BMW 5 Series F10

Munich’s Olympic Stadium has hosted many world events. The last major event was the 2006 FIFA World Cup. After 3 years, the Bavarian concern presented BMW 5 series 6th generation F10 cars at this stadium. It happened on 23.11.2009. A quarter later, when sales of the sedan began, the German car company arranged a look at the station wagon. A little later, the general public saw the third car of this generation, in a liftback body.

Thus, BMW 5 Series VI F10 F11 F07 replaced the generation of cars E60 and 61 on the assembly line. In addition to these three cars, the concern produced one more variant of the car, F18. It had a longer base and was intended for sale in China, Mexico and the Middle East.

More than 1 million copies have been sold since 2010.

Appearance

The exterior of the BMW 5-series 6-th generation is in the style of the corporation. The car has a spectacular silhouette. The front is completed with aggressive optics and equipped with familiar “nostrils”. It is worth noting the “smart” headlights. If the driver sets high beam, they automatically switch to low beam when approaching oncoming vehicles.

The aluminum hood is long, the roof is downward sloping. The fenders and doors are made of this material, which reduced the weight of the car and improved its dynamics. It was also influenced by low air resistance. Having achieved this, the specialists managed to increase the economy of the “five”. At the back we see two exhaust pipes. They can be twin or placed on the edges. The stern is completed with L-shaped optics. As a result, we get a sporty image inherent in all cars of the Bavarian concern.

BMW F10 tire size depends on the engine installed. The car can be fitted with R17, R18 and R19 tires.

It should be noted that the appearance of the BMW 5 F10, the photo of which you see below in different angles, was developed by Polish specialist J. Frohlich. The concern decided not to work with K. Bangley, who created the design of the previous “five”. Many motorists did not like it. According to experts, the exterior of the car was controversial. But the appearance of the BMW F10, judging by the owners’ reviews, was liked by many.

Dimensions of the sedan are as follows: length – 4.907 meters, width – 1.83, height – 1.464. Minimum ground clearance is 14.1 cm, wheelbase – 2.968 meters.

Interior

The interior of the BMW 5 F10 is also in line with the company’s traditions. It is finished with high-quality finishing materials. The dashboard combination is classic – three-spoke multitouch + center console, which is turned (the angle of rotation is 7 degrees) to the driver’s side, equipped with music and climate control units. In options is offered a digital display in 10.25 inches.  In the “base” the iDrive system is offered. It gives the opportunity to change the settings of the car and any equipment, even the stereo. The first row consists of ergonomic seats, which have a large adjustment range and have a tenacious profile. As an option, the comfort seats on the BMW F10 are equipped with adjustable side support. The adjustment is electrically operated. There is a spacious and comfortable sofa in the back. However, the passenger sitting in the middle will be hindered by the transmission tunnel.

The buyer is also offered to “pull” the doors. Standard equipment assumes climate control for 2 zones. At the customer’s request, a four-zone system can be installed. The car can be equipped with night vision equipment. The system will display an image on a 10-inch central monitor. The test drive showed that the pedestrian is recognized in complete darkness at a 300-meter distance. This is confirmed by customer reviews of the BMW 5 Series F10.

The interior of the car has a pretty good ceiling light. However, people have different tastes, so some buyers are not satisfied with the basic configuration. The manufacturer, knowing about it, offers to retrofit the interior with BMW F10 interior lighting.

“Five” can be equipped with a dashboard in 4 variants.

In the standard form, the numerals are white, the dial circles are metal. Nothing is illuminated during the day, so the panel looks a bit boring. At night, when the orange backlight appears, it becomes more interesting and pretty.

The second option is Black. It has advanced features. When turned off, it looks even worse than the standard panel. Only white circles can be seen on the black background. But as soon as the door is opened, the backlight (white during the day and orange in the evening) turns on everything that can be seen. Then the numbers pop up. The wide screen sits below the speedometer, taking up all the space. That is, the “black panel” is more elegant and informative.

The third option is the led dashboard of BMW F10. It costs 2.5 times more than Black, but it is already to the consumer’s taste. Not everyone will like cartoon pictures. After all, analog arrows are more familiar.

Finally, the last option is the M panel. In fact, it is a Black panel, but it has the M label, red arrows plus it displays additional information on the car’s sport mode settings.

As you can see, the comfortable interior of the BMW F10 is designed to provide everyone inside the car with maximum convenience.  The trunk volume of the sedan is 520 liters.

Electronics and security

There are so many features on a BMW that many car owners simply don’t know they exist. Let’s list some of them.

