BMW 5 - Manual (Page 60)

BMW
Media
Information
11/2009
Page 60
The new model entered the market with straight-six power units delivering
maximum output from 150 to 193 hp. Technical innovations gave both
the petrol and diesel engines even more power on further reduced fuel
consumption. Two V8 engines were introduced once again in 1996,
with the new BMW M5 entering the market in 1998 with the most powerful
production engine built by BMW up to that time: this 294 kW/400 hp power
unit came, among other highlights, with features such as oil supply controlled
for centrifugal forces and electronically controlled individual throttle butterflies.
The fourth generation of the BMW 5 Series once again set up a new sales
record accounting for 1.47 million units sold up to the end of production
in early 2004.
2003: the fifth-generation BMW 5 Series – progressive and efficient.
From the start, the fifth generation of the BMW 5 Series introduced in 2003
stood out through its impressive design and innovative technology. Once again,
both the sedan and the Touring launched in 2004 set new standards in terms
of active safety, driver assistance systems, and efficiency. BMW’s typical design
language with convex and concave surfaces as well as flowing transitions
from the front and side to the rear gave the fifth edition of the BMW 5 Series
a particularly characteristic note, the interior with its clear-cut functions
highlighting above all the iDrive control system featured as standard.
Engines with an aluminium or, respectively, a composite aluminium/magnesium
crankcase as well as the lightweight aluminium front section of the car ensured
a particularly good balance of weight front-to-rear. Another important
component newly developed at the time was the integral rear axle likewise
made of aluminium
DSC Dynamic Stability Control was yet another significant innovation
contributing to the car’s excellent suspension technology, particularly through
its enhanced range of functions. The same superiority was provided for the first
time by Active Steering and Adaptive Drive with electronic damper adjustment
and anti-roll stability management. As highlights in the area of driver assistance,
the fifth-generation BMW 5 Series also featured cutting-edge technologies
such as the Head-Up Display and BMW Night Vision, Active Cruise Control
with Stop & Go and Lane Departure Warning introduced as new systems in
the car.
The range of engines in the BMW 5 Series was expanded to six petrol and
four diesel engines extending from 125 kW/170 hp in the BMW 520i all the way
to 270 kW/367 hp in the BMW 550i. The BMW M5 and the BMW M5 Touring,
in turn, came with a 5.0-litre V10 high-speed power unit boasting individual