Latest Cars
BMW Takes The Lid Off It’s 2024 5-Series And i5 Range Of Vehicles
Months of spy shots and official previews are coming to an end as BMW is finally unveiling the new 5 Series. The “G60” has some big shoes to fill considering the previous seven generations have accumulated total sales exceeding 10 million in the 51 years that have passed since the original E12 was launched in 1972.
The only variant unveiled so far is the sedan. There’s a Touring-badged station wagon on the way, but most likely will be launched next year. Powertrain aside, the 5 Series and the electric i5 are essentially the same car; BMW decided not to give the EV a powertrain-specific design. Longer, wider, and taller than the outgoing model, the new 5 features big kidney grilles that are a little tilted as a nod to the early, shark nose-style 5 Series models, angular headlights, a sculpted bumper with several air intakes, and a bulged hood.
While the exterior is not a complete departure from the old model, the interior has been fully redesigned. BMW has implemented its dual-screen setup but with a twist as the new 5 Series uses the iDrive 8.5 shared with the recently introduced i7 M70. It promises to deliver a more intuitive user interface with QuickSelect functionality that consists of grouped shortcuts on the home screen without having to navigate through submenus. The screen size is unchanged compared to other models as you still get a 12.3-inch driver’s display and a 14.9-inch touchscreen.
Entry-level 530i and 530i xDrive are powered by a 2.0-liter inline-four with BMW’s TwinPower Turbo technology and an exhaust manifold integrated into the cylinder head. This particular engine produces 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. These figures are increased by seven and 38, respectively over the previous four-cylinder option. The 540i xDrive’s inline-six now produces 375 hp and 384 lb-ft of torque, which can be increased to 398 lb-ft with the assistance of the 48-volt mild-hybrid system. As before, all combustion engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic, and all models come standard with shift paddles.
As for the i5, it comes equipped with a single rear-mounted electric motor good for 335 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque (eDrive40) but can be boosted up to 317 lb-ft in Sport Boost and Launch Control. A more powerful model (until the next M5 arrives) will be the i5 M60 xDrive, a two-motor, 590-hp electric version that ostensibly replaces the previous-gen V-8–powered M550i. Both versions feature a heat pump, slurp from the same 84.3 kWh underfloor battery pack, and can swallow an 11 kW AC- or 205 kW DC charge.
The 5 Series will have its global market launch in October of this year while the touring (wagon) will be unveiled early next year at most.
