Used 2011 BMW 5 Series for Sale nearChicago, IL

The middle child always seems to get ignored. But perhaps that’s a good thing. It can lead to understated elegance or even trying just a bit harder. Either way, BMW’s midsize 5 Series has always gotten the short end of the attention stick. It doesn’t have the iconic image of the 3 Series and often gets overshadowed by the flagship 7 Series.

For the sixth-generation 5 Series – designated the F10 – Chris Bangle is out, and Adrian van Hooydonk has taken the design reins. This has resulted in an almost unanimous shout of joy and sigh of relief. I’ll leave it up to you to make the decision about whether the changes are an improvement or not, but here we have a redesigned 5 Series. More importantly, dimensions have shifted quite a bit, with a 116.9-inch wheelbase, representing a 3.2-inch increase and giving the 5 Series the longest in its class. Overall, the 5 Series has been stretched 2.3 inches for a 192.9-inch total, and front and rear tracks have been widened by 1.7 and 1.8 inches, respectively. That puts them at 63 inches up front and 64.1 out back.

But these figures rarely sell cars. The money is in the motivation, and the 5 Series has plenty. It starts with a 230-hp, 3.0-liter inline six in the rear-wheel-drive 528i and the all-wheel-drive 528ix. This is a potent performer that sadly gets overshadowed by its much bigger brothers. The 535i and ix trims enjoy a turbocharged and direct-injected version of the same engine with an extra 72 hp, while the big boy of the group is the 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8 in the 550i and ix. Its 402 horses arrive at 5,500 rpm, but don’t ignore its almost 450 lb-ft of torque available at only 1,750. Those figures represent an 11 percent power increase, and with an EPA-estimated 17/25 mpg with the eight-speed automatic, fuel consumption has actually dropped by 5 percent. All engines get the option of the eight-speed or a six-speed manual, the latter of which is the smoothest manual BMW offers, with none of the notchiness experienced in other applications. Still, the best option seems to be the eight-speed automatic with the optional M-logic steering-wheel shift paddles and console lever. It offers the best combination of performance, fun, and efficiency.

And of course, the technological applications abound, with the fourth-generation iDrive offering a 7- or 10.2-inch screen, Parking Assistant, rear-view camera, and BMW Driving Dynamics Control. The latter allows you to choose between Comfort, Normal, Sport, and Sport+ modes, all of which offer unique adjustments to the throttle response, shift timing, and electronic steering enhancement. Clicking the $5,000 Dynamic Drive sport package will get you Driving Dynamics Control, Dynamic Stability Control, and Active Roll Control for the full electronic enhancement package. All of this, along with the chassis and suspension setup, has been borrowed almost directly from the 2010 7 Series, and there have been no complaints there.

Borrowing further tech from its big brother, the 5 Series is offered with Integral Active Steering, which counter-steers the rear wheels below 37 mph to improve turning radius, and turns them in tandem with the fronts above that speed to enhance handling prowess.

With all these additions and enhancements, not to mention a full redesign, BMW could have easily asked for more in return. After all, they’re offering more room, more tech, more power, and better economy, yet they say it’ll come with no increase in price. I guess being the middle child isn’t so bad after all.