plus an improved infotainment system, with over-the-air updates and standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
The highlight of the facelift, however, was the introduction of the M550i xDrive, with 523bhp, which sits just beneath the bonkers-fast M5 in the range.
Read our expert review of the BMW 5 Series mk7 or search for a used BMW 5 Series mk7 on CarGurus
BMW 5 Series mk6 (2010-2017)
Bodystyles:
- Four-door saloon
- Five-door estate
- Five-door 'fastback' hatchback
Notable features:
- The M550d xDrive was the first diesel 5 Series to wear BMW’s ‘M’ performance division branding
- M5’s power grew to 553bhp, but it had switched the V10 for a twin-turbo V8
- ‘Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go’ could cope with stop-start traffic jams
If the fifth-generation BMW 5 Series was controversially styled, the 5 Series mk6 was a return to the model’s visual roots. The crease lines on the bonnet, pointing towards the kidney grille, made a comeback, as did a centre console angled towards the driver, both features being typical 5 Series hallmarks. The rear styling was less bulbous, and the overall effect was much more restrained.
That’s not to say that the 5 Series mk6 – codenamed F10 – failed to offer innovation. Far from it. For the first time, you could get a hybrid model in the form of the 335bhp ActiveHybrid 5, an eight-speed automatic gearbox, electric power steering, an active rear-wheel steering system called Integral Active Steering, and an automatic parking system called Parking Assistant.
The sixth-generation 5 Series also offered an expanded range of bodystyles; alongside the BMW 5 Series saloon and Touring estate, you could now also get the 5 Series GT or GranTurismo. This was a large five-door family hatchback/fastback.
As well as the hybrid (which wasn’t actually that big a seller), other engine options included a variety of four-cylinder and six-cylinder turbodiesels, plus four-cylinder and six-cylinder turbo petrols. There was also the twin-turbo V8 in the M5.
Read our expert review of the BMW 5 Series mk6 or search for a used BMW 5 Series mk6 on CarGurus
BMW 5 Series mk5 (2003-2010)
Bodystyles:
- Four-door saloon
- Five-door estate
Notable features:
- Mid-life facelift gave 5 Series shift-by-wire automatic transmissions and steering wheel-mounted shift paddles for the first time
- The facelifted 5 Series was also the first BMW to feature regenerative braking
- With the twin-turbo 535i, this was the first petrol 5 Series to feature a turbocharger
The fifth generation of the BMW 5 Series was the most radical yet. Styled under the direction of BMW’s controversial then-design chief, Chris Bangle, the model, codenamed E60, combined a blocky, slabby shape with the sharp creases and angles; a style known as ‘flame surfacing’. It was a look that divided public opinion.
Inside, the cosy atmosphere of the previous 5 Series was replaced with a much more serious-feeling design. There was also BMW’s new iDrive infotainment system, which featured a 6.5-inch information screen controlled by a rotary dial on the centre console. Among the technical innovations new for the 5 Series mk5 were adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, active steering, adaptive headlights and a head-up display.
Diesel engine options included the 520d, 525d, 530d and storming twin-turbo 535d. Petrol engines went from the four-cylinder, 152bhp 520i via a range of six-cylinder options (525i, 530i and 535i) to the V8-powered 540i, 545i and 550i.
But the M5 featured perhaps the most extraordinary engine ever put into a BMW road car. It was a 5.0-litre V10 that, without the help of turbochargers, developed 493bhp and had a redline of more than 8,000rpm, which is quite incredible for a roadgoing model. It featured a seven-speed sequential manual transmission called SMG III and was available as a saloon or an estate (badged Touring), which was offered with the option of a manual six-speed gearbox.
Read our expert review of the BMW 5 Series mk5 or search for a used BMW 5 Series mk5 on CarGurus
BMW 5 Series mk4 (1995-2003)
Bodystyles:
- Four-door saloon
- Five-door estate
Notable features:
- Use of aluminium for suspension and subframe components saved up to 65kg compared with the third-generation 5 Series
- The last 5 Series to use only straight six or V8 petrol engines in the UK
- Six-cylinder 5 Series mk4s used a rack-and-pinion steering system that made the car feel much sharper and more agile to drive
The fourth-generation of BMW 5 Series – known as the E39 – is feted in many enthusiast circles as one of the best BMWs ever. Certainly, at the time of its launch, the E39 received rave reviews from the motoring press, thanks to its combination of understated good looks, excellent handling and solid build quality.
