BMW 5 Series Sedan relaunched

The seventh generation of the BMW 5 Series rolls into dealerships on February 11. It has become lighter, sportier and more efficient. First launched in 1972, the BMW 5 Series is now BMW's longest-produced model series. Over 7.5 million vehicles have been sold in 44 years, and with the new generation, hope [...]

Thanks to its stretched silhouette, the new BMW 5 Series remains a dynamic presence in its seventh generation. The xDrive models can now also be combined with Active Steering. (Images: BMW)

The BMW 5 Series was first launched in 1972 and is now BMW's longest-produced model series. Over 7.5 million vehicles have been sold in 44 years, and with the new generation the Bavarians hope to build on this success. The 4.95-meter sedan has grown only minimally in dimensions, but thanks to consistent lightweight construction, the new BMW 5 Series weighs around 100 kg less. This is due, for example, to the all-aluminum body and the use of magnesium and high-strength steels. Unlike the recently relaunched 7 Series, however, BMW does not use carbon in the 5 Series. Visually, the car is a typical BMW, and its streamlined body helps it achieve a record-breaking drag coefficient of cw 0.22 at best.

All possible operating ideas
The displays and controls of the new BMW 5 Series are geared toward the driver. Special features include a massively larger head-up display and a huge 10.25-inch color display on the center console, on which the display can be customized. In addition, virtually all functions can now be controlled by gesture. Drivers can operate their BMW 5 Series by voice, touch, i-Controller or gesture, depending on their preferences.

Most functions can now only be controlled with gestures.

On the road, the new aluminum chassis impresses with its good absorption capacity and dynamic handling. The optional active steering can now also be combined with all-wheel drive. The numerous assistance systems also include semi-autonomous functions such as remote-controlled parking, which maneuvers the car into tight parking spaces from the outside. Also available is the lane assistant, which uses optical sensors to maintain the lane up to a speed of 210 km/h and changes it by activating the turn signal. The function was noticed positively on initial drives in Portugal, although the car sometimes extended the lane a bit too far on fast highway curves and drove over the line. A more precise positioning of the car in the lane is supposed to be ensured by the so-called HD map of the navigation.

At the launch of the BMW 5 Series, two gasoline (530i, 540i) and two diesel engines (520d, 530d) are available, all with rear- or all-wheel drive. All come with an 8-speed automatic transmission, and only the small diesel 520d is also available with a 6-speed manual transmission. The plug-in hybrid 530e, the efficiency version of the 520d and the M550ix will follow in a few weeks. The latter's V8 produces 462 hp and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.0 seconds. This value is impressive, as the previous M5 needed 4.3 s for this sprint. So we can't wait to see what the next M5 will bring.

The station wagon will follow in the second half of the year, and the GT at the end of the year. In the model mix, the sedan accounts for a high 40 percent, with a slight upward trend. 

www.bmw.ch

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