It used to be that BMW sedans all pretty much looked alike -- the so-called sausage-cut-to-different-lengths school of design. Then things got real weird around BMW.
These new spy shots of a nearly naked BMW 5-series sedan reveal that the middle-size BMW might again become Sausage Size M. Take a look at the front end of this prototype. It's very much like the new 7-series, no? That similarity shouldn't come as a surprise, we suppose, since under the swirly skin, the new 5 is built from a version of the new 7-series platform.
Bringing nice perspective to the pictures is the black 5-series GT hatchback/sedan thingy. Note the subtly different nose. It too is built on the 7-series underpinnings, of course. That the overhanging character line running along the flank of this prototype looks a lot more like a 3-series attribute, we will conveniently forget since it doesn't fit the conceit of this post.
Anyway, the last time we caught a 5 series in testing, it was the big-daddy BMW M5.
We expect the new BMW 5-series to make its debut at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show.
albook says:
07:43 PM, 10/22/09
Looks good...so far. I like how it sits. We'll see if it's an E-class beater...
billt9 says:
08:15 PM, 10/22/09
looks decent, so conservative, reverting to the generation before bangle. oldschool and slab sided.
zoomzoomn says:
04:58 AM, 10/23/09
BMW's newest design language much improved over the Bangle-gen cars. BMW did manage to massage those beasts visually over the years to where they weren't horrible to look at(or maybe we just got used to it!). These new cars have a much better brand look that will appeal to BMW's faithful.
fuhteng says:
05:31 AM, 10/23/09
It reminds me of a pig with those vertical grilles. Not bad, but definitely piggie.
dougtheeng says:
06:01 AM, 10/23/09
I think the current 5 is awful so hopefully this is a step forward. The 7-series is too melty-looking, imo, so we'll see how that translates on to the 5.
sabastian says:
08:07 AM, 10/23/09
It reminds me a lot of the E38 7-series, which means it'll still look good in 10 years. Goodbye, Bangle. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
atenza94546 says:
10:57 AM, 10/23/09
I wonder if BMW can keep those tattoo on the car for production??
wrinklebump says:
11:46 PM, 10/23/09
Looks like they were designed by cloistered virgins holed up in a tower somewhere. Beamers are just so ... risk-averse looking. The dealerships probably tell you to invest all your money in gold
mieden says:
06:30 PM, 10/24/09
Ummmm, Bangle designed the "glorious" E38. His designs will continue to be the best for some time.
inlinesix says:
12:16 AM, 10/25/09
I think some of Bangle's designs turned out good, some bad.