more about this model
Many years and generations ago, the 528i was the turbine-smooth, six-cylinder pinnacle of the 5 Series range. This engine capacity first appeared late in the life of the original 5 Series in 1979, last appeared two generations ago and reemerges today as the entry model of the current 5 Series lineup. But not as a 2.8-liter, nor even a six-cylinder.
The 2012 BMW 528i engine is now a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. The mill even looks downsized when you open the hood, a sizable void yawning between the nose of the engine and its radiator, yet it generates a promising 240 horsepower — identical to that of the outgoing 2011 six-cylinder 528i, but boasting an extra 30 pound-feet of torque. And, thankfully, 0.4-second-quicker sprint to 62 mph (6.3 seconds).
Economy and emissions gains are the main goal of the displacement and cylinder reduction. The 2012 528i improves on the 2011 model's fuel economy by 1 mpg city and 2 mpg highway and achieves an EPA rating of 23 city/34 highway mpg. The improvement is aided by a new stop-start system integrated into the standard eight-speed automatic transmission. But the key to this new engine's fuel-sipping strength is a single twin-scroll turbocharger that functions in concert with a number of well-established BMW technologies.
These include double VANOS variable valve timing and the company's Valvetronic induction system, which does away with the throttle plate. The 528i's four-cylinder routes exhaust gases from each pair of cylinders to a separate turbine inlet to speed the engine's reaction to a twitching right foot. Fuel is fed by precisely metered, solenoid-controlled direct injectors, while refinements to the Valvetronic system have also improved its precision.
Torque From Low Revs
The result is a very impressive 240 hp from 2.0 liters and even more usefully, a stout 258 lb-ft of torque from as low as 1,250 rpm. This torque stream is sustained all the way to 4,800 rpm, promising the kind of midrange punch that normally aspirated six-cylinder gas engines rarely offer. And you can feel its effects almost as soon as you move off, the 2012 BMW 528i advancing with a confident authority that's heightened by the tremor-free activities of its eight-speed automatic transmission.
All those ratios help disguise the steep ramp to the torque peak, which kicks in with authority as the revs approach 2,000 rpm. But to uncover this, you must switch to manual shifting so you can hold the car in a gear, trickle it down to 1,000 rpm in 2nd and stomp on the accelerator as if you hate it. There's a brief pause, followed by an excitingly exponential surge that leaves no doubt that this is a rapid car. By 2,000 rpm it's pulling like a lashed mule and there's a substantial power spike at 3,500 rpm. The acceleration is unrelenting until 6,500 rpm, when the transmission automatically upshifts to let you do it all over again.
Though this four has lost the turbinelike wail of the six, it's more powerful and it stays smoothly unfussed until it closes on 6,600 rpm. The culture of the six is gone, but there's more honest muscle to this engine. Those familiar with a BMW straight-6's smooth-spinning ways will miss it some, but it makes the 5 Series a better car. There's some refinement missing, but the return of lighter fuel bills, more torque and extra entertainment is a worthy trade.
Control Your Driving Experience
Further entertainment can be had from the new rocker switch occupying the center console near your right knee. Grandly labelled the "Driving Experience Control," it alters the throttle response, steering weight, stability control thresholds, transmission shift strategy and the calibration of the dynamic dampers, which come with both the M Sport and Sport option packages.
There are four settings, labelled "Sport+," "Sport," "Comfort" and "Eco Pro." Driving Experience Control is most worthwhile if you ordered those dynamic dampers, whose settings alter the character of the car noticeably from the pillowy comfort of a big, old Buick — though without the wallow — to sensations distinctly more athletic when you aim the 528 at a bend and hard-charge it. As you'd hope of a car promoted as a sport sedan, it spears them with a satisfyingly quiet confidence that's sharpened by the fact that the four-cylinder engine in its nose is lighter than the outgoing six.
