Winter testing is in full swing and our spy photographers' latest catch is the 2011 BMW 5 Series. We've seen test mules on the streets of Germany before, so the prototypes caught in the Arctic Circle unsurprisingly look much the same. With such heavy camouflage, there isn't much to see, but we're not expecting big changes in the styling department anyway.
Unlike the current BMW 5 Series that ushered in a whole new design language, the next-generation car (known internally as F10) will likely soften the current model's lines instead of reinventing them. The overall size of this prototype doesn't appear substantially different, so we don't expect any major changes in terms of passenger room either.
Most of the upgrades to this new midrange sedan will be hidden under the sheet metal. There's a good chance we'll see top-of-the-line versions of the 2011 BMW 5 Series that feature the same twin-turbo V8 introduced in the 2009 BMW X6. With 400 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque, the 4.4-liter V8 should give the 2011 550i more than enough power to hang with its German competition. Some rumors also suggest that an eight-speed automatic transmission will be introduced.
On the tech side, this 5 Series will be the third car in the BMW lineup to use FlexRay technology for the vehicle's internal control systems. The system is designed to allow much faster communications among all the various vehicle systems.
FlexRay was first introduced by the new-generation X5, although only the vehicle's electronic damping control system exploits the faster processing speed. The upcoming 2010 BMW 7 Series is expected to use FlexRay technology for at least a dozen systems, so the 5 Series will most likely go even further. Expect to see even more driver adjustability built into the car as well as additional integration among systems like Active Steering Control, Electronic Differential Control and the usual traction and stability control systems. Hopefully it will add up to a sedan that's more fun to drive instead of one that feels constrained by too many computer controls.
Expect to see the official debut of the 2011 BMW 5 Series at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show, with U.S. sales beginning a year or so after.
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