The wait is finally over.
The seventh-generation BMW 5-Series has finally made Australian landfall, with prices detailed and specifications outlined. At launch, the 5er will be offered in four grades with four engines, with more engines expected to join the lineup later, along with the eventual 5-Series Touring that has already been confirmed for our market.
The local lineup of the new 5er starts with the four-cylinder diesel 520d, which bears a $93,900 sticker price. One step up is the 530i at $108,900, followed by the 530d six-cylinder turbodiesel at $119,900. The range-topper in our market comes in the form of the 540i with its 3.0-litre forced-induction six-cylinder powerplant, which can be yours for just $136,900. All prices are quoted excluding on-the-road costs.
“Equipped with exceptional driving assistance systems, impressive connectivity capability, and outstanding safety solutions, the new 5-Series showcases BMW’s latest technologies,” said Marc Werner, CEO of BMW Group Australia.
With a more evolutionary take on design, the new 5er bears a stronger, more athletic look and stance compared to the outgoing car. The bodywork seems stretched over the chassis, with creases and bends always looking purposeful. The lighting elements at the front and rear work together to emphasise the width of the new 5er, while the ‘Air Breather’ vents on either fender provide even more suggestion of this car’s performance. The headlights are LED on the 520d, while the 530i upward gain Adaptive LED headlights with Selective Beam & High Beam Assist, which BMW claims allows for up to 500m of visible range even in the darkest conditions.
It’s not all style without substance, though. The enlarged, upright kidney grilles now feature an ‘Active Air System’ which can shut the grilles when cooling isn’t needed for improved aerodynamics. Combined with the slats to reduce wind turbulence in the wheel arches, the 5-Series achieves a drag-coefficient of just 0.24cd. This is achieved despite the new 5er growing in every way, with a 2975mm wheelbase (+7mm), 4936mm overall length (+37mm), 1868mm width (+6mm), and 1466mm height (+2mm). Even the boot capacity has grown to 530L, which is up 10L over the outgoing car.
The new 5er certainly meets its competition head-on in terms of advanced driver assistance (ADAS) tech. The new 5er packs all the latest active systems, like semi-autonomous driving features in the form of Steering & Lane Control Assistant that allows “the ability to drive hands-free for periods up to 30-seconds.” There’s also a Speed Limit Assist function that works in speed restrictions into the active cruise control to keep speeding tickets away. Active Cruise Control sees the addition of a ‘Stop & Go’ feature that will accelerate and decelerate the car based on traffic movements during snarls. These active assistance systems come as part of the ‘Driving Assistance Plus’ package, which is standard across the range, and allows the new 5-Series to do most of the work for you in traffic jams.
Front and rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, ‘Evasion Aid’ (which helps keep the car in check during evasive emergency manoeuvres), and cross-roads warning all come bundled with the Driving Assistance Plus pack, too. Parking Assistance Plus is also available here, and it comes with features like ‘Active Park Distance Control’ for the rear, as well as things like ‘Surround View’ offering a birds-eye perspective of the 5er to aid low-speed manoeuvres, and ‘Panorama View’ to see the surroundings of the car a little better (why you wouldn’t just look out a window, we’re not sure).
Naturally, the usual array of traction, stability, and braking controls and assistance features are seen here, as well as airbags for the front cabin and full-length side airbags, as well as additional side airbags and even a headliner airbag for greater passenger protection.
Convenience technology is also a big feature on the new 5er. Munich’s big saloon is available with iDrive 6 for the first time, which BMW claims makes it “the most connected BMW ever.” There’s a large 10.25-inch screen on the top of the centre stack, which accommodates for touch inputs while also offering incredible resolution and pixel density for extra premium-ness. The touch-sensitive iDrive controller offers handwriting inputs (like the bigger 7-Series), and the system also offers ‘natural language recognition’ software for ease of use. Wireless phone charging, wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity (a cost-option) feature here, as well as a 12.3-inch multifunctional driver display (standard on the 530i upward, optional on the 520d) that changes its display style depending on the driving mode.
BMW ConnectedDrive is standard across the 5er range, which bundles BMW Online services as well as BMW Apps to make the most of your experience. 4G capability means that the satellite navigation can offer routes that work around real-time traffic conditions, as well as contact emergency services, BMW TeleServices, BMW Concierge Services, as well as Remote Services. The latter software offers unparalleled smartphone-to-vehicle connectivity via the BMW Connected app, allowing owners to lock/unlock the car, preset the climate control, flash the headlights, and even find the car in a crowded carpark, all from a smartphone. Connected App also offers navigation integration (which lets you send destinations from your phone directly to your car), and it integrates with your calendar to give you ‘Time To Leave’ notifications to ensure you get to your destinations on time (and possibly avoid nagging from your better half).
The BMW Display Key, a feature that debuted on the 7-Series limousine, is available as an option to the 5-Series range. With the Display Key, BMW 5-Series owners and drivers will be able to park their big saloons remotely, which is a real boon when trying to make use of tight parking spaces.
“As well as being an innovator, a 5-Series also needs to deliver dynamically. With the latest lightweight chassis construction and advanced suspension systems, the new BMW 5-Series moves the dynamic game on in this segment,” opined the BMW Group Australia CEO Mark Werner. With up to 95kg saved off the outgoing car, the new 5er comes with a fixed suspension setup on the 520d (M-Sport setup optional), with ‘Dynamic Damper Control’ as standard on the 530i and 530d. The ‘Adaptive Drive’ system, the best of BMW’s adaptive suspension systems, is standard-fit on the 540i, which ensures a “superbly flat cornering stance” according to Munich. Integral Active Steering is an option available across the 5er family, which sees active rear-wheel steering for improved agility and manoeuvrability.
The new BMW 5-Series will be available from March 18th onward, with ‘Luxury’ and ‘M-Sport trims available across the range. Despite the innovations that have been piled on to this latest car, we’re sure that BMW cannot escape the fact that competition in the large luxury saloon category has certainly gotten stiffer, with the effortlessly elegant Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and cool left-wing choices like the Lexus GS and Jaguar XF all fighting for a piece of the pie.
You can check out our first-impressions review of the new 5-Series here, and for more information on BMW, you can check out our Showroom.
