Business sedan will be launched in NZ in February
BMW has launched the all-new 5 Series sedan to the international media in Portugal with such advances as semi-autonomous driving, a new chassis and stunning redesign.
The business sedan will be launched in New Zealand in February next year with three variants available from release; a 530 diesel, 540i petrol (replacing the 535i) and an all-new 520 diesel that the company expects to attract new buyers.
BMW New Zealand’s corporate affairs manager, Paul Sherley, told Driven that prices and specifications will be announced closer to launch date, but the 530d and 540i are expected to be priced around $132,000 while the 520d will be “around $100,000 making it very competitive with the competition” said Sherley.
He expecting customers of 3- and 4 Series sedans will “move up” to the 5 Series entry-level diesel.
“It will be a step up for those customers who have been driving those other BMW sedans,” he said.
While the medium/large sedan market in New Zealand is in decline, with a move towards SUVs, Sherley said that the 5 Series had a “loyal customer base”.
“There is still demand for sedans and the 5 Series has been traditionally strong,” he said.
BMW New Zealand will also be introducing the plug-in hybrid 5 Series, under the iPerformance banner, late next year.
But there’s bad news for fans of the M550i as it will only be available in left-hand-drive.
The all-new 5 Series weighs 100kg less than the previous model thanks to the extensive use of aluminum.
The exterior dimensions of the new car are only slightly larger than those of its predecessor. The new BMW 5 Series Sedan is 36 millimetres longer than the outgoing model (at 4935mm), 6mm wider (1868mm) and 2mm taller (1466 mm). Its wheelbase measures 2975mm, an increase of 7mm.
Visually the all-new 5 Series has had a major overhaul inside and out but it’s the front end that it the most striking. The front LED headlights merge into the kidney grille giving it a dynamic appeal. Above the LED headlights is brushed chrome affect while the lights are now hexagon not round.
The side view has more emphasis on the crease lines, with the affect a stretched look while at the rear the LED headlights wrap around in the side panels.
Inside the redesigned cabin, a floating infotainment touchscreen reduces the height of the dashboard over the previous model while it gains gesture control, as seen in the 7 Series, plus voice control, touchscreen and iDrive Controller.
BMW is also boasting automated steering in the all-new 5 Series through its steering and lane control assistant that, like the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, sees the sedan ‘drive itself’ by keeping at a set speed and within the lines of lanes.
BMW says the new 5 Series has a 10 per cent increase in performance but fuel consumption is down 11 per cent.
The 540i has a 3-litre six cylinder petrol engine producing 250kW of power at 5500-6500rpm, and 450NM of torque between 13980-5200rpm.
It hits 0-100km/h in 5.1 seconds and is paired with an eight speed automatic transmission.
The 530d has a 3-litre, six cylinder diesel engine with output of 195kW at 4000rmp and 620Nm of torque between 2000-2500rpm, and is paired with the eight speed auto too. It hits 0-100km/ in 5.7seconds.
The 520d has a 2-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine with the eight speed transmission, producing 140kW at 4000rpm and 400Nm at between 1750-2500rpm.
The 530e iPerformance has an electric range of 50 km and fuel consumption of 1.9 l/100 km.
* A full review of the all-new BMW 5 Series will be in next week’s Driven.