The F10 has active steering. It’s Servotronic with electric power steering. Let’s add here a powerful brake package. It includes electronic assistants and disk units “all around”. Maximum convenience for driving is provided by Active Steering system (it is an intellectual steering wheel control) and active stabilizers of transverse stability/suspension EDC (the stiffness of shock absorbers is adjusted). Through the menu the owner can program the time of burning of external lights. The function is called “follow-me-home”. On many cars, the illumination stops as soon as the powertrain is switched off. In the BMW F10, it stays on at night. It burns for as many minutes as programmed. Some models are even equipped with a thermal imager!

Options are Head-Up projection with active cruise control.

The safety of the car is at the highest level. Numerous test drives have proved it. As a result of tests EuroNcap F10 received 5 stars out of 5 possible! We would like to add that American experts also stated that this car is the safest among all business class cars.

An additional equipment is the projector. It allows important information to be displayed directly on the windshield (!). The driver can study it without taking his eyes off the road. All-round vision also ensures the safety of the car. This system has been adopted by other car manufacturers. It stands on such brands as Nissan Patrol and Infiniti QX56, allowing the driver to see the car on the display from above. Therefore, all obstacles, from people to potholes near the car, can be seen at once. Agree, a useful function, especially when the car is moving from a place.

Engine

BMW F10 has different technical specifications. Let’s take a look at the engines.

Vehicles with a variety of gasoline powertrains are available on the market.

The base variant is a rear-wheel drive 520i model. The car is equipped with a two-liter turbo engine with a capacity of 184 “horses” and direct fuel injection. This allows the base “five” to accelerate to “one hundred” in 7.9 seconds, have a speed limit of 235 km/h and consume in mixed mode 6.8 liters of fuel per 100 km.

The same turbo engine in the BMW F10 523i, but with 2.5 204 hp. Therefore, there are some differences in characteristics. Acceleration to 100 in the 523i modification is slightly faster (7.8 sec.), the top speed is slightly higher (238 km/h), and fuel consumption – more (7.6 l.) Let’s move to all-wheel drive cars. BMW F10 528i xDrive is equipped with a 3.0 engine developing 258 hp. Therefore, the acceleration time is reduced to 6.6 seconds, the maximum speed increases to 250 km/h. Fuel consumption of the BMW 528 F10 increases to 7.8 liters.

The 535i and 550i xDrive models are equipped with biturbo motors. The volume of the power unit of the first/second model is 3/4.4 liters, power – 306/407 “horses”. The speed ceiling of the modifications is 250 km/h, acceleration is 6/5 seconds, fuel consumption of BMW F10 is 8.5/10.4 liters.

At the top is the M5 version.

Diesel motors are also diverse.

Here the “base” is a sedan 520d with a two-liter engine with a capacity of 184 “horses”. Acceleration in BMW F10 2.0 diesel takes 8.1 sec. speed limit – 227 km/h. The average fuel “appetite” is 4.9 liters.  More productive similar installations are available on the models 525d and 530d. Volume 3.0, power – 204/245 hp. Acceleration time is reduced to 7.2/6.3 seconds, speed limit increases to 236/250 km/h, “eating” of diesel fuel is reduced to 7.2/6.3 liters.

The 535d model has more powerful equipment. The top variant is the all-wheel drive M550d. BMW F10 has the best engine – a three-liter motor with 381 hp reaches a speed ceiling of 250 km/h. On the speedometer the first three-digit number is displayed after 4.7 sec. Fuel consumption is 6.4 liters.

Until mid-2012, the vehicles were equipped with 8 units (4+4). After restyling their number has increased. Engines are combined with 6-range gearbox “mechanics” or 8-speed “automatic” ZF.

And a little information about what oil to pour into the engine. It is recommended to use synthetic products from the following manufacturers (numbers show the viscosity of the product):

• Castrol – 0W40;
• MOTUL – 5W40;
• Mobil ESP – 5w30.

The originals are BMW 0W30/40. The volume of oil depends on the modification of the car and varies in the range of 5-8.5 liters. It is recommended to change the oil filter every 15 thousand kilometers in normal operation. Of other characteristics of the BMW 5 F10 it is worth mentioning the suspension. The car is offered with front double wishbone suspension and aft five wishbone suspension. Both designs are independent.

The architecture of the Five is borrowed from the Seven. It is shortened, and the load axle distribution is ideal, 50:50.

Equipment

The BMW 5 F10’s base equipment is:

• 8 airbags;
• Climate control for 2 zones;
• Audio system;
• The iDrive system;
• Servotronic steering;
• Bi-xenon headlights;
• Heated/electric front seats;
• ABS systems, ESP, etc. “chips”.

