The BMW 5 Series is an executive car manufactured and marketed by BMW since 1972, succeeding the New Class Sedans, and currently in its seventh generation.

The 5 Series was initially available as a sedan, with a wagon/estate body style (marketed as "Touring") added in 1991 and a 5-door fastback configuration (marketed as "Gran Turismo") available from 2009 to 2017. Each successive generation carries a distinct internal E- designation.

The first generation of 5 Series was powered by naturally aspirated four-cylinder and six-cylinder petrol engines. Following generations have been powered by four-cylinder, six-cylinder, V8 and V10 engines that are either naturally aspirated or turbocharged. Since 1982, diesel engines have been included in the 5 Series range.

The 5 Series is BMW's second-best-selling model after the 3 Series. On 29 January 2008, the 5 millionth 5 Series was manufactured, a 530d sedan in Carbon Black Metallic.

BMW's three-digit model naming convention began with the first 5 Series, thus the 5 Series was BMW's first model line to use "Series" in the name.

Since the E28, all generations of 5 Series have included an "M" model, called the BMW M5.

First generation (E12; 1972)

The E12 is the first generation of 5 Series, and was manufactured for model years 1972–1981. It replaced the New Class sedans and was produced in the sedan body style. The initial models were powered by four-cylinder engines, with a six-cylinder engine introduced a year later.

There was no M5 model for the E12, however the E12 M535i is considered the predecessor to the M5.

The E12 was replaced by the E28 in 1981, with E12 production continuing until 1984, in South Africa.

Second generation (E28; 1981)

The E28 is the second generation of 5 Series, manufactured for model years 1981-1988 as a sedan. It was initially offered with petrol four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines.

In 1983, a diesel engine became available for the first time in a 5 Series. The E28 was the first 5 Series with the centre console angled towards the driver and the option of anti-lock brakes (ABS).

The E28 M5 began a line of M5 high performance models that has continued through every generation since. It was powered by the S38B35 and the M88/3 six-cylinder engines.

Third generation (E34; 1988)

The E34 is the third generation of the 5 Series, manufactured for model years 1988–1996. It was launched in the sedan body style, with the range expanded in 1990 to include the "Touring" wagon/estate body style.

The E34 was the first 5 Series to be available with the wagon body style, all-wheel drive and V8 engines. It also saw the introduction of stability control (ASC), traction control (ASC+T) a 6-speed manual transmission and adjustable damping (EDC) to the 5 Series range.

Nine different engine families were used over its lifetime, consisting of four-cylinder, six-cylinder and V8 petrol engines, and six-cylinder diesel engines.

The E34 M5 is powered by the S38 six-cylinder engine and was produced in sedan and wagon body styles.

Fourth generation (E39; 1995)

The E39 is the fourth generation of 5 Series, which was manufactured for model years 1995–2004. It was launched in the sedan body style, with the wagon/estate body style (marketed as "Touring") introduced in 1996.

The E39 was the first 5 Series to use aluminium components in the front suspension. The proportion of chassis components using aluminium significantly increased for the E39, in order to reduce weight. It was also the first 5 Series where a four-cylinder diesel engine was available.

V8 models used recirculating ball steering (as per previous 5 Series generations), however rack and pinion steering was used for the first time, in the four-cylinder and six-cylinder models. Unlike its E34 predecessor and E60 successor, the E39 was not available with all-wheel drive.

The E39 M5 sedan was introduced in 1998, powered by the 4.9-litre S62 V8 engine.

Fifth generation (E60/E61; 2003)

The E60/E61 is the fifth generation of the 5 Series, which was sold from 2003 to 2010. The body styles of the range are:
 4-door sedan/saloon (E60 model code)
 5-door estate/wagon (E61 model code, marketed as "Touring")

The E60 generation introduced various electronic features to the 5 Series, including iDrive, head-up display, active cruise control, active steering and voice control. The E60 also was the first 5 Series available with a turbocharged petrol engine, a 6-speed automatic transmission and regenerative braking. New safety features for the E60 included adaptive headlights, night vision, active headrests, Lane Departure Warning, and high intensity emergency brake lights. Unlike the three previous generations of 5 Series and the F10 successor, the E60/E61 centre console is not angled towards the driver.

The E60/E61 M5 was released in 2005 and was powered by the S85 V10 engine. It was sold in the sedan and wagon body styles, with most cars using a 7-speed automated manual transmission ("SMG III"). However, in the North American Markets, there was the option to buy the BMW M5 in a manual version.

