New BMW 5 Series Debuts With Refreshed Looks, New Tech

BMW has unveiled the new-generation 5 Series sedan ahead of the model going on sale in markets overseas. The new-gen model arrives with both conventional internal combustion, hybrid and all-electric powertrains and will go on sale in global markets later this year. The new 5 also features an evolutionary design with tighter surfacing and softer lines while moving away from the oversized grille designs seen on BMW’s larger models.

The new 5 Series gets cleaner lines and tauter surfacing.

The BMW kidney grille looks wider than on the outgoing model and is flanked by new angular headlamps with twin boomerang-shaped DRLs – similar to the new X1. Down the sides, the prominent lines and creases of the outgoing model have been softened with tee flush sitting door handles also helping to clean up the design. Round the back, the C-pillar neatly merges with the boot lid which is also angled downwards towards the rear edge. The new 5 also gets sleeker LED tail-lamps than the outgoing model while the bumper too is new. The all-electric i5 derivatives do get some distinctive styling elements such as the blacked-out finish to the side skirts and lower bumpers and a blanked-out grille.

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Softer shoulder line and flush sitting door handles give it a cleaner look from the sides.

The 5 Series has also grown with the eight-gen model crossing the 5-metre mark in length. BMW says that the new 5 measures 5,060 mm long, 1,900 mm wide and 1,515 mm tall making it 97 mm longer, 32 mm wider and 36 mm taller than before. The wheelbase too has been stretched by 20 mm to 2,995 mm.

The cabin too follows in line with recent new BMWs, with the free-standing display atop the dashboard housing the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and the 14.9-inch central touchscreen. The new 5 also gets tech from the larger 7 Series such as the optional Interaction Bar that houses a host of touch-based controls for varying functions.

The new 5 Series also receives the latest iDrive 8.5 which brings with it a host of new features. The latest software brings with it an improved interface with a new “Quick Select” function offering one-touch access to selected functions without needing to scroll through menus. The new 5 also receives a new in-car gaming function in conjunction with the ‘AirConsole’ platform turning the touchscreen into an impromptu display to play games with the user’s phone becoming the controller.

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The cabin is in line with other new-gen BMWs with twin-digital displays; 7 Series-like Interactive Bar is an option.

On the technology front, the new 5 Series gains several new autonomous driving functions including hands-free driving at speeds of up to 130 kmph in select locations. The system, available as an option, also includes an active lane change assistant that not only suggests a lane change to the driver but executes the change should the driver glance at the corresponding wing mirror.

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Coming to the engine front, BMW has confirmed a range of four and six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. Starting the range will be the familiar 520i and 520d powered by 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engines developing 205 bhp and 330 Nm and 194 bhp and 400 Nm respectively. Select markets will also receive the 530i and 540i. The former uses a more powerful iteration of the 520i’s engine while the latter gets BMW’s 3.0-litre in-line six turbo-petrol mill developing 370 bhp and 540 Nm. BMW has also confirmed that a 530d with an all-new in-line six-cylinder diesel and new plug-in hybrid models will arrive next year.

Central touchscreen can stream movies and even double up as a display for gaming.

The i5 range meanwhile will roll out of the block with a performance M60 variant joined by a less powerful 40e derivative. BMW says that more variants will be unveiled in 2024.

The eighth-gen 5 Series will go on sale in global markets later this year with an India launch likely in 2024. The new 5 will go up against the likes of the Audi A6 and the new sixth-gen Mercedes-Benz E-Class, which made its debut earlier in the year.