Spy Shots: 2010 BMW 5 Series nearing completion
by Damon Lavrinc on Jul 10th 2009 at 7:58PM 
2010 BMW 5 Series - Click above for a high-res image gallery
The 2010 BMW 5 Series is due to hit the market early next year and these latest spy shots are a clear, if predictable, indication of what styling changes are on their way.
The front fascia adopts the upright nose, elongated twin-kidney grille and contoured headlamps (Dame Edna be gone!) originally shown on the 2009 7 Series, while the rear takes on a set of similarly styled tail lamps and looses the Bangled rump we've come to know and loathe.
The overall effect should tie in well with the recently revealed BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo, and expect similar powertrain options to be available, including the 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8, 3.0-liter inline-six and a host of diesel options offered abroad. Transmission choices will likely include a six-speed manual and an all-new eight-speed gearbox supplied by ZF. And then there's the 2011 M5 to look forward to.
Expect the next M-fettled 5er to pack the X6 M/X5 M's tweaked twin-turbo'd eight nestled within a revised chassis sure to use considerable amounts of aluminum and carbon fiber. It's obvious that development of the next 5 is well underway, and we wouldn't be surprised to see it unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September, with the M5 appearing later in 2010.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Sebastian Catalan 8:11PM (7/10/2009)
this 5 remembers me the pontiac g8 and i don't know why......
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yosh 6:08AM (7/11/2009)
because BMW have started to place the grilles on the new cars below the headlights instead of in-line.
IMO it looks ugly. The X5 front is the best they've come up with to date.
dwightB 8:36AM (7/11/2009)
yosh, THIS is what you consider "ugly?"
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1170/1439530132_0002438e9b_b.jpg
yosh 4:45PM (7/11/2009)
@dwightB, I was talking about the new generation(s). See how that 3er has the grilles inline with the headlights?
Sebastian Catalan 4:54PM (7/11/2009)
well, that m3 looks like any other car except a bmw......
Nick 1:27AM (9/29/2009)
yosh
Your comment about the grille height is interesting, it's true that it makes a difference.
I am very disappointed with the newest BMWs coming out (7-series, X6, X1, X5, GT, etc..) even the current 5-series looks strange (headlights..).
They all have a strange expression; they are no longer proud and aggressive looking.
3-series however, has got to be the best looking BMW of the decade.
Sebastian Catalan 8:14PM (7/10/2009)
this 5 remembers me the pontiac g8 and i don't know why......
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AMcA 6:53PM (7/11/2009)
The Bangle Butt is there, apparently unchanged.
Sorry.
Vizel 8:16PM (7/10/2009)
I honestly can say that BMW is nothing more than a overrated German Sedans with some serious reliability problems... I don't know how they got to this point... makes me sad =(
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naggs 8:41PM (7/10/2009)
its because they are lightyears more fun to drive
Cartrash 12:13PM (7/28/2009)
Spoken like someone who has never driven a BMW.
AM2 9:22PM (7/10/2009)
German luxury car with reliability problems?
Wouldn't that be Mercedes models from the late 90's onwards?
I know some people who have both (a BMW and a Mercedes) and the Mercedes was usually the one that gave them some problems.
anonymous j 10:32PM (7/10/2009)
I've driven BMW's, I do think they are fun to drive and probably the most fun to drive non super car. As for being "light years" ahead, I don't know about that.... I think the competition has mad huge strides in that category while BMW has improved but nowhere close to enough to stay as ahead of the rest as they used to be.
They really aren't that much more ahead anymore in the fun/sports category, their definition of luxury could use some rethinking also...
But yes, BMW's are currently still the most fun non supercar to drive IMO, but the question is for how long?
yosh 6:27AM (7/11/2009)
^^Definitely. After seeing Jaguar's XJ interior, I can't help but think BMW's idea of "luxury" is all but bland
N I T E 4:11AM (7/12/2009)
I don't BMW cares much about 'luxury'. May be in the 7 series. After all, it's punch-line is 'The Ultimate Driving Machine'.
modernlove 8:21PM (7/10/2009)
PLEASE don't look like the current 7!! It did not get any better A.B. (After Bangle). The taillights are shapeless lumps, the front is too fat and flat. Dame Edna won't be missed, but Oprah isn't welcome either.
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daeil 8:08AM (7/12/2009)
Agree. AND that front looks like a dog nose!
Taglane 8:21PM (7/10/2009)
Looks better than the 5 series "Giant Tumor" for sure.
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Taglane 8:23PM (7/10/2009)
hmm and i wonder what the interior's gonna look like cuz that interior is so very well camoed.
ScuderiaFerrariF1 8:28PM (7/10/2009)
I miss Bangle....atleast his designs were anything but dull
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