Next-generation mid-level BMW sedan leads with EV flagships but keeps combustion power – for now
- BMW 5 Series EV powertrains
- BMW 5 Series mild-hybrids
- BMW 5 Series chassis
- BMW 5 Series interior
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BMW has ditched the controversial design aggression of its recent work in favour of a more conservative approach to the eighth-generation 2024 BMW 5 Series sedan, which will be launched later this year with petrol, diesel and – for the first BMW i5 – two electric powertrains.
Making its global debut tonight and due in both German and Australian showrooms by the end of this year, the all-new G60-series BMW 5 Series range will be topped by an EV for the first time, with the i5 M60 xDrive sedan punching out 442kW of power.
One of the last all-new models to be based on the Bavarian premium car-maker’s KLAR architecture, the new 5 Series will be available initially in just two EV guises (including the entry-level i5 eDrive40) and the combustion-powered, 48-volt mild-hybrid 520i and 520d.
Anybody wanting more cylinders, a different EV variant or a plug-in hybrid powertrain will have to wait until the second quarter of 2024.
And if you want a new BMW M5, you’ll have to wait at least another 12 months for BMW to squeeze in the twin-turbo 4.4-litre petrol-electric powertrain from the XM plug-in hybrid super-SUV.
While BMW has presented controversial designs for everything from the latest 7 Series to the XM, the 5 Series has reverted to type and the same is expected from the next all-new 3 Series.
BMW has long insisted it will play with the designs of its peripheral models, but the core volume products – 3 Series, 5 Series, X3 and X5 – will remain less polarising.
Built at the BMW Group’s high-tech hub in Dingolfing, Bavaria, the eighth 5 Series since 1972 is bigger in every dimension than the outgoing model, moving into the size category vacated by the now LWB-only 7 Series.
The first 5 Series to trip over the five-metre barrier, the G60 measures 5060mm long – 97mm longer than its predecessor.
At 2996mm, the wheelbase is 20mm longer, meaning the front and rear overhangs take up 77mm of the extra length, rather than being dedicated to the passenger cabin.
It’s also wider (up 32mm to 1900mm) and taller (up 36mm to 1515mm), but the price BMW has paid for it all is weight.
The BMW i5 M60 xDrive clocks in at an astonishing 2305kg – leaving only 590kg of headroom before its gross vehicle maximum.
Heavier than the X5 large SUV, the i5 M60 xDrive is fully 175kg heavier than the i5 eDrive40 EV, even though they share the same underfloor battery pack.
It’s fully 580kg heavier than the new 1725kg 520i, powered by a mild-hybrid four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, and 530kg heavier than the 320d diesel.
BMW 5 Series EV powertrains
The flagship of the initial 2024 BMW 5 Series range will be the i5 M60 xDrive, fitted with a synchronous e-motor integrated with a gearbox and power electronics on each axle.
The punchy i5 M60 will crunch out 442kW and, with either the Launch Control or Boost modes engaged, 820Nm of torque from step-off.
The all-wheel drive electric sedan launches to 100km/h in a claimed 3.8 seconds on its way to a surprisingly high top speed of 230km/h.
It shares its 81.2kWh lithium-ion battery with the lesser i5 eDrive40 (pictured here), and the flagship 5 Series can eke out between 455km and 516km on the WLTP official test cycle (depending on specs including tyres).
BMW claims the M60 has an efficiency range of between 18.2 and 20.6kWh/100km, and it has infinitely variable all-wheel drive.
The front motor delivers 192kW/365Nm and the punchier rear motor adds 250kW/430Nm.
The i5 eDrive40 pulls the energy consumption figures down to 15.9-19.5kWh/100km by virtue of ditching the front electric motor and running as a rear-wheel drive.
Priced at €70,200 in Germany (about $A115,000), the eDrive40 is clearly the more day-to-day option, delivering 250kW and 430Nm and running to 100km/h in six seconds, then on to a limited 193km/h top speed.
The eDrive40 is more economical, too, with a WLTP range of between 477km and 582km, with BMW claiming it will use between 15.9kWh and 19.5kWh every 100km.
Both cars share the same battery, so they charge at the same rate. Sort of.
BMW only gives the optional 22kW AC charging system to the M60, leaving the eDrive40 to take 8.25 hours to fully charge, where the M60 can do it in 4.25 hours.
Both of them can charge at 205kW on a DC fast-charger, giving them 156km of range in 10 minutes, or a 10 to 80 per cent charge in 30 minutes.
BMW 5 Series mild-hybrids
As the entry-level 2024 BMW 5 Series, the 520i is the lightest and, at €57,550 in Germany ($A93,990), the cheapest of the range – and it’s likely the stay that way.
It will share its overall dimensions with the EV twins, but the weight plummets to a (still significant) 1725kg, allowing it to reach 100km/h in 7.5sec.
The 520i’s 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine generates 310Nm of torque over 1500-4000rpm and it reaches a 230km/h top speed, making it as fast as the flagship.
The petrol engine is backed by an integrated starter-generator, giving it 13kW and 200Nm of mild-hybrid boosting and giving a fuel economy rating of 5.7-6.5L/100km (WLTP).
It also rides on smaller wheels, swapping out the 245/45 R19 tyres from the EVs for softer-riding 225/50 R18 rubber.
Another upside to combustion-powered life is that the 520i (and 520d) get a boost in luggage space, from 490 to 520 litres, matching its name.
The 520d, meanwhile, will be the European workhorse of the 5 Series range, with its 2.0-litre turbo-diesel punching out 145kW at 4000rpm and 400Nm over 1500-2750 rpm.
It, too, incorporates a mild-hybrid e-motor, but this time it only needs to add 8kW/25Nm, which is enough to get the 520i to 100km/h in 7.3sec (on par with the 320i) and to reduce consumption to 5.1-5.6L/100km, despite being 50kg heavier than the spark-ignition car.
BMW 5 Series chassis
The 2024 BMW 5 Series will land with a sophisticated five-link independent rear suspension and a double-wishbone front-end, but the trick will be the option of rear-wheel steering.
Unavailable on the combustion cars, it will pull the turning circle down from 12.3 metres on the standard i5 eDrive40 to 11.9m on the i5 M60 xDrive, which is still bigger than the 11.7m of the 520i and 520d, and the rear-steer version of the eDrive40.
The standard versions will run four-piston front brake callipers and electronic power steering, while even the 520i will use electronically controlled dampers.
BMW 5 Series interior
The 2024 BMW 5 Series will feature an evolution of the German brand’s curved single-panel glass screen, which actually hides two digital screens.
The first is the 12.3-inch instrument cluster in front of the driver, and then there’s the 14.9-inch multimedia display in the centre of the dash.
There will also be haptic controls on the flat-bottomed steering wheel, and there’s a full-width ‘interaction bar’ with touch-sensitive buttons for managing functions around the car from either front seat.
It will run the BMW Operating System 8.5 from the 7 Series, at least from launch, but an upgrade is in the works with an Android-powered 9.0 system being readied for 2025.
For everything you auto know about EVs, listen to carsales’ Watts Under the Bonnet: the electric car podcast
Join the conversation at our Facebook page Or email us at [email protected]
Keyword: All-new 2024 BMW 5 Series revealed