In keeping with tradition, BMW's 2012 Series 5 sedan features 'Active Roll Stabilization', which replaces the older 'anti-sway bars' maintain a smooth ride by virtue of electronically controlled pumps. This BMW includes the range of safety features which have become standard with the Series 5 sedans, including: a full assortment of six airbags (with optional rear airbags), extended crumple zones (to cushion persons who have crashed), BMW assist w/ collision notification and dynamic stability control. A very useful feature new to this car is the 'auto start/stop' which automatically stops the engine (when idle) to reduce the amount of fuel consumption. Some of the miscellaneous features of this vehicle are: Sirius satellite radio, an iPod dock, and a Lane departure system.
This car includes six trims, which is essentially three different models of the sedan plus their 'xDrive' variant. The Series 5 528i trim comes standard with a 8-speed automatic transmission, a 2.0 liter, 4 cylinder engine with 240 horsepower (capable of 5000rpm), and has a fuel economy of 23mpg city or 34mpg highway. This trim costs $46700 (manufacturer's suggested retail price).
The BMW Series 5 528i xDrive Sedan trim basically features the same engine components as the base 528i Sedan, but should deliver more performance. This variant of the sedan has a fuel economy of 22mpg city or 22mpg highway, and costs $49000 (manufacturer's suggested retail price).
The BMW Series 5 535i Sedan trim features a 6-speed automatic transmission, a 3.0 liter, 6 cylinder engine and has 300 horses under the hood (capable of 5800rpm). The gains in speed negatively affects the fuel economy, leaving this car with 19mpg city/ 29mpg highway. This car is expected to cost $52250 (manufacturer's suggested retail price).
The BMW Series 5 535i xDrive Sedan trim is similar to the base trim, but includes a 8-speed transmission and bumps the fuel economy to a decent 21mpg city/ 30mpg highway. These additional features raise the price of the car to $54550 (manufacturer's suggested retail price).
The BMW Series 5 550i Sedan trim includes a 4.4 liter, v8 engine, with 400 horsepower (capable of 550 rpm). It has a six speed transmission but takes a hit where fuel economy is concerned, with only 15mpg city/22mpg highway. This unit can be bought for $61700 (manufacturer's suggested retail price).
The BMW Series 5 550i xDrive Sedan trim, as trends would suggest, features most of the engine components of the Series 5 550i, but has an 8 speed transmission, and promises the most powerful series 5 available. This car has a fuel economy of 15mpg city/ 20mpg highway, and is priced at $64000.