The BMW E34 is the third generation of the BMW 5 Series, which was produced from 2 November 1987, until 1996. Initially launched as a saloon in January 1988, the E34 also saw a "Touring" station wagon (estate) body style added in September 1992, a first for the 5 Series. BMW replaced the E34 with the E39 5 Series in December 1995, although E34 Touring models remained in production until June 1996.
The E34 generation marked the first time all-wheel drive was incorporated into the 5 Series with the 525iX, and the first V8 engine to be used in a 5 Series. The E34 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 straight-four, straight-six and V8 engines.
The E34 M5 is powered by the S38 straight-six engine and was produced in saloon and wagon body styles.
Development and launch
Development ran from July 1981 to early 1987, with the initial design proposal penned by Ercole Spada in 1982.[3] Under the guidance of chief designer Claus Luthe, BMW based much of the design on the E32 7 Series. Following Spada's departure from BMW and styling approval in 1983, J Mays finalized the design for production in mid-1985. Special attention was paid to aerodynamics, with the E34 basic saloon having a drag coefficient of 0.30.[4]
Series production began in November 1987. In December 1987, the E34 saloon was unveiled to global press.[5][6]
Body styles
Saloon models have a length of 4720 mm, a width of 1750 mm and a height of 1412 mm.[7][8] Wagon models have a length of 4720 mm and a height of 1420 mm.[9] All models have a wheelbase of 2760 mm.[10]
Engines
Official output figures are as follows:[11]
Petrol
Diesel
Performance
* Automatic Transmission
** Governed (Auto/Manual)
Drivetrain
Suspension
Front suspension consists of double pivot MacPherson struts, with a replaceable shock absorber cartridge inside a steel strut housing. Control arms and thrust arms control front-to-back and side-to-side movement.[17] Steering on most models is a recirculating ball design, however the all-wheel drive 525iX uses a rack and pinion steering system along with front suspension similar to the E30 3 Series 325iX model.[18] All front suspension components are steel, except that the lower control arms on some models are aluminum.[19]
Rear suspension consists of semi-trailing arms with coil springs integrated in a strut assembly.[20]
Models
Petrol-engined
The base model, available only in Europe,[11] was the petrol-powered four-cylinder 518i. Only available with a 5-speed manual transmission, a total of 53,248 cars were produced.[21]
The next petrol model up was the six-cylinder 520i, which began production in January 1988. It was initially powered by the BMW M20 single overhead camshaft engine, which was replaced by the BMW M50 double overhead camshaft engine in 1990. The 520i was the second most popular E34 model globally, with 426,971 units produced.[22] The 525i was the most popular E34 model globally with 434,549 units produced.[22] As per the 520i, the 525i initially used the M20 engine, which was replaced by the M50 engine in 1990.
M5 model
Introduced in September 1988[26] and produced until August 1995, the E34 M5 was produced in both saloon and station wagon ('Touring') body styles, the latter being the first M5 to be available as a wagon.
The E34 M5 is powered by the BMW S38 inline-six engine, originally with a displacement of 3.6 litre and an output of 232 kW, later upgraded to a 3.8 litre engine rated at 250 kW. This 3.8 litre version of the M5 was first seen by the public at the 1991 Frankfurt Motor Show, where the E34 M5 Touring also saw its debut.[26]
In its last year of production for the M5, the transmission was upgraded from a 5-speed manual to the Getrag 420G 6-speed manual (which was also used by the 540i model).
Special models
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 Touring model and the only transmission available was a 5-speed manual.[27] The engine, also used by the 1995–2000 3 Series Compact 316g model, was a re-tuned version of the BMW M43 four-cylinder engine.[28] When running on natural gas, the engine produced 73 kW,[29] compared with 84 kW when running on petrol. It was only produced in 1995 and just 298 units were built.[22]
518iev prototype
Alpina models
B10 3.0 AllRad
This model is based on the 525iX with an enlarged 3 litre engine producing 231bhp instead of 192bhp and 230ftlb upfrom 184ftlb. Between 1993 and 1996 64 saloon cars and 70 Touring cars were produced by the Alpina factory in Buchloe with a very small number of right hand drive cars, 2 saloons and 1 Touring, converted by Sytner, the Alpina Dealer in Nottingham, England.
B10 3.5
This model is based on the 535i with a modified 3.5 litre engine producing 254bhp instead of 220bhp, and 240ftlb up from 225. Between 1988 and 1992 572 left hand drive cars were made in Buchloe, with perhaps 30 or so right hand converted by Sytner. The B10 3.5 was only supplied as a saloon car and no Touring cars were made.
B10 4.0
This model is based on the 540i with a modified 4 litre engine producing 315bhp instead of 286bhp and 302ftlb up from 295. Between 1993 and 1995 45 saloon cars and 4 Touring cars were produced by Buchloe, all left hand drive, with a further two right hand drive saloon cars converted by Sytner.
B10 4.6
This model is based on the 540i with an Alpina designed 4.6 litre engine which was used also in the E36 Alpina B8 4.6.
Model year changes
BMW E34 had no facelift as such. All updates were introduced gradually and sometimes were country specific. Most changes occur in September each year, when the changes for the following model year go into production, as is typical BMW practice. Therefore, the changes for 1988 represent the 1989 model year, for example.
1988
- M5 model introduced
- 524td diesel model introduced
- 518i four-cylinder model introduced
- Driver's side airbag introduced
1989
- 520i engine updated to the BMW M50,[37] the first model to use the new twin-cam straight-six engine
Production
Production of the E34 commenced on November 2, 1987, for the 535i,[41] with 535i market launch being in January 1988 and other variants following a staggered launch. 520i and 530i production began in January 1988, for March 1988 market launch. Production of the 525i began in February 1988, being launched to market in April 1988, with the 524td entering production in March 1988 for May 1988 introduction. Touring production began in November 1990. Production ended for the saloon in December 1995 and Touring in June 1996.[42]
The production plants for the E34 were the Dingolfing plant in Germany and Rosslyn in South Africa.[43][44] Total production was 1,333,412 units.[45][46]
External links
References
- Specifications for BMW 518i E34 Sedan (1989-1994) www.bmwheaven.com, retrieved 13 January 2017^
- Specifications for BMW 540i E34 LCI Touring (1993-1994) www.bmwheaven.com, retrieved 13 January 2017^
- Ercole Spada, der Brief www.e34-ig.de^