BMW 5 Series History
BMW's mid-size executive sedan since 1972 — the segment benchmark, and home of the M5 super-sedan.
Photo: “2004 BMW 528i E39, front left, 05-24-2024” by Ethan Llamas / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
History
Introduced in 1972, the 5 Series was the first BMW to use the modern 'Series' naming and became the definitive mid-size sport-luxury sedan.
Its chassis codes — E12, E28, E34, E39, E60, F10, and G30 — track decades of segment leadership, and the M5 (from the 1984 E28) created the high-performance super-sedan genre.
Generations
First generation · E12
The original 5 Series, establishing BMW's mid-size executive sedan.
Second generation · E28
Home of the first M5 (E28), launching the super-sedan idea.
Third generation · E34
Added the first 5 Series wagon (Touring), V8 engines, and all-wheel drive.
Fourth generation · E39
Photo: “2004 BMW 528i E39, front left, 05-24-2024” by Ethan Llamas / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Widely revered; the V8 S62-powered E39 M5 is an enthusiast benchmark.
1998 Photo: “1998 BMW 540i Touring Automatic 4.4” by Vauxford / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1999 Photo: “1999 BMW 523i (E39) sedan (2012-07-14) 01” by OSX / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain. Cropped to 16:9.
2001 Photo: “2001 BMW 525i SE Automatic 2.5” by Vauxford / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2003 Photo: “2003 BMW 520i ES SE Automatic 2.2 Front” by Vauxford / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Fifth generation · E60/E61
Controversial 'Bangle' styling; the E60 M5 used a high-revving V10.
Sixth generation · F10
The F10 M5 introduced the first turbocharged M5 (twin-turbo V8).
Seventh generation · G30
Added a plug-in-hybrid 530e; the F90 M5 brought all-wheel drive.
Body styles
- Sedan
- Wagon (Touring)
Notable special editions & performance variants
M5
The high-performance 5 Series that created the super-sedan class — E28, E34, E39 (V8), E60 (V10), F10/F90 (twin-turbo V8).
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the BMW 5 Series
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