This BMW 5 Series Sedan from the E34 era is a veritable time capsule even though it’s nearly 30 years old. Not only does the midsize luxury sedan look great inside and out, but it also seems to be running smoothly despite its venerable age. We’re dealing with a 525i model that has quite a few miles under its belt as the odometer shows 408,532 kilometers (253,850 miles).
Since it’s one of the later 525i models, it uses the more powerful version of the M50. The inline-six, 2.5-liter gasoline engine is good for 189 horsepower (192 PS or 141 kW) and 250 Newton-meters (184 pound-feet) of torque channeled to the rear wheels. Output is delivered to the road through a five-speed manual transmission with a glorious wooden gear lever to blend with the surrounding trim on the center console.
We don’t know how much power it still offers after almost three decades since it left the assembly line, but the engine appears to be healthy and doesn’t sound half bad either. Previous owners must have taken really good care of this E34 while driving it approximately 14,000 kilometers (8,700 miles) per year on average.
As you can see, this isn’t one of those videos where YouTubers take cars to Germany and drive them hard on an unrestricted section of the Autobahn. We get to see the 525i being driven out on the open road while the driver rows through gears and shows a few bursts of acceleration. It’s no M5 by any stretch of the imagination but it’s still a desirable car given its condition and the classy design that has aged like fine wine.
BMW is preparing to introduce the eighth-generation 5 Series later this year as the first to offer a fully electric variant. To be sold as an i5, the EV will also get a Touring version. Speaking of the wagon, the Munich-based automaker intends to bring back the M5 Touring, which actually started with the E34 model of which just 891 units were ever made. Much like the sedan, the high-performance estate will be a plug-in hybrid. It is believed only the M5s will retain the V8 engine as the M Performance model is set to receive a downsized powertrain.
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