BMW powers to the front
BMW’s new seventh-generation 5-Series impresses for its driving qualities, reports Rob Maetzig from the sedan’s Australasian media launch.
Up in the top end of the new vehicle market where all the executive sedans live, there’s traditionally been a great rivalry between the German three – Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
Last year it was the MercedesBenz E-class that gained the upper hand over the Audi A6 and BMW 5-series, with a new model deemed good enough to be named New Zealand Car of the Year.
But now a new seventhgeneration 5-series has arrived, and this fresh interpretation of the classic front-engined and reardriven executive sedan may well be good enough to move BMW back into pole position.
It arrives in New Zealand with three latest-generation engine options – two diesel and one petrol – and a high level of driver assistance technology and connectivity. In a few months, probably June, the new sedans will be joined by plug-in hybrid and touring versions.
But has all this new technology done anything to affect the 5-Series’ reputation as a driver’s car?
No way, Australasian media were told at a briefing and drive in South Australia’s Barossa region. In fact, journalists were told, the technology will go a long way towards enhancing the reputation.
‘‘We like to think of the BMW 5-Series as very much like a fine wine – it just keeps getting better,’’ said BMW Australia’s product and pricing manager Howard Lam.
‘‘It has always been a magic blend of sports and luxury, and even though the new model carries a bunch of new technologies, it remains very much a driver’s car. In that regard the technologies the 5-Series carries are not so much driver intervention, but driver assistance.’’
The Australian drive programme underlined all of that. Roads through the Adelaide Hills can feature surfaces that are undulating and uneven, which was a perfect environment to try out the new models.
Thanks to use of what BMW calls Efficient Lightweight design, which involves increased use of aluminium and high-strength steels, the weight of the 5-Series has been reduced by up to 96kg even though the vehicle is bigger and torsionally stiffer. This helped the cars take on the surfaces with aplomb, even with the sedan’s drive mode in a softer comfort setting.
And when the sport mode is selected – well, it allows the new 5-Series to lay claim to dynamically be much better than the old, and that’s what makes it such a significant arrival. Of course it’s a sedan and not an SUV, which means New Zealand sales will always remain fairly low, but from the driving perspective there’s not an SUV that can touch it.
But at the same time it does offer all the latest-generation driver support.
All the new models in New Zealand feature the car maker’s Driving Assistant Plus package as standard which uses a suite of radar and camera sensor systems to offer a range of assists including
active cruise control with stop and go function, steering and lane control, lane departure warning, speed limit traffic sign recognition, and cross traffic warning.
There’s also plenty of the latest in-vehicle connectivity. The 5-Series features a full complement of ConnectedDrive functionality, including the latest iDrive and navigation systems as standard with a larger, 10.25-inch touchscreen.
The sedan also has a latestgeneration full-colour head-up display that is 70 per cent larger than before and displays traffic signs, telephone listings, radio stations, music tracks, navigation instructions and warnings from the assistance systems.
At launch, the entry model is the 520d which is priced from $99,900. It is powered by a TwinPower turbocharged four cylinder diesel engine that delivers 140kW of power and 400Nm of torque, with fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of 4.3 l/100km and 114g/km respectively.
Standard specification includes 18-inch light alloy wheels, leather ‘‘Dakota’’ upholstery with heated front seats, and LED headlight technology with high beam assist. Also standard is a Parking Assistant Plus package which includes front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera, active parking assistant along with surround view and panorama view.
Next up is a 530d which is priced from $133,900. This sedan, which is expected to be the volume seller, is powered by a newgeneration TwinPower sixcylinder turbodiesel engine that generates 195kW of power and a very healthy 620Nm of torque, yet fuel consumption is 4.7 l/100km and exhaust emissions are 124g/km of CO2.
The BMW 530d specification builds on that of the 520d by offering a Sport Line package as standard, including 19-inch light alloy wheels and sports front seats.
Additional specification also includes Adaptive LED headlight technology with BMW Selective Beam anti-dazzle system, an upgraded harman/kardon surround sound audio system, the BMW Head-Up Display, and wireless charging for mobile phones.
It also has BMW’s innovative gesture control system which requires those on board to simply wave their fingers in front of the dash area to control such things as audio volume.
The BMW 540i completes the New Zealand range, and is priced from $142,900. Featuring a TwinPower turbocharged sixcylinder in-line petrol engine, this latest generation powertrain offers 11 per cent more power than the previous model, yet fuel use has been reduced by 15 per cent.
Power output is 250kW and the torque is 450Nm, while fuel consumption and emissions are 6.7 l/100km and 154 g/km respectively.
The 540i is also offered in New Zealand with M Sport package as standard, including exterior styling enhancements from BMW M, Dynamic Damper Control, 20-inch light alloy wheels, sun protection glazing and enhanced braking with an M Sport brake package.
Already high levels of comfort are further enhanced in the 540i with the addition of the Comfort Package which includes heated seats for front and rear, heated steering wheel, and the multi-adjustable comfort front seats.
The new BMW 5 Series models are arriving at BMW dealerships about now. The good news about that is that their arrival will immediately renew the debate over which model is best among the German big three of prestige sedans.