The body design of the car can be different. Three package options are available: Shadowline, Modern Line, M.

Difference between restyling and prerestyling

In the spring of 2013, the performance of the cars was updated. BMW 5 VI F10 F11 F11 F07 experienced a restyling. There were changes in the exterior. There were new bumpers with radiator grille, wheel rims received a new design, optics were adjusted.

Restyling also touched the interior of BMW, new power units appeared, the list of equipment installed on the cars has expanded. Let’s analyze in detail, what are the differences in BMW F10 after restyling.

Looking over the updated models slightly, it may seem that the changes are minimal. However, a close look reveals a lot of updates. Xenon optics appeared in the front end. LED headlights are an option. The bumper is completed with aerodynamic elements that give the car an aggressive appearance. Separately it is worth noting the BMW F10 performance dodger. It will make the exterior of the car as expressive as possible. It should be noted that the details for changing the appearance do not need to be selected independently. A ready-made set, corresponding to the style of BMW, is developed specifically for the German car. It includes spoilers, bumpers, side sills, etc. spectacular elements.

German engineers managed to reduce the Cx coefficient. In restyled models, aerodynamic resistance has decreased to 0.25-0.32. The indicator depends on a particular modification. The stern has also been given a sporty orientation. The laconic rear part is equipped with a powerful bumper.

The most powerful model M5, received tires R19/20 with low-profile rubber. There is a new two-liter 143 hp diesel unit, which consumes 4.7 liters of diesel fuel per 100 km in mixed mode.

Restyling increased the body color range to 16 colors, and in 2014 metallic was added to the list. The color can be ordered by selecting the Individual package. Also from 2014 in the “base” appeared Black panel, mentioned above, and motors with a volume of 3.5.

The following year, NBT navigation was replaced by an updated version, BMW NBT EVO F10. It gives the opportunity to indicate more accurately driving routes and all kinds of traffic jams, allows more comfortable adjustment of the multimedia system. The main difference is the presence of Interface Design 5. After the upgrade, this device synchronizes the systems and interacts with the driver via microphones/ports, with monitors/iDrive controller.

System RAM and processor power have been increased. Therefore, the map access time has been significantly reduced. It now takes a couple of seconds for the maps to zoom in and appear in the optimum size on the display. Since 2015, all BMW vehicles have been equipped with this system.

Restyling has not changed the dimensions of the “five”.

BMW malfunctions

Now let’s see what kind of problems the BMW 5 F10 has. Everyone knows that German specialists know how to make cars. But no matter how high quality they are, there will be breakdowns over time.

Let’s look at some common faults. We said above that BMW has a lot of systems and all of them need to be taken care of, otherwise you can’t avoid problems. Therefore, the cost of maintenance of the car is expensive. For example, in automatic transmission ZF 8HP it is necessary to change oil after 60 thousand kilometers. If the car has all-wheel drive, even more often, 40 thousand kilometers.

The selective catalytic converters in diesel engines require AdBlue to be topped up. If this is required, the driver is informed by the on-board computer.

There may be system failures that the car owner is not even aware of! For example, pedestrian protection sensors that raise the hood of the car in the event of a collision. There may be complaints about BMWs drifting to the right, if they are equipped with active steering. A software update will be required. Run-Flat tires have been massively criticized. Not only are they expensive, but they also make a lot of noise. Expensive repair of the automatic transmission. There were also complaints here that it is impossible to feed the car backwards or shift gears. Error codes BMW F10 can be seen by running a diagnostic system. And their coding with decoding is available in the documentation to the car or can be learned through the network. For example, the drive error for the 528 model is 800e89.

Could be a problem with the front gearbox. You can feel a bump in the rear. After replacing the oil seals, the hexagon may unscrew and tear off the splines on the drive shaft. If the gearbox is alive, the hex can be tightened with a special tool, otherwise it is necessary to replace it.

The German concern has a wide range of power units. Therefore, many people are curious, which engine is the most reliable in BMW F10? N52, N53 or some other?

All engines have problems. Fail-safe systems have not yet been invented. If we talk about reliability, among gasoline engines it is worth noting the unit N55, and among diesel engines – N57. They will require investment after about 200 thousand kilometers.

Generations and packages

6th generation – restyled

09.2013 – 02.2017

6th generation

11.2009 – 08.2013

Hybrid 6th generation – restyled

09.2013 – 02.2017

Hybrid 6th generation

11.2009 – 08.2013