BF Analysis: The F10 5 Series Design

The F10 5 Series has a tough act to follow in terms of sales success. But what about design? The E60 5er has had a lot of mixed reviews over the years when it comes to its exterior and interior looks. Looking back on the previous car it is clear that the E60 was quite unique in BMW’s design language. Notably it distanced itself from both the E90 3 Series (current generation) and the E65 7 Series (previous generation) in exterior and interior design. Without even going into whether or not the E60 was a successful design statement, it was a surprise move for a company that had for years produced cars that looked similar while catering to different markets. The same sausage at different lengths was the reference many had made when discussing several generations of BMWs from the 80s through the late 90s. However, with the last generation 3, 5 and 7 BMW appeared to create unique identities for it’s core vehicles and distance itself from using the sausage of different lengths.

The introduction of the new F01 7er and now the F10 5er seems to announce BMW’s intention of modifying that ideology. If you look closely, the F10 has plenty of both the E90 3 Series and the F01 7 Series in the details . It’s clearly a safe move for BMW, a brand much maligned (perhaps wrongly) for “challenging” typical automotive design in recent years. Is it the wrong decision or has BMW stepped back into the type of safe, successful design language it had been known or during the 90′s?

I actually believe it’s neither. With the F01 7 Series BMW made a carefully bold statement that left little for automotive journalists (and the public) to complain about. Yet the car is relatively bold and unique. When you think of it, that’s exactly what a 7 Series should be. Safe yet unquestionably BMW. Now that the F10 5 Series has been released it’s clear that BMW has gone with a conservative (yet attractive) approach to a product marketed towards conservative palates. Let’s face it, all 5 Series aren’t owned by design professionals seeing to make a statement. They are often company cars or transportation owned by professionals looking to make somewhat of an indulgent yet smart purchase. The F10 plays well to that notion and gives BMW a solid foundation to market towards a variety of demographics.

But lets hear your thoughts. How does the new F10 5 Series stack up to your expectations? How does it compare with all the 5 Series that came before it? Or perhaps most importantly, how does it stack up to the competition like the E Class, Infinity M45 or the new Jaguar XF?