BMW 535

After an absence of more than a decade, the rear-wheel-drive 535 returns to the BMW lineup for the 2008 model year. The new 2008 BMW 535 comes in sports sedan, all-wheel-drive sedan, and sports wagon versions. All are powered by a new 3.0-liter, double-overhead-cam, turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine that produces 300 horsepower, thanks to such engine enhancements as piezo direct injection and variable valve timing. The '08 535 has 45 more horsepower than the vehicle it replaced, the '07 530.

The new 535 retains the same basic exterior design as the previous year's 530 model, with the exception of some minor restying of the lower front end (the lower fascia), the headlights, and the door panels. It retains the same smooth, sleek hood and glass-like lines of the 5 Series vehicles introduced for the 2004 model year, which have caused controversy, as some die-hard BMW fans don't like the new look.

The roots of the 535 date back to the 1985 model year, when it made its first appearance in the BMW pantheon. At that time the 535 replaced the 533, and it was, upon its introduction, the most powerful 5 Series vehicle available, with a 3.4-liter, 182-horsepower V6 engine.

The 535 remained in the BMW lineup through the 1980s and into the 1990s. With the introduction of the third generation of the 5 Series in 1989, the 535 received a bump in power, to 204 horsepower. The 1993 model year was the original 535's final year, as it was replaced in 1994 by the 530i, which came with a smaller yet more powerful V6 engine.