Summarize

The BMW 5 Series has been under the knife and the facelift is headed for SA in a new five-car Sedan range.  

The medium sedan from Munich gets a fresh look and a raft of tech updates across the board and while the M5 Competition continues, there’s great news just below it in the range, with the arrival of an all-new M550i xDrive. 

Good for 100km/h in 3.8 seconds and a limited 250km/h top end, the 390kW 750 Nm biturbo-in-the-bank direct petrol injection 4.4-litre V8 M550i xDrive gets BMW’s default eight-speed Steptronic turning xDrive AWD for 9.7 l/100km fuel consumption and 229 g/km emissions. 

If the new M340i we drove last week is anything to go by, this one should work a treat. Tasty!

For the less flamboyant, the 185 kW 350 Nm mild hybrid 2-litre four-pot turbo petrol 530i gets to 100 km/h in 6.4 seconds and tops out at 250 km/h while  sipping 5.5 litres per hundred and spewing 126 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre. Last but not least, the 135 kW 290 Nm turbodiesel 520d will rush to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds, top 235 km/h and sip 5.5 l/100 km at 120 g/km. Both the four cylinder Fives are now Euro 6d emissions compliant.

Set apart by a fresh grimace courtesy of a wider, taller new BMW kidney grille, slimmer Adaptive LED matrix headlights with optional Laserlights up front, new 3D cluster taillights do duty aft, you can finish your Five in a choice of fresh exterior hues too. New light-alloy wheel options include a variety from 18 to an innovative set of new 20-inch Air Performance rims and the flagship M550i xDrive also gets a muscular M Sport package. 

Inside, an optional 12.3-inch Control Display over the standard 10.25-inch screen, automatic climate control and an all-mew multifunction sports leather steering wheel with newly arranged multifunction buttons do duty. Android Auto now joins Apple CarPlay with enhanced WiFi connectivity and control and Remote Software Upgrading too.

Optional Integral Active Steering joins a raft of latest driver assistance now including Lane Departure with lane return function and intelligent new cloud-based Active Navigation with 3D visualisation, while the parking system now gets a reversing assistant too.  

 

Expect the latest Fives in SA in the fourth quarter of 2020.