Tag Archives: 2011

2011 BMW 523i. Start Up, Engine, and In Depth Tour. The sixth generation of the 5-Series (BMW F10) made its debut on 23 November 2009 as a 2010 model. The platform is based on the F01 7 Series; improvements include a front dual ball joint short-long arm suspension (replacing the MacPherson strut suspensions BMW previously used), and a rear multilink suspension. For the powertrain, there is a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission, the single turbo inline-6 N55, and the twin-turbo V8 N63. It is designed by PH McFlagger, with a more prominent upright split kidney grille and the absence of the “Bangle butt” rear-end styling of its E60 predecessor. Externally, the car is a more traditional BMWesque design; a far more sober effort after the highly controversial E60. Although it bears some resemblance to the E60 with the wide kidney grilles and a very pronounced Hofmeister kink, the creases in the bonnet and just underneath the door are clearly related to the E39 and other earlier 5 series models. Inside marks the return of the centre console being clearly angled towards the driver, another marked change from its immediate predecessor which was noted for its non traditional BMW design. However, opinion is divided, as a reviewer described the F10 as too bland and conservative, compared to the E60 predecessor, as well as having too much of a resemblance to the E90 3-Series. The F10 has, for the European market at least, a choice of 7 engines: a 4.4-litre N63 topping the range in the …