Bmw 5 Series

BMW’s new 5-series range is swelling to include a saloon, Touring estate and fastback GT – revealed today in our Five family scoop. Our artists have studied the first official pictures of the new BMW Concept 5-series Gran Turismo and decoded the design language to illustrate the new 5-series four-door and wagon pictured here. And you can see them in action in our 5-series spy video below. The four-seat hatchback 5GT affords the first glimpse of the new 5-series family. Of particular note are the reprofiled headlamps with eyebrow LED day-running lights, the latest iteration of the double kidney grille and BMW’s gently softened metalwork. The 5-series saloon and Touring will have slightly different detailing, however. Today’s E60 5-series ushered in design chief Chris Bangle’s surface entertainment, which shocked some at the time but time has mellowed its effect. Some critics, our own Gavin Green included, have even hailed the Five as Bangle’s best effort.

BMW 5-series (2010): the full story

We’ll leave you to judge the new style, revealed in our latest scoop shots, but most of the change is under the skin of the new 5-series codenamed F10 (saloon) and F11 (Touring). Unsurprisingly, Efficient Dynamics will be rolled out across the majority of engines, bringing stop-start and active alternator control to reduce engine load when not needed.Our sources claim that a new eight-speed ZF transmission will appear on the new 5-series, offering an overdriven top cog to reduce execs’ blood pressure as well as exhaust emissions. It will also add stop-start functionality to six- and eight-cylinder models from 2010 (currently Efficient Dynamics is limited to manual four-cylinder models). Sportier versions are likely to adopt BMW’s new twin-clutch transmission pioneered on the latest M3.

The engine line-up expected in new 5-series runs thus:

• 523i – 2.5-litre straight six
• 530i – 3.0-litre straight six
• 540i – 3.0-litre straight six twin-turbo
• 550i – 4.4-litre V8 twin-turbo
• M5 – 4.4-litre V8 twin-turbo

• 520d – 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
• 530d – 3.0-litre straight-six turbo
• 535d – 3.0-litre straight-six twin-turbo

Mercedes-Benz will debut the all-new SLS 63 AMG at the Frankfurt motor show next week. The company's latest supercar creation was designed in-house and features many design cues reminiscent of the iconic 300 SL.

Mercedes consistently refers to the 'purist design' of the new SLS AMG, claiming it 'reflects the philosophy of contemporary sports car engineering'. The hood, which measures just under two-meters, covers the 6.3-liter V8 powerplant, while the low greenhouse is positioned well to the rear. An undoubted styling highlight comes courtesy of the gullwing doors which lend the SLS AMG its incomparable charisma - making a unique statement in this vehicle segment.

"The styling of the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is not only very special because of the exclusive gullwing doors. Our aspiration is to utilize this interpretation to create the classic of tomorrow and roll out the most alluring sports car of the 21st century. Our aim is also to create a new design icon," Mercedes Head of Design said. "The new SLS paves the way for the design philosophy of forthcoming Mercedes-Benz sports cars."

Ferrari 458 Italia

After day one of the Frankfurt motor show it was hard not to be confident that this is the car design of the show. Everyone here is talking about the 458, and almost all the designers we spoke to agreed that it was truly a beautiful 21st century Ferrari.

In the flesh the most striking element of the design is the lithe, agile and modern identity. The 458 connects thematically to its immediate predecessor but innovates with fresh solutions. One of the most innovative areas is in the body side treatment where relatively large blown volumes along the side are kept taught with sharp but shallow body side creases; one defines the rocker area and slims the side profile in a way similar to the Lotus Evora, while the other dives down and fades out below the door handle before re-emerging delicately above it. This is a totally fresh solution, but one that is flamboyant and successfully resolved.

Other innovative details include the base line of the DLO changes that direction to echo the swell of the rear fender, finishing at a very sharp point; the prancing horse that is suspended ahead of the blacked out lower front valance; and the smooth integration of the Enzo-style trumpet taillights into the surrounding rear deck. And yet this new design also has some of the delicate aesthetic qualities that we've not seen since the very first mid-engine Ferraris: deep side windows, visually slim pillars and a form language that is almost feline. 

Inside, the design theme is more conventional Ferrari, but there are major innovations in the HMI design. As we reported in our New Car piece, column stalks are replaced by steering wheel buttons and there is a center stack-mounted controller for other secondary controls. Two TFT displays flank the large yellow-backed central speedometer, which remains analogue.