The fourth-generation 5 Series, on sale from September 1995 and, alongside the E38 7 Series, one of the first cars anywhere to offer curtain airbags.[1] It kept hydraulic power steering for its entire run (the E39 is often cited by enthusiasts as the last 5 Series built before BMW moved to electric assistance), and its 3.0-litre straight- six, in 530i form, topped Ward’s 10 Best Engines list in both 2002 and 2003.
Three trims are recorded here: the 523i, the range’s mid-tier six-cylinder at launch; the 540i, its 4.4-litre V8 flagship before the M5’s own S62 engine; and the 530d, the diesel introduced with the 2000 facelift. The M5 built on this platform is a separate, better-documented car in its own right and is not treated as a trim of this entry.
Kerb weight is recorded only at generation level: the infobox publishes a 1,500-1,845 kg range across the whole line rather than a figure for any one trim, so it is stored as the lowest value in that range with the full range noted, rather than attached to a specific car it may not describe.