Sixth generation (F10/F11/F07/F18; 2010)

The BMW F10/F11/F07/F18 is the sixth generation of the BMW 5 Series, which was manufactured for model years 2010–2017. The body styles of the range are:
 4-door sedan/saloon (F10)
 5-door estate/wagon (F11, marketed as "Touring")
 5-door fastback (F07, marketed as "Gran Turismo")
 4-door long wheelbase sedan (F18, sold only in China and the Middle East)

The F07 Gran Turismo was the only 5 Series to date produced as a fastback. The F10 was also the first 5 Series to offer a hybrid drivetrain, a turbocharged V8 engine, an 8-speed automatic transmission, a dual-clutch transmission (in the all f10 series ), active rear-wheel steering (called "Integral Active Steering"), electric power steering, double-wishbone front suspension, an LCD instrument cluster (called "Black Panel Display") and automatic parking (called "Parking Assistant").

The F10 M5 was powered by the S63 twin-turbo V8 engine with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. It was the first M5 to use a turbocharged engine. Like the previous generation, the F10 M5, in North America was sold with a manual transmission.

Seventh generation (G30/G31/G38; 2017) 

The BMW G30/G31/G38 is the seventh generation of the 5 Series. It was officially announced in October 2016, and sales began in February 2017.

Body styles included:
 4-door sedan/saloon (G30)
 5-door wagon/estate (G31)
 4-door long-wheelbase saloon (G38)
The fastback 5 Series GT model from the previous generation is no longer offered, and was moved to the 6 Series range.

The G30 is based on the same modular platform as the 7 Series (G11). The G30 is the first 5 Series to be offered with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, the 530e iPerformance,  which would have the advanced driver-assistance systems found in the 7 Series.
The F90 M5 is the M5 performance model for the G30 generation, and is the first M5 to employ an all-wheel drive powertrain. The X-Drive system allowed for the front differential to disconnect and provide a rear-wheel drive experience to the vehicle.  It is powered by an upgraded version of the S63 twin-turbo V8 engine used in the previous generation F10 M5.

Eighth generation (G60/G61/G68; 2024) 

The BMW G60/G61/G68 is the eighth generation of the 5 Series. It was revealed on May 24, 2023, and will commence production in summer at BMW's Dingolfing Plant in 2023, with first deliveries beginning around October 2023. The fastback 6 Series Gran Turismo model has been discontinued.

Production and sales

Current production is located in Dingolfing, Germany, Shenyang, China and Magna Steyr, Austria.

See also 
 List of BMW vehicles

References 

5 Series
Hatchbacks
Executive cars
Full-size vehicles
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
All-wheel-drive vehicles
Sports sedans
1980s cars
1990s cars
2000s cars
2010s cars
2020s cars
Station wagons
Cars introduced in 1972
(BMW 5 Series)는 독일의 BMW가 생산하는 준대형 승용차로, E세그먼트이다.

1세대(E12) 

1972년에 선보였다. 정통 세단 형태의 5 시리즈를 시작으로 BMW는 숫자를 사용한 시리즈 별로 세그먼트를 분류했고, 대표 숫자 뒤에 배기량을 나타내었다. 그러나 현재는 터보 차저 엔진 등 다운 사이징으로 인해 일치하지 않는 경우가 발생한다. 직렬 4기통 1,766cc 가솔린 엔진(90마력)과 1,990cc 가솔린 엔진(125마력), 직렬 6기통 3,428cc 가솔린 엔진(197마력)까지 라인업이 다양했으며, 직렬 6기통 3,453cc 가솔린 엔진(215마력)이 적용된 M5의 전신이라 할 수 있는 M535i도 존재했다. 1981년까지 생산되었으며, 총 699,094대가 판매되었다.

2세대(E28) 

풀 모델 체인지를 거쳤지만, 기존 1세대의 디자인과 비슷하다. 벨트 라인과 캐릭터 라인 등 차체 디자인에 직선 라인을 적용해서 역동성을 높였으며, 고속 주행 성능을 강조했다. 이 때부터 직렬 6기통 2,443cc 디젤 엔진을 장착해 5 시리즈 역사상 첫 디젤 엔진을 선보였다. 자동변속기도 이 때부터 장착하기 시작했다. 1985년에는 고성능 차종인 M5가 나왔다. 1988년까지 생산되었으며, 총 722,328대가 판매되었다.

3세대(E34) 

1988년에 나왔으며, 전자 장비에 의존하지 않는 기계 공학의 결정체라고 불렸을 만큼 메커니즘에서 높은 완성도를 자랑했다. 패밀리 룩 키드니 그릴을 포함하여 BMW의 아이덴티티가 뚜렷한 앞 부분을 비롯해 라운드와 각이 적절히 혼합되었으며, 무게감과 역동성이 표현되었다. 3세대부터 투어링이 추가되었고, V8 엔진이 추가되었다. 이 때부터 게트락에서 제조한 6단 수동변속기가 장착되어 오늘날에 이른다. 대한민국에는 3세대부터 들어왔으며, BMW E34는 전 모델을 통틀어서 가장 단단한 하체와 팽팽한 스티어링을 갖고 실키식스의 카랑카랑한 베엠베의 DNA를 각인시키고 있다.

