What's all this about?
BMW has refreshed its seventh-generation 'G30' 5 Series, with the main talking point being the looks. With sleeker front lights, reshaped kidney grilles, 3D-effect rear light clusters and a general polishing of the existing pre-facelift model, the resulting life-cycle impulse (LCI) Five bears more than a passing resemblance to its 3 Series. And is thankfully bereft of the honking great kidney grilles as seen on the LCI 7 Series. Anyway, there are some new body colours and alloy wheel designs to go at with the G30, so it looks nice on the outside.
Have we got any details about engines?
Yes, with the news that there are no fewer than FIVE plug-in hybrid variants to go at. True, four of them are derivations of the 530e, with its four-cylinder petrol-electric drivetrain: you can have the 530e saloon, the 530e xDrive saloon, the 530e Touring and the 530e xDrive Touring, with the main change here being that the 530e is now available as the estate when it wasn't before. But there's also a six-cylinder PHEV 5 Series, the 545e xDrive saloon, using the same drivetrain as seen in the likes of the aforementioned Seven and also the X5 xDrive45e. With 394hp and 600Nm to call upon, leading to a 4.7-second 0-62mph time along with an electric range of around 35 miles, fuel consumption as high as 134.5mpg and CO2 emissions as low as 49g/km, this could be the LCI 5 Series to go for.
Can we have a poke around inside the cabin?
Sure thing. The 10.25-inch display for the BMW Operating System 7 and iDrive infotainment is now standard across all models, with a 12.3-inch affair being an upgrade. Extended features can be found in the climate control, while the multifunction steering wheel has been redesigned with a new layout of switchgear. Sensatec perforated trim becomes an option for the upholstery, while the PHEVs get an 'eDrive Zone' mode which switches them automatically into EV-running if they enter a low-emission driving area. Further kit includes the BMW Drive Recorder (which can capture 40 seconds of video footage from cameras around the video, if specified), the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant with extended functions, the premiere of the cloud-based satnav system called BMW Maps, Android Auto smartphone integration (to go with Apple CarPlay, which the 5 Series previously supported anyway) and Remote Software Upgrade capabilities, among more.
We've not quite finished with other tech, though. All four- and six-cylinder engines, be they petrol or diesel, now have an 8kW (11hp) starter-generator on a 48-volt system added to them, making the 5 Series into a mild-hybrid electric vehicle (MHEV) and ensuring all the powertrains meet Euro-6d emissions standards. Furthermore, optional Integral Active Steering (four-wheel steering) becomes available and there's also a special M Sport Edition of the 5 Series saloon and Touring models, limited to a run of just 1,000 units. It wears Donington Grey metallic paint, which is a 'true' M colour, and exclusive 20-inch BMW Individual Air Performance alloy wheels in a bicolour design. All LCI G30 5 Series saloon and Touring models announced so far will go on sale in July 2020, where they will be looking to add to a global sales tally for this generation of Fiver which has already surpassed 600,000 units worldwide.
Matt Robinson - 26 May 2020