Our worst fears are true!! - an insider speaks out on the new 5

[enots]

This morning i was reading though our Australian Sun-Herald and found a HUGE story on the new 5 Series from Georg Kacher reporting from the BMW company headquarters.

we have see photos that have been made from leaked information, but here are actual details and you can make up your own mental images......not that u want too cause it sounds even uglyier then we have expected

see what you ppl think.....im pretty shocked how our fears of the exterior are starting to come true on the E60.....yet this is information from their sources so there are always doubts.

but i recon this is the BEST coverage and informative look on the next 5.

u guys better enjoy this cause OMG IT TOOK SOOOOOO LONG TO TYPE OUT!!! that means there may b a few lil errors in my typing

well enough chit-chat......enjoy! mmm....enjoy isnt the right word in this case.....mmm...maybe i should say "lets hope its not true!"

"Inside the distinctive four cylinder office tower on the Munich’s Petuelring that is BMW central, the debate is now white hot. A few kilometers away in the sleekly modern Research and Design center, American Chris Bangle, BMW’s chief of design, is guiding a crucial new car through its final phases.

The BMW 5 Series won’t be seen until September next year, but crunch time is now. The company that made style its signature element can’t decide on its next move.

The 5 Series is a highly profitable model. It can’t afford to fail, but there is a lot of nervousness about the design direction.

The new car is said to be even more radical than the recently released 7 Series flagship, a design that polarized opinion from day one.

The success of the new 7 Series is determined mainly by its performance in the US and in Asia. The new 5 also needs to do well in Europe and, above all, in Germany.

This explains the unease within BMW’s sales and marketing department. Incoming orders for the new flagship saloon send a clear message: German demand is poor; pan-European orders are not as good as expected and North America and Asia are slightly above target.

The new 5 cannot afford such a lukewarm reception.
That’s why the Bavarians would love to put an end to the design debate which drags on, and not only in Germany.

BMW is in a quandary. The current 3 Series was deemed not adventurous though when it arrived, but has sold very well. Under Bangle’s design direction, BMW then rolled out a series of radical concept cars. The X9 coupe, shown at the Detroit Motor Show last year, received a panning.

Then the 7 Series arrived – and critics labeled it too “out there” for its rich buyers.

EXTERIOR

Those who have seen project E60 (as the new 5 is codenamed) reckon many customers will take even longer to get used to the new midliner. Even BMW loyalists may be shaken by such nonconformist cues as the Chinese-eye front end and the Japanese-looking tail.

Although the fourth-generation 5, due to appear at the 2003 Frankfurt Show, can be instantly identified as a BMW, the design language will change dramatically.

There’s a new interpretation of the trademark kidney grille, which assumes the shape of a symmetrically split vase. Quad round headlamps are installed at a cat’s-eye angle. The characteristic BMW belt line gives way to a concave lateral groove.

Even the co-called Hofmeister kink, that unmistakable signature element at the foot of the rear side (C) pillar, has lost its crispness.

Clear and geometric cutlines divide the slab-sided flanks, but the standard 16-inch wheels look tiny on such a broad-shouldered and visually heavy car.

Early this year, top and middle management saw the car in BMW’s penthouse viewing area.

The dark grey model looked almost black in the dim light, recalls a guest. It was easy to see the inoffensive silhouette, but more difficult to read the cutlines.

The main criticism was related to the tall and angular rear end, which one insider described as an oddball mix of 7 Series and Subaru Liberty styling elements. The front end is determined by the wrap around bonnet, boomerang-shaped eyebrow indicators, a sagging-cheeks air intake in the bumper and the swoosh in the front mudguards just ahead of the door openings.

There is no doubt about it: the new 5 looks different. But is it still a proper BMW? And how does this offbeat appearance comply with the classic BMW design genes once so homogeneous and coherent?

INTERIOR

Inside, the E60 continues to break with tradition. In the past, BMW cockpits were driver-orientated and ornamentation-free. In ther new 5, form threatens to dominate function.

An internal pamphlet says the instrument panel “combines tension and calm”, but apparently impresses more with up to six layers of colours and materials than with tangible ergonomics innovations.

The biggest step ahead is perhaps the second edition of the iDrive information controller, allegedly much easier to use than the 7 system.

The designers have cleaned up the countless menus and submenus to make access a lot slicker.

The iDrive controller looks different and a master switch gives instant access to key programs. The in-dash monitors less prominent, better integrated and easier to read from the passenger side.

TECHNICAL

Beneath the skin, the new 5 is a downsized version of the new 7. Like its predecessor, E60 relies on a spring strut front axle and a multi-link rear axle, but the revised suspension elements are now made of aluminum, not steel.

Options include adjustable dampers and adjustable sway bars. Among the most important dimensional changes are a longer wheelbase, wider track, bigger wheels and brakes.

None of the present engines will remain unchanged in the new 5. The petrol-fed power plants will combine Valvetronic with direct-injection, but current displacements are rumored not to change.

