BMW 5 Series with new Six-Cylinders and Optional xDrive

These figures relate to models in standard trim with a six-speed manual gearbox. Six-speed automatic with Steptronic is available as an option.

Progress at its best: more power on less fuel.

The increase in engine capacity on the "basic" power from 2.2 to 2.5 liters gives the driver of the 523i 20 Newton-meters or 15 lb-ft extra torque versus the previous 520i. And he has at least 95 per cent of the engine's maximum torque of 230 Nm or 169 lb-ft between 2,000 and 5,000 rpm. At the same time engine output is up by 5 kW or 7 bhp.

The 525i and 530i show a similar increase in torque and output: Maximum output of the 2.5- and, respectively, 3.0-litre engine is up by 19 kW (26 bhp) and 20 kW (27 bhp), while maximum torque in the 525i is up by 5 Newton-meters or 3.7 lb-ft, while remaining unchanged in the 530i. But like the 523i, both engines offer a much "beefier" torque curve and maximum torque is available over a wide range of 1,500 rpm.

On the road this means a significant increase in performance, acceleration from 0-100 km/h coming on average about 5 per cent faster than before. And at the same time BMW's engineers have succeeded in reducing fuel consumption, depending on the model concerned, by up to 10 per cent: On average, fuel consumption is down by approximately 7 per cent compared with the previous models.

The lightest production six-cylinders in the world.

BMW is the first manufacturer to use magnesium in the large-volume production of a modern water-cooled crankcase, with magnesium also being used on the bedplate and the cylinder head cover. This revolutionary composite magnesium/aluminum crankcase weighs just 57 per cent of a comparable grey-cast iron engine block, offering a decrease in weight versus an aluminum crankcase by 24 per cent.

In a nutshell, this makes BMW's inline-six the lightest six cylinder in the world ideally supplementing the weight-optimized construction of the BMW 5 Series made throughout of aluminum at the front all the way to the A-pillar.

BMW's engineers call this the Weight-Reduced Front Section, with aluminum being two-thirds lighter than steel. For the customer this means greater fuel economy, more dynamic performance, and outstanding agility on the road.

Innovations: lightweight camshafts, electrical water pump.

But BMW's new inline-six offers even more innovations. This is the first engine in this family to feature an electric coolant pump conveying water within the coolant system. Working autonomously, the pump is controlled independently of current engine speed according to the engine's actual cooling requirements. Hence, the electric water pump makes a significant contribution to the greater fuel economy offered by BMW's new six-cylinder.

Revving even faster and more smoothly than before: second-generation VALVETRONIC.

BMW's inline-six is the first engine to feature BMW's second-generation VALVETRONIC allowing even higher engine speeds. This is made possible by a significant increase in engine stiffness and stability ensuring even faster acceleration in operating the valves. On the road, this gives the driver even more sporting performance and speed reserves in the individual gears, with nominal engine speed of the inline-six being increased by 400 and 600 rpm respectively, on the 525i/530i to 6,400 and 6,500 rpm respectively. For the first time the engine cuts off at 7,000 rpm (+500 rpm) in both cases as opposed to a cut-off speed of 6,750 rpm (+250 rpm) on the 523i.

All-wheel drive without any drawbacks in the 525i and 530i.

With the exception of the modifications required for all-wheel drive, the chassis and suspension of the 5 Series with xDrive is the same in principle as on the rear-wheel-drive 5 Series. Reflecting their all-wheel-drive technology, the xDrive models come standard in "basic" trim with 17-inch wheels instead of the usual 16-inch light-alloy wheels, the design and material of the wheels being the same in both cases. For reasons of the car's package, xDrive cannot be combined with either Active Steering or Active Roll Stabilization.

xDrive: faster than the wheels can spin.

On the road xDrive offers a significant increase in agility and driving pleasure, as well as extra safety over a conventional all-wheel-drive system. Stability enhancement functions such as DSC only have to intervene much later. And at the same time xDrive ensures much smoother transition of drive power on loose or slippery surfaces, drive power being immediately fed to the wheels with sufficient grip whenever one of the wheels starts to spin and therefore lose traction.

The benefits of xDrive are always available, since the flow of power is consistently adjusted to the respective situation on the road.

A few examples:

• When setting off under normal conditions the multiple-plate clutch remains closed until the car reaches a speed of approximately 12 mph or 20 km/h. This ensures maximum traction in the start-up phase. Then the system distributes engine power fully variably between the front and rear axle as a function of driving conditions.

• In bends the instantaneous re-distribution of power reduces any under- or oversteer. As soon as the rear end of the car threatens to break loose in a bend, xDrive closes the multiple-plate clutch and feeds more power to the front wheels. This allows the rear wheels to build up more lateral force and the car is able to regain stability. Being combined with Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), the system recognizes any tendency to oversteer at a very early point and intervenes before the driver even becomes aware of the change in driving conditions. As a result, the 5 Series literally glides round the bend as if it were running on rails, DSC not cutting in until the variable distribution of power alone is no longer able to avoid the risk of oversteer.

• Whenever the car threatens to "push" out of a bend, information provided by the DSC system indicates this risk of understeer and the flow of power to the front axle is reduced in order to compensate for this effect. Hence, up to 100 per cent of the engine power may be fed to the rear wheels in an extreme case - and if this is not sufficient, DSC cuts in once again. As a result, the driver is able to drive the all-wheel-drive 5 Series on winding roads and serpentines with virtually the same smoothness and agility as in a 5 Series with rear-wheel drive, xDrive easily compensating even an abrupt change in engine power: While the time "lag" between pressing down the gas pedal and building up engine power is at least 200 milliseconds, the multiple-plate clutch opens or closes completely within just 100 milliseconds.

• When driving with a large steering angle but with low power - the typical situation when parking - power is shifted off the front wheels to give the car the usual rear-wheel-drive effect. This avoids any unpleasant tension in the drivetrain as well as any effects on the steering.

• On grads with a slippery road surface, in particular on snow, shifting power back and forth between the front and rear axles prevents the wheels from spinning. Hence, DSC is only required to reduce engine power or apply the brakes on the wheels under far more difficult road conditions in order to reduce the flow of power. And then, when continuing once again, the locking action significantly reduces the risk of individual wheels losing their longitudinal or lateral grip, thus giving the driver far greater agility and safety on the road.