Select the Sport+ mode, which relaxes the stability control system's interventionist policy and you can indulge the occasional tail slide. But it's the smooth and rapid fluency down the road that characterizes this car more so than exploring the outer reaches of its rear tires' grip. The 528i's dynamic capabilities can now be further stretched with four-wheel drive, as the xDrive option's rear-axle-biased torque distribution largely preserves the 5's rear-drive character.
High Tech, Low Consumption
And Eco Pro? It's about fuel economy strategies for both you and the car. The car's contribution is to lower the energy demands of the air-conditioning and assorted electrical systems such as the heated front seats, while providing you with some fuel-saving driving guidance. This includes an infotainment display whose bar graphs track the car's consumption over the previous 15 minutes while providing a rolling average. That's good, but the occasional appearance of rather obvious driving tips, such as "accelerate moderately" will irritate some drivers.
The 2012 BMW 528i is a car with an unusual breadth of personality, ranging from comfortable econo-sedan to sporting four-door. And this efficient new twin-turbo four allows it to pull off these character switches with conviction. Yet it's not a car of split personality. The satisfying way in which it gels makes it easy to understand why this is the best-selling sedan in its class, worldwide.
Edmunds attended a manufacturer-sponsored press event to facilitate this report.
Used 2012 BMW 5 Series listings and inventory:
Shop Edmunds' used car, SUV, and truck listings of over 6 million pre-owned vehicles to find a cheap used and certified pre-owned (CPO) 2012 BMW 5 Seriess for sale near Ashburn VA. There are currently 556 used and CPO 2012 5 Seriess listed for sale in your area, with list prices as low as 11,995 and mileage as low as 34,797. Simply research the type of used car, SUV, or truck you're interested in and then select a vehicle from our massive database to find cheap pre-owned vehicles for sale near you. Once you have identified a used vehicle you're interested in, check the Carfax and Autocheck vehicle history reports, read dealer reviews, and find out what other owners paid for the used 2012 BMW 5 Series. Then select Edmunds' special offers, perks, deals, and incentives to contact the dealer of your choice and save up to 300 on a used or CPO 2012 5 Series available from one of 2,630 dealerships in your area.
What's a good price on a used 2012 BMW 5 Series ?
Save up to $300 on one of 31 used 2012 BMW 5 Seriess for sale at dealerships within 25 miles of Ashburn, Virginia with prices as low as $11995 as of Apr 25, 2018, based on data from 18 dealers and 158 consumer-driven dealer ratings ranging from 1 to 5 out of 5 stars.
Price comparisons for used 2012 BMW 5 Series trim styles:
The used 2012 BMW 5 Series 535i xDrive is priced around $16540 with average odometer reading of 95725 miles.
The used 2012 BMW 5 Series 528i xDrive is priced around $16787 with average odometer reading of 71403 miles.
The used 2012 BMW 5 Series 550i xDrive is priced around $21325 with average odometer reading of 56761 miles.
The used 2012 BMW 5 Series 528i is priced around $16078 with average odometer reading of 73531 miles.
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What options are available on the 2012 BMW 5 Series?
