5-Series offers glimpse of X5 SUV
We review the new 7th generation BMW 5-Series sedan. Rob Maetzig files.
Climb aboard a BMW 5-Series and you’re entering an important part of the German luxury brand’s history.
Way back in 1972 when the inaugural 5-Series sedan was introduced, it was also the first model to feature BMW’s nowfamiliar ‘‘series’’ naming convention. The vehicle was named 5-Series because it was built on the fifth platform to be developed under what BMW had previously officially called ‘‘new class’’.
Since then the naming convention has expanded to include various sizes of sedans, wagons and hatchbacks, ranging from the smallest 1-Series up to the largest 8-Series. There’s even talk of a 9-Series some time in the future, and of course in more recent times the brand’s SUV range has been given the X moniker, high-performance models are M, while electric models carry i badging.
It all makes sense, and the only real confusion these days is that often the numbers don’t relate to engine cubic capacity – they are now more indicative of performance potential.
With that in mind, it’s worth looking at what level of engine performance was offered when the 5-Series was first launched 45 years ago.
The first models were a 2-litre four cylinder petrol 520 which gave 85kW of power and 162Nm of torque, and a fuel-injected version the 520i which gave 92kW and 172Nm. The following year the first straight-six petrol engined 5-Series arrived - it was the 2.5-litre 525 and it offered 107kW and 211Nm.
Now we’re into the seventh generation of the 5-Series, and look what’s happened to the single petrol version in the selection, the 3-litre 540i. It’s still an in-line six, but thanks to twin-turbocharging and a wealth of other new technologies the power has more than doubled to 250kW, and the torque has almost tripled to 450Nm.
It almost goes without saying that this engine is outstanding, helped along no end by a very good eight-speed automatic transmission. Thanks to all that turbocharging it offers a great surge of momentum at all speeds, and yet it is efficient enough to reduce average fuel consumption by 15 per cent over the previous version. We’re told the average of now 6.9 litres/100km if the car is driven carefully.
That’s very good, considering the 5-Series is a big sedan. It actually fits into the medium-sized sedan category, but the reality is that it is bigger than that, leaving up to the 3-Series to be a medium BMW. In fact for some reason I move it into the realms of the larger 7-Series, probably because the look of the two models is so similar.
There is more of a connection with the 7-Series, too. The two cars are built off the same platform that uses plenty of aluminium and high-strength steel, and as a result this 5-Series is more than 90kg lighter than previous-generation version even though it is bigger and torsionally stiffer.
That’s contributed to premiumfeel ride and handling characteristics. This is particularly the case when the sedan’s Drive Mode is operating in a softer Comfort setting – then, the car feels luxurious. For more enthusiastic motoring it’s a simple matter of selecting Sport, and it is then that the 540i is at least the equal of its German rivals the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Audi A6.
The 540i is also offered in New Zealand with M Sport package as standard, which includes exterior styling enhancements from BMW M, Dynamic Damper Control, 20-inch light alloy wheels, and enhanced braking via an M Sport brake package. All that adds to the dynamism in this very good car.
All the new 5-Series models feature Driving Assistant Plus which uses a suite of radar and camera-based sensor systems to offer a range of assists including active cruise control, steering and lane control, lane departure warning, speed limit traffic sign recognition, and cross traffic warning.
There’s also plenty of in-vehicle connectivity that BMW calls ConnectedDrive – in fact the car is the first BMW with wireless iPhone projection. It all makes heavy use of a larger 10.25-inch touch-screen, and adding to the infotainment scenario is a fullcolour head-up display that is 70 per cent larger than before and which can display traffic signs, telephone listings, radio stations, music tracks, navigation instructions, and warnings from the various assistance systems.
It all adds up to a medium-large sedan that continues BMW’s reputation for building world-class premium sedans. Only one thing wrong – it’s a sedan, at a time where all the motoring attention seems to be focusing on SUVs. But the 540i is a powerful glimpse to the future, and what the next X5 is going to be like.