BMW 5-Series: 535/550 Rumors

erickpl

I'm looking forward to the 535i, personally. A bit bigger and should have enough oomph for the bigger vehicle w/o having to jump up to a 550.

The 335i sedan I was in last night was really nice, as was the 335i coupe. Interior seemed a bit cramped for me though. Maybe I didn't have the seat adjusted right, but my current ride has more space (or at least feels like it).

-Paul

kyfdx

I sort of figured that we won't see a 535i, precisely because there is a 550i...

Since they are using that 260 hp engine from the 530i in the X3 and X5, they have no reason to drop it...

Just supposition on my part, though..

tayl0rd

My guess is that the 550i will get the old M5 engine (tuning) and there will be a 535i with the upcoming facelift.

dhanley

Whispers are that there will be a 535 in '08, and the v8 will also receive two small turbochargers. So, the lineup will be 528, 535 and 555 or something like that.

The reasons for needing to turbo the v8 are similar to the i-6. BMW doesn't like to make the cylinders much bigger than 1/2 liter, for the sake of smoothness, but there's a horsepower race going on at the same time. So the engine size will be dropped close to 4 liters, but horsepower/torque will probably be 400 each.

Again, this is rumor, but it makes sense.

erickpl

I was told by my dealer last night that the 535 was coming in the spring. Take that for what is worth. So far, the news he has given me has been accurate.

-Paul

jb_shin

Unlikely, the old 4.9 L M5 engine will have difficult time meeting the emission standards. As it is, the engine (retails) is about $25,000 and it would be far better to boost power on the 4.8 liter they have now.

achonko

The 550 will be replaced by the bi-turbo version of the 4.4litre V8 that is in the 545i.
There is a plan to replace the 530i with the N54 engine to give us a 535i.
Possible MY2008 or MY2009 line up is:
550i with the bi-turbo 4.4 V8 engine
535i with the bi-turbo 3.0 I6 engine
528i with the detuned NA 3.0 engine

pearl

Any word on when the 08 will actually be available? One guy told me that his dealer said that if he ordered a 5 series for European delivery after mid-March he would get an 08 model which could be picked up at the factory in early June.

shulse

I discussed ordering the 550 for this summer and they confirmed production for '08 begins in March. For a June delivery, it would definitely be a 2008 model.

achonko

Spring. Your dealer should start taking order in March if not sooner for April-May delivery.

achonko

The 550i will still have the same 4.8 litre V8.
The Bit-turbo 4.4 litre V8 will first debut in the E72- X6, E70-X5,then the F01/02 750i before making its way to the F10 550i in 2009 as a MY2010.

shulse

What do you think the performance specs on the bi-turbo 4.4l will look like? My hunch is over 400 on bhp & torque, with heavy low-end torque.
Also, do you think the bi-turbo design will create more maintenance issues?

achonko

The initial bench test gave results that were close to 500 HP, and Torque.
BMW will limit it to about 420 SAE HP and Torque.
You are right about the low end torque with flat and wider bandwidth than the N54 engine.
Performance wise, the 550i will be to the S6, the way the 335i is to the S4.

bruceomega

Achonko,

Interesting correlation of models. Was curious, to what do you think the 535i will compare?

Thanks
Bruce

achonko

The 535i in pricing terms will attract a marginal price increase.
Performance wise, the 535 will compare to the following models:
Audi 4.2 V8 Quattro A6(on the dry) but cost less
Infiniti 4.5l V8 M45 with identical pricing.
Lexus 4.3l V8 GS430 but cost less

Performance wise, the 535i will outperform these cars.