According to one of our sources inside Munich, BMW will bring only one diesel variant to the US once the BMW G30 5 Series comes out. In January, at the Detroit Auto Show, BMW will be taking the veils off its latest iteration of the legendary model. This will mark a new beginning and it will challenge the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class to a proper dog fight. Unfortunately, in the US, those loving high mpg figures and wide torque bands will be restricted to only one engine: the BMW 540d xDrive.
The new model will be using the new-age 3-liter straight-six B57 engine that is currently available only on the BMW 740d. Fitted with two turbochargers, it has 320 HP and 680 Nm (501 lb-ft) of torque at its disposal, a big improvement over the outgoing 535d model that has only 258 HP. Since the 740d xDrive can accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 5.2 seconds from standstill and the 540d is expected to be lighter, the new mid-size sedan should be dangerously close to the 5-second mark.
The petrol side of things will be made up of a couple of models, varying from the 530i in both RWD and AWD guises with a 252 HP 4-banger under the hood, to 540i versions (also available in both all-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive) with 326 HP using the same B58 engine we have on the current F30 340i. Last, but not least, the M550i sDrive and xDrive models will be showing up in the US come next year, being just one step short of the full-on M5.
