BMW has taken the wraps off the 8th-gen 5 Series sedan; the lineup includes—among the regular petrol and diesel variants—the all-electric i5 eDrive40 and i5 M60 xDrive. Prices in Germany start at €72,020 (including 19% VAT) for the i5 eDrive40, whereas the M-badged variant asks €101,770 (including 19% VAT). Availability depending on the market is gonna be from October 2023.
The biggest change in the new generation is, of course, the design—which as has been the case with BMWs lately—is rather controversial. I mean, we’ve to agree that from the front and front-three-quarter angles, the new 5 Series looks like a Skoda, whereas from the rear and rear-three-quarter angles, it looks like a Toyota—which depending on your perspective, might or might not be a good thing. Apparently, the designers were going for a “Sharknose”.
But anyway, the Kidney grille can be optionally decorated with the BMW Iconic Glow contour lighting. The overall looks of the car can be further enhanced with the optional M Sport Package (includes 19-inch M light-alloy wheels and M high-gloss Shadow Line elements) and the M Sport Package Pro (includes illuminated Kidney grille and high-gloss black mirror caps among other extras). The optional Adaptive LED Headlights include cornering light and Matrix High Beam. Up to 21-inch wheels can be found in the options list.
The 8th-gen 5 Series has grown in dimensions, as you might expect. It now measures 5,060 mm long, 1,900 mm wide and 1,515 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,995 mm. Boot space is claimed to be 520 litres. BMW claims “an almost perfectly balanced 50 : 50 ratio axle load distribution”.
The i5 and the PHEV models of the new 5 Series are equipped with rear-axle suspension as standard. The Adaptive Suspension Professional with electronically controlled shock absorbers is optional but standard in the i5 M60 xDrive. Another option is the Adaptive M Suspension Professional; it also includes Active Roll Stabilisation with Active Roll Comfort.
On the inside, things look fairly familiar. The curved panel houses a 12.3-inch driver display and a 14.9-inch central touchscreen. The BMW Head-Up Display is part of the optional BMW Live Cockpit Professional. The BMW Natural Interaction option is also available for controlling functions using gestures. Newly designed sports seats are standard equipment, while there’s an option to go for electrically adjustable comfort seats.
Also, BMW claims the new 5 Series sedan is the brand’s first model to feature a fully vegan interior. This includes the surfaces of the seats, the dashboard and the door panels, as well as the steering wheel for the first time. The seat surfaces in the Veganza version with leather-like properties are also optionally available with decorative perforation.
The list of active safety and driver assistance systems is pretty long, as you might expect. Depending on the model, partially automated driving and parking is available as standard or as an option. The optional Driving Assistant Professional includes Steering and Lane Control Assist and Distance Control with Stop & Go function (up to 180 km/h or 112 mph). In the U.S., Canada and Germany, it also includes the Highway Assistant—which supports speeds up to 130 km/h (81 mph). A new feature—claimed to be the world’s first—is the Active Lane Change Assistant with eye confirmation. The driver simply needs to look at the respective exterior mirror to confirm the lane change and the technology does it automatically if the traffic situation permits to do so.
Powertrains
Moving on to the juicy bits of the story, the regular petrol and diesel variants include 520i (2.0L 4-cylinder turbo petrol; 140 kW/190 metric hp and 310 Nm/229 lb-ft), 520d (2.0L 4-cylinder turbo diesel; 145 kW/197 metric hp and 400 Nm/295 lb-ft) and 520d xDrive (AWD). All these are coupled with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. Transmission is gonna be an 8-speed Steptronic automatic.
For the U.S. market, BMW will offer 530i (2.0L 4-cylinder turbo petrol; 190 kW/258 metric hp and 400 Nm/295 lb-ft), 530i xDrive and 540i xDrive (3.0L straight-six turbo petrol; 280 kW/381 metric hp and 520 Nm/384 lb-ft); more details are probably gonna be available at a later date. These too are coupled with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. A straight-six turbo diesel variant will join the lineup in spring 2024.
As for the all-electric i5 eDrive 40, well, it packs a rear electric motor that depending on the mode you’re in, offers up to 250 kW (340 metric hp) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft). An 81.2 kWh (net) lithium-ion battery pack is estimated to offer a WLTP range of anywhere between 497 to 582 km (309-362 mi). The official 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time for those who care to know, is 6.0 seconds, while the top speed is limited to 193 km/h (120 mph).
As mentioned earlier, there’s also the i5 M60 xDrive on offer, which as the name suggests, packs a dual-motor AWD setup, offering combined figures of 442 kW (601 metric hp) and 795 Nm (586 lb-ft) depending on the mode you’re in. The battery pack capacity is gonna remain the same at 81.2 kWh, but understandably, the WLTP range is estimated to be anywhere between 455 to 516 km (283-321 mi). This one is claimed to sprint from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.8 seconds, while the top speed is limited to 230 km/h (143 mph). Another AWD BEV variant will join the lineup in 2024.
The PHEV options are gonna be 530e and 550e xDrive, both available from spring 2024. The 530e combines a 2.0L 4-cylinder turbo petrol engine with an electric motor integrated into an 8-speed automatic transmission, offering combined figures of up to 220 kW (299 metric hp) and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft). This variant is estimated to offer a pure electric WLTP range of anywhere between 87 to 102 km (54-63 mi).
The 550e xDrive model combines a 3.0L straight-six turbo petrol engine with an electric motor integrated into an 8-speed automatic transmission, offering combined figures of up to 360 kW (489 metric hp) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft). The official 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time is 4.3 seconds, while the top speed is limited to 250 km/h (155 mph). Pure electric WLTP range is estimated to be anywhere between 79 to 90 km (49-56 mi).
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