2011 BMW 528i: Is it a 3, 5 or 7?

Not surprised. I consider myself a hardcore car guy and I passed a 5 series the other day and thought it was a 7 series. Not bad for the 5 series buyer, not so good for the 7 series owner.

Thanks for confirming what I've been thinking ever since I saw the new 5-series. ;-)

wait until you get the:
"wow, is that the new camry?" comment

I was at the Denver Auto Show and didn't think they had the new 5 series there, I thought it was a 7 as well.

I know people dig on Audi for having models that have too many similar features, but the BWM 3, 5, and 7 series are literally small, medium, and large. Identical front and rear ends. Nice looking but it in no way shape or form easy to tell them apart.

Eine Wurst, drei Größe.

Pretty color however.

they are hard to tell apart these days. I have trouble discerning the 5 from the 7 on the streets now.

I agree, BMW sedans have started to look too similar. They all look great (I think the 5 is my favorite overall) with beautiful proportions and classic lines, but a little more differentiation would be nice. I think the E46, E39, E38 years were the highlight of BMW design for their subtle elegance and clear differentiation.

MB had this problem with the W220, W211, and W203 S, E, and C classes. It's great for the people buying a lowly C or 3, but most people purchasing at the top end want more differentiation.

I think MB's current lineup is the most successful at this right now. All three are unmistakably a Mercedes (for better or worse depending on your point of view), but they also have a unique look such that you wouldn't likely confuse an S with an E or an E with a C.

I guess BMW is returning to their more conservative design formula of "one sausage, 3 lengths" after all the criticism from the Bangle years. As much as many of us hated the designs, its true that the last generation 5 and 7 (e60 and e65), as well as the current 3 series (which was sold alongside those models), were all pretty different in design.

I have confused the new 5 with the new 7 on the road. The Bangle era did produce very distinctive styles, but with all the controversy I'm not surprised van Hooydonk went back to much more conservative designs.

"Identical front and rear ends."

They have corporate similarities but in no way are they anywhere near identical.

Seems that I'm in the minority here. I kind of like having the strong familial resemblance between the 3 sedan lines.

To be honest, I think the new 5 looks great - although I confess to also liking the previous model by the end of the run with all the minor changes to the lighting and front and rear bumpers.

Guess I'll also confess to liking the design of the "one sausage, three length" cars. Oh well.

Title says it all....Recently in one of the performance mods hall in LA Autoshow, we had tough time deciding whether the car in question was a 3,5 or 7 (with all the badgings removed)....

Too much familiarity between three different categorical cars does not give exclusivity to any of them....

The last BMW that I really payed attention to was the 1998 750il because it was James Bond's car that flew off the roof of a car park and returned to the rental agency. Since then, they have gone from ugly (5 series) to really ugly (7 series) to dull (current lineup) and looking all alike except in size.

They might be the ultimate driving machine but so is a TI-83 the ultimate calculator, when I just need to add and subtract for my taxes.

the front of the 7 and 5 are nearly identical which wasnt the case in the previous generation.

The 740i is only about 3" longer and almost the same wheel base. The big difference between the 2011 5 and 7 is WIDTH. The 7 is about 10" wider. That's a lot of car!

I think all three are great designs and like the five the best. (Picking it up tomorrow!)