Just as the leaked photos and spy video portended, the 2011 BMW 5 Series now looks like a 7 Series and has grown closer to the 7er in size and weight as well. The F10, as it's called internally, also has a more potent and fuel-efficient engine lineup. It goes on understanding in Europe this Jan and will reach the United States in June 2010. "Pricing still hasn't been finalized," BMW officials tell us, "but we may see little or no price hike at all on the 535i." So that puts it around $51,925 to start. 

Contributing to the enhanced size of the new 5 Series is a longer, 116.9-inch wheelbase, a stretch of 3.2 inches. The sedan also measures 192.9 inches from tip to cut (2.3 inches longer), 73.2 inches wide (0.5 inches wider) and 57.6 inches high (0.2 inches shorter). The new 535i weighs about 3,900 pounds, while the 2011 550i weighs about 4,200 pounds – an increase of roughly 250 pounds on both.

In the U.S., said engines will initially include BMW's new N55 inline six, which uses a single, twin-scroll turbocharger (instead of two turbos) to develop 306 hp at 5,800 rpm, plus 295 lb-ft of torque from 1,200 rpm to 5,000 rpm. This will of course be the engine in the 2011 BMW 535i, and BMW claims a 0-to-100-km/h (62 mph) time of 6 seconds flat.

The 2010 BMW 550i will feature the recently introduced, twin-turbo, intercooled, direct-injection 4.4-lite V8, which features its turbos tucked into the valley between the cylinder banks. It develops 407 hp between 5,500 rpm and 6,400 rpm, plus 442 pound-feet of torque between 1,750 and 4,500 rpm. BMW claims the BMW 550i will accelerate to 100 km/h  from a standstill in 5.0 seconds.

For transmissions, there's the excellent new eight-speed automatic that we've sampled in the 5 Series Gran Turismo, and for a very small percentage of 535i buyers, a new six-speed manual gearbox with dry-sump oiling. The manual gearbox take rate among 5 Series buyers in the U.S. was only 5 percent, you see.

More photos after the jump.

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