The sixth generation of the 5-Series (BMW F10) made its debut on 23 November 2009 as a 2010 model. Improvements include a front dual ball joint short-long arm suspension, and rear multilink suspension. For the powertrain, there will be a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission, the single turbo inline-6 N55, and the twin-turbo V8 N63. The F10 has, for the European market at least, a choice of 7 engines: a 4.4 litre N63 topping the range in the 550i, followed by a trio of straight 6 petrols. Despite many rumours to the contrary, BMW's second best selling model after the 3 series does not use any 4 cylinder petrol engines this time round. Instead, BMW has retained, for the time being at least, a trio of straight 6 engines, completing the petrol engine range. Straight six engines offer superior refinement over their 4 cylinder counterparts, as well as being the trademark BMW engine which has featured in so many of the company's most loved cars: the E28 and E34 M5, E36 and E46 M3, not to mention the iconic BMW E26 M1. The 535i has the 306 bhp (228 kW; 310 PS) 295 lb·ft (400 N·m) BMW N55 engine which made its debut in the F07 5 Series GT, and will shortly find its way into the facelifted BMW E92 and E93. The magnesium block naturally aspirated direct injection straight 6 continues in Europe at least; this engine is the BMW N53; 3.0 litres, 258 bhp (192 kW; 262 PS) for the 528i, and 3.0 litres and 204 bhp (152 kW; 207 PS) for the 523i, same outputs as the BMW E89 Z4 sDrive23i. It is not known what engine BMW will use here for markets outside of Europe due to fuel quality problems, most likely the BMW N52 will continue here.
It is designed by Adrian van Hooydonk, with a more prominent upright split kidney grille and the absence of the "Bangle butt" rear-end styling of its E60 predecessor. Externally, the car is a more traditional BMWesque design; a far more sober effort after the highly controversial E60. Although it bears some resemblance to the E60 with the wide kidney grilles and a very pronounced Hofmeister kink, the creases in the bonnet and just underneath the door are clearly related to the E39 and other earlier 5 series models. Inside marks the return of the centre console being clearly angled towards the driver, another marked change from its immediate predecessor which was noted for its non traditional BMW design. However, opinion is divided, as a reviewer described the F10 as too bland and conservative, compared to the E60 predecessor, as well as having too much of a resemblance to the E90 3-Series.
The 4 petrol engines are complemented by a trio of diesel engines. Again, despite rumours to the contrary, BMW has decided to only offer 1 4 cylinder engine here: the 520d. This means that the 525d continues to offer the superior mechanical refinement of a straight six as opposed to the rumoured 523d with 4 cylinders. The 525d is joined by a 530d; both models use the same BMW N57 3.0 litre engine, the 525d has 204 bhp (152 kW; 207 PS) and 450 N·m (330 lb·ft), the 530d with 245 bhp (183 kW; 248 PS) and 540 N·m (400 lb·ft) of torque. Expect hybrid models later, as well as more powerful straight 6 diesel to replace the award winning 535d.