4세대(E39) 

1995년에 세단이 출시되었고, 이듬해인 1996년에 투어링이 출시되었다. 5 시리즈 중 가장 성공적이었다는 평가와 전형적인 BMW의 스타일을 완성했다는 평가를 받았다. 정통적인 세단의 구조를 반영하면서 높고 짧은 길이의 데크를 가지고 있어서 스포티한 느낌에 고급스러운 느낌까지 갖췄다. 3세대까지 라디에이터 그릴과 후드가 따로 존재했지만, 4세대부터 일체형으로 바뀌었다. 직렬 6기통 2,494cc 가솔린 엔진과 직렬 6기통 2,926cc 디젤 엔진도 추가되어 엔진 라인업이 다양해졌다. 대한민국에는 1996년에 처음으로 정식 수입을 시작하였으며, 2004년까지 오랜 기간동안 판매되었다. 세단은 2003년 6월에 공식 생산 종료되었으며, 투어링은 2004년 4월까지 생산되었다. BMW의 첫 SUV인 X5(E53)가 E39 플랫폼을 이용해 설계되었다.

5세대(E60/E61) 

세단의 코드 네임은 E60, 투어링의 코드 네임은 E61이다. 2003년에 출시되었으며, 헤드 램프와 리어 램프의 차별화에 역점을 둔 디자인에 i Drive, 어댑티브 헤드 램프, 어댑티브 크루즈 컨트롤, 액티브 스티어링 등 첨단 전자 장비가 적용되었다. V형 8기통 4,799cc까지 추가되어 다양한 엔진 라인업을 자랑했으며, 이 때부터 6단 및 7단 시퀀셜 자동변속기가 적용되었다. 2006년에 페이스 리프트를 거쳐 일부 디자인이 변경되었다.

6세대(F10/F11/F07) 

세단의 코드 네임은 F10, 투어링의 코드 네임은 F11이다. 2010년에 나왔고, 역동적 이미지를 극대화한 짧은 오버행, 쿠페 스타일의 유선형 루프 라인, 동급에서 가장 긴 축거 등을 통해 보다 다이내믹한 느낌을 준다. 8단 자동변속기를 통해 기어 변속이 더욱 부드럽고 빨라졌으며, 차체 구조의 평균 강성도가 약 55%나 증가해서 뛰어난 주행 역동성의 토대를 이루고 있다. 2013년에 페이스 리프트를 거쳐 528i는 직렬 6기통 3.0L 가솔린 엔진에서 직렬 4기통 2.0L 가솔린 터보 엔진으로 교체되었다. 대한민국에는 6세대를 통해 투어링이 처음 들어왔다. 직렬 4기통 2.0L 디젤 엔진을 얹은 520d는 대한민국 수입차 시장에서 큰 인기를 얻고 있다.

7세대(G30/G31) 
 
 
2016년 11월에 먼저 공개되었고, 2017년에 북미 국제 오토쇼를 통해 공개되었다. 플랫폼은 7 시리즈와 공용한다. 제스처 컨트롤, 리모컨 컨트롤 파킹 기능이 추가되었다.  대한민국에서는 530i, 520d, 530d M 스포츠패키지만 장착되어 들어오다, 연식변경으로 520i, M550d와 럭셔리 라인이 추가되었다.
2020년 5월에 한국 BMW 드라이빙 센터에서 세계 최초로 페이스리프트가 공개되었다. 헤드램프가 슬림하면서 얇게 변경되고, 테일램프는 디테일이 바뀌었다. 520d는 마일드 하이브리드가 적용되어 523d로 바뀌었고, 환경 규제로 인해 고성능 디젤 M550d가 단종되었다.

8세대(G60/G61)

경쟁 차량 
 메르세데스-벤츠 - E클래스
 아우디 - A6
 기아 - K7
 제네시스 - G80
 재규어 - XF
 링컨 - MKZ
 렉서스 - ES, GS
 캐딜락 - CTS, XTS
 인피니티 - Q70
 볼보 - S90

외부 링크 
 BMW 대한민국 홈페이지

5 시리즈
5 시리즈
5 시리즈
5 시리즈
5 시리즈
5 시리즈
5 시리즈
5 시리즈
5 시리즈
5 시리즈
5 시리즈
5 시리즈
플러그인 하이브리드 차량