BMW has sprinkled some ‘update’ dust onto the 5 Series which it says will lob Down Under later this year…pricing is still under wraps.
Boasting a “raft of upgrades” the updated BMW 5 Series will arrive here later this year wearing a tweaked grille (wider and higher), slimmer headlights which are now full-LED (perfect for dazzling Camry drivers). The brake and indicator lights are now in the one unit. Regardless of the equipment line and engine specified, all models of the new BMW 5 Series come with trapezoidal tailpipe finishers.
BMW is opening up access to new metallic paints for the 5 Series, including hues from the BMW Individual range. An M Sport Package will be available, adding the usual extra bits and bobs to the exterior to make the thing look more aggressive.
On the inside, the standard 12.3-inch digital display boasts a new centre console controller and a leather-wrapped sports steering wheel is standard. New additions to the (long) options list include M Multifunctional seats derived from the BMW M5 Competition and two new interior trim strips.
In addition to the 390kW V8 in the range-topping BMW M550i xDrive sedan, the updated 5 Series comes with a choice of two other petrol engines, one diesel engine and one plug-in hybrid with outputs ranging from 135kW to 215kW.
The 530e plug-in hybrid gets the new XtraBoost function as standard equipment. This feature delivers an additional dose of power under “vigorous acceleration” with the combined output of the two power sources increased by 30kW up to a maximum of 215kW for up to 10 seconds.
All engines are mated to an eight-speed Steptronic transmission as standard, while BMW xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive is offered on the M550i xDrive and M550i xDrive Pure. M Sport Suspension, Adaptive M Suspension and Adaptive M Suspension Professional including active roll stabilisation are all available.
The driver assistance systems available for the new BMW 5 Series enhance driving comfort on long journeys and increase safety in situations where the driver does not have a clear view. Like the new Drive Recorder which lets drivers capture and store videos of the scene around the vehicle, while the new 3D visualisation of the surrounding area in the instrument cluster provides an enhanced overview of the current traffic situation, and the status of the driver assistance systems.
The infotainment system in the 5 Series is the new BMW Operating System 7.0. This does things like calculate routes and arrival times, update with real-time traffic data but also offers wireless Apple and Android connectivity.
The new BMW 5 Series will arrive in Australia in October.
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