“The business athlete” as BMW likes to call their 5 series has got a fresher look. However it’s not all about the looks, BMW also took the time to improve the engines as well as some plug-in hybrid variants.
With subtle design changes to the car that will suit its clientele, the 5 series is not as flashy and in-your-face as the 7 series is, the grille, headlights, taillights and slim contours on the body we see that BMW did not go all out with the new 5 series.
The small changes continue on the interior, a new high gloss black finish for the centre console, new leather seats and a big 12.3-inch infotainment screen using the new 7.0 iDrive operating system.
The engines of the new 5 series have a new 48V mild-hybrid system in the engines giving them 8 kilowatts extra, bettering the overall efficiency of the 5 series on the lower ranges. There is an M550i x-drive that will be available producing 390kW and 750Nm for those that don’t care too much about efficiency and just want straight dynamics. There also are 2 new plug-in hybrid models, currently only in Europe, a 530e that has a four-cylinder engine with an electric system and together pumping out 215kW and 420Nm. The other model, the 545e, has a 6-cylinder engine with an electric system, giving 290kW and 600Nm.
More information is yet to come on the 5 series South African launch.
Images: BMW SA
