Dynamic ability, comfort, efficiency, aesthetic allure and a profusion of innovations designed to enhance driving pleasure – the BMW 5 Series contains all the signature ingredients of a best-selling model at the premium end of the executive segment.
Rising sales figures bear testament to the global popularity of the 5 Series ,and indeed in SA,where more than 7,000 units of the BMW 5 Series Sedan and BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo have been sold. Precise modifications to the cars’ design, new engine variants and innovative additions to the range of available equipment as well as BMW ConnectedDrive technology all raise the appeal of the BMW 5 Series model family a notch higher still.
Design changes to the exterior include a new rear end and additional contour lines for the surround of the BMW kidney grille and newly structured lower air intakes reinforce the sporting appearance of the new BMW 5 Series Sedan. This lends itself to giving the 5 Series a more sporty look all round.
Xenon headlights are fitted as standard on all models, while Adaptive LED Headlights take their place on the options list for the first time alongside LED fog lamps. Also new in the BMW 5 Series are the BMW Luxury Line and BMW Modern Line packages containing exclusive design and equipment features. And an M Sport package tailored to each model variant can also be specified.
In the interior the Control Display of the standard-fitted iDrive operating system is now bordered in the Sedan by chrome trim. Added to which, the storage compartments and cup holders in the centre console of these models have increased in capacity.
A revised rear section increases the boot capacity of the new BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo by 60 litres to 500 litres. New exterior paint colours, light-alloy wheels, upholstery colours and interior trim elements for all the BMW 5 Series models enhance their appeal and increase the scope for individualisation.
Engines: setting the benchmark for driving pleasure, introducing fresh new routes to efficiency.
Faster, more economical, cleaner: all the variants of the BMW 5 Series come with a raft of optimised details. The result is reduced fuel consumption (in some cases significantly), yet with no drop-off in sporting ability. Indeed, some models actually offer improved performance. Plus, all the engine variants already meet the stipulations of the EU6 exhaust gas standard not due to come into force until September 2014.
The top-of-the-line engine available for all members of the new BMW 5 Series model family is a new V8 unit with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology developing 330 kW. The range of power plants available for the new BMW 5 Series Sedan now comprises four petrol and three diesel units. Customers opting for the new BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo can choose from two petrol power plants and two diesels.
Further improvements have also been made to the intelligent energy management of the BMW ActiveHybrid 5. The full-hybrid Sedan now comes with a specially tweaked version of the Proactive Driving Assistant, whose talents include adapting the interplay between the combustion engine and electric motor to the route ahead.
The cars’ chassis technology – which includes a double-wishbone front axle, integral rear axle and Electric Power Steering with standard Servotronic function – has been further honed to deliver an unrivalled balance between sporting performance and ride comfort.
The BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo come as standard with air suspension, including automatic self-levelling at the rear axle. The Driving Experience Control switch on the centre console is standard on all models. Dynamic Damper Control, M Sport suspension and the Adaptive Drive and Integral Active Steering systems unmatched by any rivals can be specified as options.
In addition, the new BMW 5 Series offers customers a new rear-seat entertainment system with tablet-style displays, a Harman Kardon Surround Sound system and a new version of the ambient light option with a facility which allows the interior lighting to be alternated in tone between orange and white.
The range of BMW ConnectedDrive business solutions and driver assistance systems is more advanced and richer in variety than ever. The BMW 5 Series enables a scope of intelligent connectivity unique in the marketplace, allowing it to set the benchmark for in-car use of office applications.
Alongside the globally unrivalled Concierge Service (to be offered in South Africa in 2014) for hotel reservations and a selection of other services, BMW ConnectedDrive also offers an unusually extensive suite of office functions, including internet-based services. The dictation function, for example, provides a convenient way of entering text for SMS messages and emails during a journey.
The array of search, travel, office and social media services can be accessed via the car’s integrated SIM card or the customer’s smartphone. And Online Entertainment sees BMW bringing internet-based flat rate music services directly into the car.