Mid-term, say by late 2005, BMW wants to establish the electronic valve train (EVT) across the board. EVT will revolutionize engine design by replacing camshafts with individually controlled electro-mechanical intake and exhaust valves.

The first BMW EVT engine is rumored to be going into low-volume production next year. Also, late next year, the Bavarians are expected to show the new 5 Wagon, due on the market in the northern spring 2004.

It’s not clear if BMW will fit electro-hydraulic brakes (EHB) – or will be the first to go to electro-mechanical brakes (EMB) in late 2004.

What EMB needs is a separate high-tension electric system, which would also feed the starter-generator. Such a system is in the works for E60, sources say.

In addition to brake-by-wire, BMW is also looking at steer-by-wire, but the active steering which would automatically maintain a chosen course in crosswinds or when lanes narrow is more likely to debut in the new 7 Series.

Whichever way BMW jumps with the new 5 Series, you can be assured you won’t miss its arrival. As one insider put it, 'if you thought the 7 Series was controversial, you ain’t seen nothing yet.' "

-Greg

[Prometheus NY]

God, reading that made me want to cry. I'd changed my opinion of the new 7 because it has become more a luxury car for the driver and the passengers to compete with the S Class and does. This, however, sounds like they are completely changing the soul of the 5.

Seems very depressing, and you can bet your *** that the guys at MB and Audi are popping those champagne bottles just about now.

I would consider an E55 but unfortunately the other geniuses at MB haven't included a manual transmission. You would think they would have woken up and smelled the coffee this time considering the success of the manual transmissioned M5.

In any case, my second choice is the sedan version of the RS6. Hopefully they will release it here in the US.

[EBMCS03]

ARGH!!! Stupid BMW!! I cant believe them... What the heck? why the radical change... ya... I know they want to lead... but shoot not this way... their design is F-UGLY!!! I hate the new NOSE... "the trademark kidney grille, which assumes the shape of a symmetrically split vase" ARGH!! Whatevers! And the "the wrap around bonnet, boomerang-shaped eyebrow indicators, a sagging-cheeks air intake in the bumper and the swoosh in the front mudguards just ahead of the door openings." Freaken sounds a lot like the pics I've seen thats been floating around!! YUCK YUCK YUCK!! Believe me... if it going to be like this forget it.. BMW losses a future customer... I'm going to Audi and Mercedes. RS6 it is! Stupid BMW...

[Adam]

Enots thank you for taking your own time in typing this out for us..now if i was bmw and there was alot of controversy about my new design direction..i would prolly send out the wrong messages i.e the new car is going to be FUGLY...which hopefully it wont be and we will all be pleasantly surprised however hat is me looking on the brightest brightest side of things...im prolly worng and the new 5 will be a frumpy bungled car..BMW will lose its market share and wonder what went wrong..oh well might as well call benz about the new e55..
adam

[SC786]

So if the E60 5 Series is due for release in September 2003, then doesn't that mean we are looking at a late 2005 release for the E60 M5?

[Adam]

Yeah that release date does sound a bit a late...

all the best
Adam

[bay area kid]

Thanks for typing that whole thing, enots. I'm so upset right now. The e39 is one of the most beautiful cars in the world and I can't picture a sedan being nicer than that. BMW does have a challenge of making a car look nicer than the e39, but they're not doing a good job of beating the challenge.

[tfung]

from the sound of it, it sounds rather horrid.. but I can't form a picture in my head from the description.. still have to see the actual thing to decide..

[M PHATIC]

Let's all be patient, and wait for the end result. I have a sense that all will be well!!!!!!

[MAVERICK]

[quote]Originally posted by enots
Even the co-called Hofmeister kink, that unmistakable signature element at the foot of the rear side (C) pillar, has lost its crispness.

Whichever way BMW jumps with the new 5 Series, you can be assured you won’t miss its arrival. As one insider put it, 'if you thought the 7 Series was controversial, you ain’t seen nothing yet.' "[/i]


Thanks, Greg, for the article. The Hofmeister kink and other elements of the E39 are the reasons it is so beautiful. The interior is superb. Why mess with perfection? I could not care less if the E60 dash will be available in a variety of colors and materials. What is the sense in going with a styling theme that heads away from the driver-oriented dashboard and controls? These qualities made BMW famous, and in the last decade they have enjoyed a golden age of making superb cars. By hiring American designer companies to design their cars, they are shooting themselves in the foot. I wonder which moron/morons is/are responsible for steering the company in this direction? It's not a big surprise that the Germans hate the new E65. Why would they like a Americanized 7-series? The world is going crazy. BMW is making ugly, americanized cars with shifters on the steering column while Cadillac is making a car with a Getrag 6-speed manual and a suspension tuned on the Nurburgring.

[Robert Daschil]

That article does not sound good. Why can't they mix the Ultimate Driving Machine with advanced electronics. Why would they so dramtically alter something that all ready works? I think they need to take a new approach and ask some real drivers what the Ultimate Driving Machine means. Someone like Ralph, Juan or Gerhard. Between the three they could help BMW travel down the correct path, they are kind of late in the game hear something needs to be done fast.

Who did Bangle work for previously?