With the first examples of 2011 BMW 535i and 550i Sedans already in the hands of the enthusiasts, the Bavarian premium brand for sporty rides is now exclusively announcing the pricing and availability for the xDrive variants of the new, sixth-generation 5 Series. Price-tagged at $52,775 and $62,875, including $875 Destination and Handling tax, the 535i xDrive and 550i xDrive are approximately $2300 more expensive than their traditional rear-wheel drive counterparts.

The MY2011 high-end, high-performance mid-size rides are planned to arrive in the US BMW dealerships in October 2010 and its xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive is refined to match the performance and character of the 7 Series xDrive models introduced last year.

Standard in the new xDrive cars is the Hill Descent Control, a selectable function that allows the driver to descend slopes in extremely slippery conditions while maintaining control at a pre-set speed. Besides that, the 2011 5 Series xDrive Sedans will sport the BMW's 8-speed automatic transmission, which in comparison with 6-speed automatic in the previous-generation 5 Series, benefits from wider spread of ratios that allows the engine to run at lower speeds and estimates better efficiency figures. To minimize the response times and maximize acceleration even more, the downshifts can be made directly between top gear and the lowest available gear for the current road speed.

BMW 5 Series Sedan (2011)
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