Used BMW E60 5 Series Spares For Sale

About The BMW 5 Series E60

History & Profile

In 2003 , the BMW E39, the fourth generation of the 5 Series, was replaced by the new E60, characterized by a “breakthrough” design, which was inspired by the 7 Series E65.

The period in which the new 5 Series is going to debut is rather contrasted within the headquarters of the House of Monaco, especially within the BMW style department, where the manager Chris Bangle was literally revolutionizing the entire range by proposing models with design very unconventional, to the point that two years earlier, following the launch of the fourth series of Series 7, many aficionados of the German company signed a petition asking for the dismissal of the same Bangle, precisely because of the decisive detachment made by the latter from the classic, comforting lines of the previous models. The dismissal did not happen and the American designer continued in the following years to “dress” the BMWs of the 2000s .

The lines of the E60 also passed under the apprehensive eyes of the more traditional clientele, which debuted in mid-2003. In fact, this new model, similar to the 7 E65 series, breaks decisively with the E39s, which in fact suddenly get old. while maintaining classic BMW elegance.

The new model of the Bangle era is characterized by a rather angular body, especially in the rear, but which also effectively marries curved elements, especially in the front, where the two wraparound headlights stand out, equipped with an “eyelash” that continues up to side mudguard: this edge includes a row of yellow LEDs that act as position lights combined with the four circular rings around the headlights. The side is the least troubled part, but in a three-quarter view the wheel arches appear protruding, in order to give the right grit to the line of the car, but without too much excess. The tail is the most angular part, and is characterized by the bonnet of the luggage compartment which seems to be “resting” on the car body.

The interior was very minimalist: the classic dashboard oriented 7.5 ° towards the driver disappeared, to make way for a long straight band declined in different materials ranging from aluminum -effect plastic to various types of briar. But the most important change was the i-Drive interface knob, which, managing to manage all the main functions of the car, made it possible to eliminate the various buttons. This interface, which derives directly from the one brought to the debut with the 7 Series E65, had been further simplified and made more intuitive, and despite having been the subject of criticism from the competition, in the immediate future it also spread to other brands, albeit with other commercial names, in particular at Audi (Mmi) and Mercedes-Benz (Comand Plus).

The instrumentation abandoned the classic four circular elements with double twinning in favor of two circular elements with a large display in the center that constituted the interface for the i-drive.

From a technical point of view, the E60 offers solutions already seen in the E39 combined with other new ones. Among those taken from the previous model we must certainly remember the aluminum suspension schemes , at the front of the MacPherson type with semi-virtual steering axle (double joint) and at the rear of the multilink type with 4 and a half arms.

On the other hand, among the frame innovations, the optimization of the weight distribution between the front and rear axles should be noted, due to the use of aluminum alloy for the front part of the body, which thus becomes lighter and compensates for the increase in weight due to the presence of the engine.

The brakes are obviously disc. The engines available on the E60 initially were the 520i (6-cylinder 24v, 2171cm³ 170hp), the 525i (6-cylinder 24v 2494cm³, 193hp), the 530i (6-cylinder 24v 2979cm³, 231hp), the 545i (V8 32v 4398 cm³, 333 HP), the 525d (6 cylinder 24v 2497 cm³, 177 HP) and the 530d (6 cylinder 24v 2996 cm³, 218 HP). The versions confirmed the classic layouts Eletta, Attiva and Futura, while for the 545i a layout was created that summarized all the others called Eccelsa.

Electronics, as is now customary, is used in profusion in the E60, and is found in numerous devices aimed at road safety and driving pleasure. In addition to the inevitable airbags and ABS , DSC and DTC are offered, but also active steering, which improves driving precision and cornering.

In addition, for a fee, it is also possible to obtain Dynamic Drive, that is the active anti-roll bars that adjust their intervention according to the speed in curves, decisively reducing lateral lying down. Among the other “goodies” are the self-adaptive bi-xenon headlights, which vary the angle of the light beam according to the steering angle, the yaw and the speed of the car, but also the innovative Head-Up display, which projects the main information on the windscreen so that the driver does not take his eyes off the road.

In 2004 the Touring version was introduced , that is the station wagon , distinguished by the design code E61 , which proposes a slightly less risque body style, although clearly derived from the more daring sedan. The engines are similar to those of the sedan itself, while from the point of view of practicality, the tailgate can be opened completely or only the rear window can be opened.

The large luggage compartment, whose 500 liters of space can rise to 1650 by folding down the rear bench, can be opened or closed electrically on request, as one of the specific options for the Touring versionthere is a device that opens the tailgate by means of a command in the alarm and closes it again by means of a button on the tailgate itself. Subsequently, the M5 was presented, which, equipped with a new aluminum V10 derived directly from that of Formula 1, was capable of 507 hp. This version will also be offered with station wagon bodywork, giving rise to the M5 Touring.

Several new engines were introduced between 2004 and 2005 :

• 520i (4 cylinders, 16 valves, 1995 cm³, 170 HP)
• 523i (6 cylinders, 24 valves, 2497 cm³, 177 hp)
• 525i (6 cylinders, 24 valves, 2494 cm³, 218 hp)
• 530i (6 cylinders, 24 valves, 2996 cm³, 258 hp)
• 540i (8 cylinders in V, 32 valves 4000 cm³, 306 HP)
• 550i (8-cylinder V, 32 valves 4795 cm³, 367 hp)
• 520d (4 cylinders, 16 valves, 1995 cm³, 163 HP)
• 525d (6 cylinders, 24 valves, 2996 cm³, 197 hp)
• 530d (6 cylinders, 24 valves, 2996 cm³, 231 HP)

In addition, in the same period, the x-drive all-wheel drive versions appeared on the 525xi , 530xi , 530xd, and a new dual- turbocharging diesel in parallel, which with 272 HP, allowed the 535d (6 cylinders 24v 2996 cm³ ) record-breaking performance in the six-cylinder diesel segment.

In 2007 it was the turn of a very light restyling, which included LED rear lights, new bumper shields, and inside new door panels and more refined materials. On the occasion, a new highly sought-after version called Msport was launched, characterized by external elements borrowed from the M5 such as the more aerodynamic bumpers and side skirts, aluminum door sills with the Msport logo. and technical measures aimed at making driving more dynamic than traditional versions.

Together with the restyling, new engines were added to replace the previous ones with the same denomination: 520i (4 cylinders, 16 valves, 1995 cm³, 170 HP), 523i (6 cylinders, 24 valves, 2497 cm³, 190 HP), 525i (6 cylinders, 24 valves, 2996 cm³, 218 hp), 530i (6 cylinders, 24 valves, 2996 cm³, 272 hp), 535i (6 cylinders biturbo, 24 valves, 2979 cm³, 306 hp), 520d (4 cylinders, 16 valves, 1995 cm³, 177 hp), 525d (6 cylinders, 24 valves, 2993 cm³, 197 hp), 530d (6 cylinders, 24 valves, 2996 cm³, 235 hp) and 535d (6 cylinders, 24 valves, 2996 cm³, 286 CV).

In the spring of 2010, with the launch of the new generation of the 5 Series, the F10 , the E60 sedan was discontinued, leaving only the E61, the station wagon, on the list. At the beginning of the summer of the same year, the latter also left the scene, giving way to the F11 station wagon.

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• BMW 5 Series E60 Vehicles For Sale
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• Read more about the BMW E60 model.