Car and Driver has the new BMW 5-Series

I gotta have to see this new 5'er in person, as the pics can always be misleading. When do you guys think we might be able to see a preview of this thing on the floors? I do like the interior finishing though. especially, after seeing the new GT interior with my very own eyes in the display area of Long Beach BMW last week.

Originally Posted by barl0

I gotta have to see this new 5'er in person, as the pics can always be misleading. When do you guys think we might be able to see a preview of this thing on the floors? I do like the interior finishing though. especially, after seeing the new GT interior with my very own eyes in the display area of Long Beach BMW last week.

I'm guessing the new model will hit the showrooms by Fall of next year.

Originally Posted by SleepTight

I'm disappointed that they did not increase the horsepower in the turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six. I'm sure BMW could have squeezed another 30 or so horsepower out if they had stayed with twin turbos instead of going to the single turbo design (likely for emissions). That's an improvement that would have sealed the deal for me.

I am even more disappointed that they did not increase the horsepower of the N52 3 liter to something more than 230. BMW already has more powerful versions of this engine and it seems that they could have easily upped the power here (say 250 or 260) without getting it too close to the turbo motor (which has much more torque anyway). Lot of manufacturers already have more powerful 3 liter engines out (GM, Ford, Honda, etc) which run on regular gas. BMW may understate their 230 hp motor, but at least for the sake of advertising and comparisons, they need to claim more than 230 hp in their base engine.

My thought right now coming from an '09 328i sedan with a stick, is to move up to a 2012 (give the new 5 a year to work out the kinks) 5 series in a stick. If no stick, then I'd have to start looking elsewhere for a larger sedan in a stick. But not much options out there. Audi A6 doesn't come in a stick, E class = no stick. So where's that leave me. I sure hope the new 5 series comes in a stick. I really enjoy my '02 525iT (automatic) but like the extra room it provides over the 328i sedan.