The optional Navigation system Professional makes use of an optimised menu display and allows access to Real Time Traffic Information (also to be offered in South Africa only in 2014).
The BMW 5 Series builds on its leading position in the field of driver assistance systems with the introduction of the glare-free High Beam Assistant and the BMW Night Vision system, which includes human and animal detection and the Dynamic Light Spot function.
The cruise control function, underpinned by radar sensors and a camera, reacts with even greater precision to the driving situation at hand and also to stationary objects. Another feature available for the Sedan from November 2013 is the fully automatic Parking Assistant.
Engines.
A new entry-level diesel variant and an even more powerful yet also more efficient range-topping V8 power plant join the action, completing an engine line-up that now covers an output spectrum from 135 kW to 330 kW. The new BMW 5 Series Sedan can be specified with a choice of four petrol and three diesel engines. Beyond this, the Sedan also comes in BMW ActiveHybrid 5 full-hybrid and BMW M5 high-performance guise.
The engine line-up for the new BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo comprises two petrol units and two diesels. Further up the range, the BMW 530d develops 190 kW and the BMW 535d produces 230 kW. Two diesel engines are available for the new BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo, powering the BMW 520d Gran Turismo and BMW 530d Gran Turismo.
Even more powerful, even more efficient: the V8 engine for the BMW 5 Series.
The new generation of the V8 engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology for the BMW 5 Series model family takes to the stage armed with a 10 per cent rise in output yet also significantly reduced fuel consumption. The eight-cylinder unit, found under the bonnet of the BMW 550i Sedan and BMW 550i Gran Turismo, now also combines its two twin-scroll turbochargers and High Precision Direct Injection with VALVETRONIC fully variable valve control. The power plant generates 330 kW and maximum torque of 650 Newton metres from its 4.4-litre displacement.
The new BMW 550i Sedan, for example, sweeps from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.6 seconds. Its average fuel economy in the EU test cycle stands at 8.6 – 8.8 litres per 100 kilometres. CO2 emissions come in at 199 – 206 g/km, depending on the tyre format specified.
As well as the BMW 535i Sedan model, the multi-award-winning straight-six with 225 kW also powers the BMW 535i Gran Turismo. A pair of four-cylinder petrol engines is likewise available for the Sedan. The engine powering the BMW 520i develops 135 kW, while the unit offered for the BMW 528i from the launch of the new BMW 5 Series boasts revisions to various details and delivers 180 kW.
All the Sedan and Gran Turismo variants are fitted with the extremely fast and precise, not to mention extraordinarily efficient, eight-speed automatic transmission provided as standard. The eight-speed automatic now comes with a coasting function and can also be ordered with shift paddles on the steering wheel.
State-of-the-art chassis technology delivers dynamics and comfort to order.
The fine-tuning carried out on the chassis for the new BMW 5 Series models makes for an even more assured conversion of engine power into dynamic performance and ride comfort. Both the double-wishbone front axle and the integral rear axle are made largely from aluminium.
They allow the spring and damper systems to respond with great precision to inconsistencies in the road surface and ensure optimum road holding at all times. The overall result is a balance between sporting ability and ride comfort that no rival can better. What’s more, the car’s set-up can be adapted to suit individual needs or the driving situation at hand using the standard-fitted Driving Experience Control switch on the centre console.
Pressing the button changes the driving mode, altering the responses of the accelerator and steering, as well as – if fitted – the shift characteristics of the automatic gearbox and the settings of the electronically controlled dampers.
Driving Experience.
The 5 Series gives the feeling of floating in a space that can move to a dynamic beat,so when you need to move rapidly you absolutely do so,and if you want to be in cruise mode you can do that as well. All models come with a sport mode to give you the dynamic feel.
I found the driving experience thrilling,especially when traffic thins and like a spirited pony sniffing the open plains,this 5Series just wants to get going. It has ample space and comfort and really is at the top of its class .