2017 BMW 5-series review, test drive

What is it?

BMW’s 5-series has always tried to strike a balance between luxury and sport, and this has brought it a considerable measure of success. The sixth-generation 5 Series (F10), for example, sold more than 2.2 million units globally and it has been a strong seller for BMW in India too, selling consistently since its launch here. The F10, however, is a bit infamous too. Widely considered to be the one that diluted the 5’s sporting content, it has, at various times, been called too ‘soft’, too mild and too un-BMW like.

The challenge then with the new seventh-generation 5-series, the G30, is for BMW to widen its scope. On the one hand it has to be even more luxurious, comfortable and spacious, but on the other it crucially also has to re-establish itself as the best-handling and driving car in its class; a big ask.

As with many successful German cars, the design is more evolutionary than revolutionary. The most easily discernable differences are in the nose.  This is because the headlights are now fused with the grille, as on the 7, and the chin is much more aggressive and sportier now. Other highlights include a new 7- series-like vent behind the front wheel arch, tight, muscular flanks, and a new set of quite distinctive tail-lamps. What I particularly like, however, is that the nose and grille are now near vertical, reminds me of the ‘shark-nosed’ BMWs from years gone by, and I just love that impossibly long wheelbase and the fact that the front wheels are pushed so far out.  The wheelbase is in fact 7mm longer than before, and now at 2,975mm, is almost three meters long. Merc’s new long-wheelbase E-class for India will have an even longer 3,079mm wheelbase. The new car is also 36mm longer, but is sportier and more compact due to the muscular styling.

The changes are a lot more radical under the skin. Although the 5 does not use the expensive carbonfibre structural elements (Carbon Core) seen on the 7-series, it uses a much higher percentage of aluminium compared to the earlier car. The new G30 as a result is 95-100kg lighter, and torsional rigidity is hugely improved as well. The new 5 also gets a ‘new’ double-wishbone front suspension and all new rear-wheel-steering system (from the 7-series) to make it more agile. Electrically actuated and faster acting active anti-roll bars also replace the older hydraulically operated units.