Manufacturer BMW Class Executive car | Production 1987–1996 | |
 | ||
Assembly Germany: Dingolfing
South Africa: Rosslyn Designer Claus Luthe; Ercole Spada; J Mays (1982, 1985) Body style 4-door saloon
5-door estate | ||
The BMW E34 is the third generation of the BMW 5 Series, which was sold from 1988 to 1996. It was launched in the sedan body style, with the range expanded in 1990 to include the "Touring" wagon (estate) body style. The E34 was replaced by the E39 in 1995, although E34 Touring models remained in production until 1996.
Contents
- Development and production
- 518i
- 518g
- 518iev
- 520i
- 525i
- 525iX
- 530i
- 535i
- 535i Sport 525i Sport UK
- 540i
- 540i M sport M540i 540i Manual Limited Edition
- North American model range
- M5 version
- 1988
- 1989
- 1991
- 1992
- 1993
- 1994
- Manual transmissions
- Automatic transmissions
- Suspension
- References
The E34 was the first 5 Series to be available with the wagon body style, the 525iX was the first 5 Series with all-wheel drive and V8 engines were also first available in a 5 Series during the E34 generation. It also saw the introduction of stability control (ASC), traction control (ASC+T) a 6-speed manual transmission and adjustable damping (EDC) to the 5 Series range.
There was an unusually large range of engines fitted over its lifetime, as nine different engine families were used. These consisted of 4-cylinder, straight-six and V8 engines.
The E34 M5 is powered by the S38 straight-six engine and was produced in sedan and wagon body styles.
Development and production
Development ran from July 1981 to late 1987, with design specifications being chosen in 1982 and finalized for production in mid-1985. The E34 was launched in February 1988 and 1,333,412 units were built.
518i
Base model, available only in Europe. It uses a 4-cylinder engine: initially the M40, which was replaced by the M43 in 1994. The 518i was available in sedan or wagon body styles, however the only transmission available was a 5-speed manual.
518g
A model which could run on natural gas (as well as petrol) and was only sold in Germany. The 518g was based on the 518i wagon and the only transmission available was a 5-speed manual. When running on natural gas, the engine produced 73 kW (98 hp), compared with 84 kW (113 hp) when running on petrol. It was only produced in 1995 and just 298 units were built.
518iev
After unveiling the BMW E1 and E2 Electric Vehicles (EVs) in 1992, BMW began a project to show it was possible to make full-sized electric car, something few others would countenance due to the weight of the battery technology at the time. To make it possible despite the lead-based batteries, the 518iev, had a modified 4 cylinder drive-line fitted with CVT, battery packs and ground-breaking rotating-field AC electric drive. This configuration was the predecessor of present-day EV Hybrids. BMW built at least one fully functional e34 prototype; however, very little was recorded about it that exists online. Extensive testing of this (and many others) in the late nineties was carried out with partners such as Deutsche Post, however the company did not utilise improvements in battery technology in the years following to advance electric technology in production until BMW announced ActiveE prototypes in 2010 (preceding the BMW i3 and i8) and 'Efficient Dynamics' models.
520i
The lowest 6-cylinder model and the base model E34 in some countries. Initial production of the 520i started in late 1987, using the single-cam M20 engine. In 1990, the M20 was replaced by the twin-cam M50 engine. A further revision of the 520i engine took place in September 1992, when the updated M50 engine (called "M50TU") introduced VANOS (variable valve timing). The M50 version of the 520i was the most popular variant sold in Europe and the 520i was the second most popular E34 model globally, with 436,108 units produced.
525i
A mid-range model which used a 6-cylinder engine. Like the 520i, the 525i was initially powered by the M20 engine, which was later updated to the M50 and M50TU engines. The 525i was the most popular E34 model globally, with 566,573 units produced.
525iX
The 525iX was the first all-wheel drive 5 Series, and the only all-wheel drive model in the E34 range. It was powered by the M50 engine and available in both sedan and wagon body styles. The centre differential normally would divide 36% torque to the front axle and 64% to the rear axle, but could adjust the ratio according to driving conditions in case wheels of one of the axles started to slip. Only 9,366 cars were produced.
530i
There are two versions of the 530i, a 6-cylinder model which was produced from 1988 to 1990 and a V8 model produced from 1992 to 1995. The earlier 6-cylinder model was powered by the M30 and not sold in North America. The V8 version, which effectively replaced the 6-cylinder 535i in the line-up, was powered by the new M60 engine and was available in sedan and wagon body styles. Transmission choices for the V8 version were a 5-speed manual and a 5-speed automatic. The V8 models were differentiated with a wider grille.
535i
During its production from 1987 to 1992, the 6-cylinder 535i was the top model in the regular E34 line-up. A total of 126,895 535i cars were produced, including 6,469 were sold in North America. The 535i was replaced by the V8 engined 530i and 540i models.
Despite the 535i designation and '3.5' casting on the intake manifold, the M30 6-cylinder engine found in the E34 535i was actually 3.4 litres (207 cu in).
535i Sport & 525i Sport (UK)
The E34 535i Sport was introduced to the UK market as an 1989 model. In 1993, the 535i Sport (powered by the M30 engine) was replaced by the 525i Sport (powered by the newer M50 engine). These models included features such as the M-tech body kit, a rear spoiler, M-tech steering wheel, LSD, sports suspension and upgraded stereo.
540i
In 1993, the 540i model was added at the top of the E34 line-up, using the M60 V8 engine. It was available in both sedan and wagon body styles (the latter not in US). The transmission options were a 6-speed manual transmission (offered in 1995 in North America, and from 1993 to 1996 in Europe) or a 5-speed automatic. Only 3,203 units of the manual 540i were produced. The V8 models were differentiated with a wider grille.
540i M-sport / M540i / 540i Manual Limited Edition
Because the M5 was discontinued for non-European markets in 1993, the 540i M-Sport model was built in 1995 for the North American market. On top of the regular 540i features, additional features included sports suspension and seats. 205 "M-Sport" models were built, 139 of them with the 6-speed manual transmission.
The M540i model was sold in Canada. It includes the features of the North American 540i M-sport, plus upgraded brakes, 18-inch wheels M-parallel and various trim pieces. Only 32 of these cars were built, all with a manual transmission.
The 540i Manual Limited Edition was sold in Australia. This model included the interior from the M5 and "throwing star" M-System II wheels. 70 of the 540i Manual Limited Edition sedans were produced, all with a manual transmission, and individually numbered.
North American model range
The E34 range was launched in North America with the 525i and 535i 6-cylinder models. Over the course of the E34 generation, the 525i Touring, 530i, 530i Touring, 540i and M5 models were sold in North America. Each model was released earlier in Europe than in North America.
M5 version
The M5 version of the E34 was produced from 1988 to 1995. It featured an S38 straight-6 engine, originally a 3.6 L with an output of 232 kW (315 PS; 311 hp), later upgraded to a 3.8 L producing 250 kW (340 PS; 335 hp).
In its last year of production, it also sported the 6-speed manual gearbox that had been taken from 540i/6 E34. This gearbox then followed through to the next generation of 5 series: the E39.
1988
1989
1991
1992
1993
1994
Manual transmissions
Automatic transmissions
Suspension
Front suspension consists of MacPherson struts and rear suspension consists of semi-trailing arms.