It’s the dawn of a new age at M. Or depending on how you look at it, a return to form (a la the M535i). Either way these new diesels touched by the magic of M look and sounds fantastic. Perhaps more importantly, the numbers look extraordinary; 381 hp and 546 lb-ft from a triple turbocharged inline six. Power is driven through an eight speed automatic gearbox and put down to the pavement via a revised xDrive system. The results as impressive as expected – 0-60 should fall somewhere in the mid four second range.
But all that aside, it’s the engine’s technology that has our mouths watering.
First came the rumor. Then came the official admission. Now comes the debut. Today BMW M takes the wraps off of its first products with diesel engines. No they aren’t M cars in the classic sense but they are a new breed of cars created by M to bridge the gap between full M products and “Series” cars.
However being that these first products are diesel, they will not be coming to the US. With diesel certification an extraordinarily pricey affair for the US market, projected sales don’t justify the investment. Forbidden fruit or not, the numbers look extraordinary; 381 hp and 546 lb-ft from a triple turbocharged inline six. Power is driven through an eight speed automatic gearbox and put down to the pavement via a revised xDrive system. The results as impressive as expected – 0-60 should fall somewhere in the mid four second range.
Numbers aside it’s the engine that has us most interested. This is BMW’s first application of a triple turbo set-up and one of the first in the automotive industry. The size, arrangement and interplay of the turbos are designed to guarantee maximum power across the power range. The system comprises two smaller and one larger turbo. According to the driving situation, the low moment of inertia of the small turbochargers is exploited to the full to deliver razor-sharp responses, while the link-up with the large turbo is maximised to generate as much charge pressure as possible.
You can read more via the official press release below and the full gallery after the break. And if you still can’t get enough you can download the entire full (and lengthy) press release after the break.
Autoblog got some vague confirmation that BMW may be considering bringing the F10 5 Series wagon to the states after-all. Last winter Automotive News reported that BMW executives regretted making the decision to drop the wagon in favor of the 5 Series GT. While the GT ha out-sold the wagon, previous 5 Series wagon buyers have moved onto other brands and not (as BMW predicted) into the GT.
Another day, another car the North American Market won’t be seeing. But once again this is still pretty pertinent for all markets. For one we believe Alpina will have a greater presence in worldwide and yes that means the US. Could we see the B5 sedan eventually? Perhaps. However we’d wager an Alpina D3 would be more interesting for the US market.
When in Germany do as the German’s do; drive a diesel wagon! For the foreseeable future we’ll be driving and reviewing BMW’s from both sides of the Atlantic, that includes those that have been banished from the states or those that have never even made it to BMW’s largest market.
Touching down in Deutschland with enough clothes for three and baby gear to last a summer (before the container of the rest of the belongings makes it over) is a sight to be seen in European airports let alone packing it all into one vehicle for the road trip. Realistically, there are few cars that roam the German straßes that would even fit the bill of carry an American dosage of “stuff”. The BMW 5 Series sportwagon is one of those that does.
File this under we told you so. Autonews is reporting BMWNA is disappointed with 5 Series GT sales. According to BMW the wagon/SUV hybrid isn’t attracting the 5 Series wagon crowd and instead stealing sales away from the more expensive 7 Series.
“The disappointment I have is that I thought a lot of our 5-series station wagon customers would go with the GT,” O’Donnell says. “In point of fact, that is not happening. We have lost those customers to the competition — mainly to Mercedes-Benz.
“The GT has attracted 7- and 5-series customers and conquests,” he says, “but not the station wagon customer we had hoped.”
We don’t hide our feeling on BF about BMW wagons. We love them. We prefer them over BMW’s SAVs or anything else on the market like them. And yet, living in the US, we’re simply not allowed to have the newest most advanced BMW wagon, the F11 5 Series. And soon, if rumors are to be believed, we’ll be without the 3 Series wagon as well. So it’s with mixed feeling that we you the news that the F11 5 Series wagon has just won the prestigious iF Gold Award for Design. Having recently spent some time with the F11 in Germany I can attest to the quality of design throughout both the exterior and interior. Put plainly, in our eyes this is the best looking 5 Series since the E39 M5.
Official Release: Harmonious proportions, individual surface design and a powerfully dynamic appeal – with these attributes the BMW 5 Series Touring managed to win over the panel of judges for the world-renowned iF Product Design Awards. On 1 March 2011, the opening day of the CeBIT technology fair, the BMW 5 Series Touring received its iF Gold Award. This special accolade is the highest distinction conferred by the Hanover-based International Forum Design. The BMW 5 Series Touring is among the 50 recipients of the Gold Award selected from a total of 993 winners of the 2011 iF label.
2011 sees a brace of 5 Series models – the new BMW 5 Series Sedan and the new BMW 5 Series Touring – presented with the coveted iF award for outstanding product design. With this internationally acclaimed prize, the International Forum Design once again pays tribute to the characterful aesthetics of BMW Group Design. Following the 2011 Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany and the 2010 red dot award, the iF label marks a further chapter in the success story of the new BMW 5 Series range.
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We believe in the old school BMW ownership experience. We believe in garage nights with a six pack and some friends. We believe in 2002s, in E30 M3s and E34 540s with the 6 speed. We believe in progress in both design and engineering but we haven't lost sight of what made the brand and its products great all those years ago. And yes, we believe in the manual transmission.
We long for the days of the wave and for the days of roll-up windows. Yet we love the gadgets on the inside and the xenons on the outside.
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Sections: //M\\ Diesels, E70 X5, E71 X6, F10 5 Series, F11 5 Series Wagon, Video Jan 26th, 2012 6 Comments 
