BMW’s facelifted 5 Series mid-sizer has been unveiled in Europe ahead of local launch later this year.
Mid-way through the model-cycle of the current model, the updated BMW 5 Series not surprisingly gains a freshened look, enhanced fuel efficiency, new engines and new technology.
BMW Australia will not announce local prices or specifications until closer to launch – which is suddenly a challenge for all importers with the Aussie dollar suddenly on a downward march after more than 12 months trading at better than one-to-one with the U.S currency. It will be interesting to see if BMW can hold the current price of the 5 Series when the new model arrives.
Entry-level to the BMW 5 Series range is a new 518d diesel model. Using a re-tuned version of BMW’s 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-diesel, the new 518d delivers 105kW/360Nm and is capable of a hugely impressive 4.5l/100kms combined cycle fuel consumption.
On the styling front, the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo model (a big seller in Europe) scores the most changes – new front and rear-end looks – while the rest f the lineup sees subtle changes to the grille, headlights and tail-lights. Xenon headlights are now standard and LED DRLs and fog-lights are on the options list.
Inside too, changes aren’t massive for a mid-life update with just some minor trim changes . But on the options list there’s a 10.25-inch instrument cluster screen, rear-seat entertainment via tablets and a new touch-sensitive character recognition surface for the BMW iDrive controller.
And the latest BMW 5 Series rides on suspension systems and power steering which have both received a ‘do-over’.
But the biggest news is under the bonnet for the range-topping 550i with the twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 leaping to 350kW/650Nm (up 50 on both scores) to deliver a sub-5.0-second zero to 100km/h time (now 4.6 seconds). But combined cycle fuel consumption has been slashed by 17 per-cent to 8.6l/100kms.
