subject: The Evolution Of The Bmw 5 Series [print this page] Originally released back in 1972, I'm sure no one could have predicted the success that the series would encounter over the next 38 years. The original BMW 5 series was released featuring just a 1.8 litre engine at the bottom end of the range and crept up to 3.0 and 3.5 litre engines at the top. Even if by modern day standards the looks were square and boxy, it was no doubt a classic and still features in a number of feature films to this day.
The next evolution of the BMW 5 series was the E28, only around for six years and featuring a reduced range of engine specifications the car was a letdown compared to its predecessor. You would be hard pushed to find one of these on the roads today; it seems to be the forgotten child of the series and is something that both BMW and the general public would rather ignore.
As spectacularly bad as the E28 was, the E34 made up for it by being a simply stunning motor vehicle, the series ran for eight years and dominated the road space becoming the car of choice for a number of sales representatives up and down the country. It was said at one point you could tell whether you had made it in the sales industry by what car you were driving and it seemed that almost all of them wanted to be in a BMW 5 series.
Like all good things the E34's reign had to come to an end and it did with the announcement from BMW that they were remodelling the series with the introduction of the new E39. However, just because the range had changed, it didn't mean that the car would become less popular with sales representatives. The company were very conscious of the corner of the market they had managed to dial in to and tailored the new BMW 5 series to appease this audience.
It proved to be that good that even certain sections of the police force decided to utilise the BMW 5 series as a squad car, with its perfect weight distribution, balance and handling. The police found it an easy and comfortable car to use, although the police colour scheme didn't always look right on the side of a BMW.
The latest evolution of the series was back in 2003 when the E60 was released, which brought the range more in line with the rest of the family. Smoother, more rounded and aerodynamic the car took a step forward with a range of hi-tech gadgetry that either please or annoyed purchasers.
BMW's latest model is set to be unveiled in 2010 and it will be interesting to see what direction the company plan to take the car in. I'm sure Mercedes, VW and Audi will all be watching with interest to see if they can capitalise on this important market sector.