You could take your pick from various petrol and diesel models, with badging that (mostly) still referred to the engine’s capacity. Straight-six petrol cars included the 520i with 148bhp or 168hp, the 168hp 523i, 187bhp 525i, 189bhp 528i and 227bhp 530i. V8s came in the form of the 232bhp 535i, the 282bhp 540i and the 395bhp M5.
Diesels were the 139bhp 525TDS, the 158hp 525d or the more powerful 530d, with either 181bhp or 189bhp. Transmissions were either five-speed manuals, six-speed manual or five-speed automatics.
A facelift in 2000 brought a restyled interior, including a much larger satnav screen on more high-end models. It also saw new light clusters front and rear, most distinctively the circular ring lights at the front, known as ‘angel eyes’.
BMW 5 Series mk3 (1988-1996)
Bodystyles:
- Four-door saloon
- Five-door estate
Notable features:
- The 530i model badge denoted either a straight six (made from 1988-1990) or a 3.0-litre V8 (produced from 1993-1995)
- The first 5 Series to feature four-wheel drive, but only on 525iX models, which were never sold in the UK
- Nine different engine types used during its time in production, including four-cylinder and six-cylinder petrols, V8 petrols and six-cylinder turbodiesels
The third-generation 5 Series (also called the E34) marked a lot of firsts for the model line. It was the first 5 Series to get V8 engine options, the first to get all-wheel drive in the form of the 525iX (albeit not in the UK), and the first to get a six-speed manual gearbox. It was also the first to get traction control, stability control and electrically adjustable dampers.
But perhaps the most significant first for the E34 5 Series was the introduction of an estate model. This came in 1990 in the form of the BMW 5 Series Touring.
Engines were a mix of four cylinders, six cylinders and, for the first time, a V8. The top-of-the-range M5 didn’t get the V8, though; that stuck with six-cylinder power for the time being.
BMW 5 Series mk2 (1981-1988)
Bodystyles:
- Four-door saloon
Notable features:
- The efficiency-focused 525e model could achieve fuel economy of just over 30mpg -The first-ever M5 was introduced, a super-fast four-door with a 3.5-litre straight six and 282bhp
- The 524td was the first diesel-powered 5 Series
Despite styling that was very similar on the outside to that of the 5 Series mk1, the second-generation car, known as the E28, was very different inside. For the first time, the dashboard and its controls were angled towards the driver, while a trip computer and cruise control were both introduced for the first time. ABS also made its BMW debut on the E28.
The E28 was also the first 5 Series to get diesel power, with the 112bhp, six-cylinder 524td turbodiesel arriving in 1983. A non-turbo version was introduced a few years later, but that was only sold in a few markets, and the UK wasn’t one of them.
Petrol power came from a variety of four-cylinder and six-cylinder powerplants, including the economy-focused 525e and the powerful M535i and M5 models. Transmissions included a choice of four-speed or five-speed manuals and three-speed or four-speed automatic gearboxes.
BMW 5 Series mk1 (1972-1981)
Bodystyles:
- Four-door saloon
Notable features:
- Computer modelling was used to calculate the shape and position of its crumple zones
- Marcello Gandini helped co-create the exterior design. He's better known for designing the Lamborghini Muira, Countach and Diablo
- Sporty M535i was the first 5 Series with an M badge
Although the BMW E12, as it was known internally by BMW, was the first 5 Series, it was in some ways a direct successor to the larger ‘New Class’ saloons of the 1960s.
However, the new car took BMW in a distinctly upmarket direction. What's more, joined by the first 3 Series range in 1975 and the first 7 Series in 1977, the E12 5 Series helped to form the backbone of the BMW range, a line-up that’s still recognisable half a century later.
Designed by Frenchman Paul Bracq, with the help of Marcello Gandini from Italian styling house Bertone, the clean, smart lines of the first 5 Series helped set the tone for BMW’s mid-sized executive saloon for decades to come. The quad headlights, in particular, would become a signature feature on the 5 Series.
Early cars had four-cylinder fuel-injected or carburettor-fed engines, but six-cylinder models were introduced by 1973, and the fuel-injected six-cylinder 528i arrived in the UK in 1978. Transmissions were either three-speed automatics, four-speed manuals or a five-speed manual gearbox.