Available BMW 5 Series 2012 Submodel Types: Sedan, Hybrid, Diesel, M550i xDrive, Wagon
Available BMW 5 Series 2012 Trims: 530i xDrive, 540i xDrive, 530i, 530e xDrive iPerformance, 550i, 530xi, 525i, 540i, 528i xDrive, 535xi, 535d xDrive, 528xi, 535i xDrive, M550i xDrive, 528i, 530e iPerformance, 545i, 550i xDrive, 525xi, 540d xDrive, 535i
Exterior Colors: Dark Graphite Metallic, Glacier Silver Metallic, Carbon Black Metallic, Mineral White Metallic, Monaco Blue Metallic, Bluestone Metallic, Callisto Grey Metallic, Mediterranean Blue Metallic, Jet Black, Cashmere Silver Metallic, Titanium Gray Metallic, Jatoba Brown Metallic, Orient Blue Metallic, Deep Sea Blue Metallic, Amethyst Gray Metallic, Deep Green Metallic, Space Gray Metallic, Aspen Silver Metallic, Atlas Cedar Metallic, Azurite Black Metallic, Black Sapphire Metallic, Platinum Gray Metallic, Alpine White, Champagne Quartz Metallic, Dark Graphite Metallic II, Mojave Metallic, Oxford Green Metallic, Pyrite Brown Metallic, Silver Gray Metallic, Tasman Green Metallic, Titanium Silver Metallic, Barbera Red Metallic, Electric Red, Frozen Bronze Metallic, Imperial Blue Metallic, Mineral Grey Metallic, Mystic Blue Metallic, Platinum Bronze Metallic
Interior Colors: Black Dakota w/Contrast Stitching/Piping leather, Black premium leather, Beige leatherette, Cognac Dakota w/Contrast Stitching/Piping leather, Black SensaTec leatherette, Canberra Beige/Black Dakota w/Contrast Stitching/Piping leather, Black Nappa w/Contrast Stitching/Piping premium leather, Cinnamon Brown leather, Black Dakota w/Blue Contrast Stitching/Piping leather, Mocha Nappa w/Black premium leather, Black, Amaro Brown Extended Merino premium leather, Ivory White Nappa w/Black premium leather, Black leatherette, Ivory White Dakota w/Contrast Stitching/Piping leather, Venetian Beige leather, Canberra Beige/Black SensaTec leatherette, Gray, Mocha Nappa w/Contrast Stitching/Piping premium leather, Night Blue Dakota w/Contrast Stitching/Piping leather, Oyster/Black leather, Beige, Black leather, Cinnamon Brown Dakota leather, Everest Gray leather, Ivory White Nappa w/Contrast Stitching/Piping premium leather, Natural Brown premium leather, Venetian Beige Dakota leather, Beige premium leather, Black Dakota leather, Gray premium leather, Venetian Beige/Black Dakota leather, Black Dakota w/Exclusive Stitching leather, Black Nappa premium leather, Everest Gray Dakota leather, Venetian Beige/Black SensaTec leatherette, Auburn premium leather, Cream Beige premium leather, Ivory White Dakota w/Contrast Stitching/Piping and Dark Coffee Dashboard leather, Ivory White w/Oyster Nappa premium leather, Mocha w/Black Nappa premium leather, Oyster and Black Dakota leather, Oyster and Black Nappa premium leather, Sand, Smoke White/Black Full Merino premium leather, Venetian Beige SensaTec leatherette, Veneto Beige leatherette
Popular Features: Electronic Folding Mirrors, Pre-collision safety system, Heads up display, Keyless Entry/Start, Upgraded Stereo, Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Monitoring, 360-degree camera, Apple Carplay/Android Auto, Mobile Internet, Adaptive Cruise Control, Alarm, Audio and cruise controls on steering wheel, Auto Climate Control, Automatic Emergency Braking, Aux Audio Inputs, Bluetooth, Multi-Zone Climate Control, Post-collision safety system, Power Driver Seat, Rear Bench Seats, Stability Control, Sunroof/Moonroof, Tire Pressure Warning, Trip Computer, USB Inputs, Upgraded Headlights, AWD/4WD, Cooled Seats, Leather Seats, Navigation, Back-up camera, Parking sensors, Heated seats, Fold Flat Rear Seats, Power Liftgate/Trunk
Engine/Mechanics: 4, 6, 8 cylinders
Transmission: AUTOMATIC, MANUAL, AUTOMATED_MANUAL
Fuel Types: premium unleaded (recommended), premium unleaded (required), diesel, regular unleaded
Drivetrains: all wheel drive, rear wheel drive
Used 2012 BMW 5 Series Overview
The used 2012 BMW 5 Series is offered in the following submodels: Sedan. Available styles include 535i 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 6M), 535i xDrive 4dr Sedan AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 8A), and 528i 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 8A). Pre-owned 5 Series models are available with a 0-liter gas engine, with output up to 0 hp, depending on engine type. The used 2012 5 Series comes with rear wheel drive or all wheel drive. Available transmissions include: 6-speed manual, 8-speed shiftable automatic.
