The seventh BMW 5 Series resembles the previous one proportions- and dimensions-wise, with a length of nearly 5 metres: the platform, however, is all new, and the use of aluminium also knocks up to 100 kg off its weight. The three-box G30 saloon is a 5 Series at first glance: naturally, not the first series of 1972, offspring of Paul Bracq on an idea by Marcello Gandini, but still a luxury sports car, aerodynamic (CX is 0.22) and dynamic. The double crease in the side panel is new: this creates an Escher-like illusion that continues around the classic Hofmeister elbow.
At the front the double kidney grille is larger and more prominent, and can be closed by doubling the number of vertical slats; on the side, the headlights with new graphics design the high part of the front and accommodate the adaptive Led headlights. At the rear, the lights reach out towards the side, with new Leds. The versions available for now are Business, Sport and Luxury, up to Msport, which is 10 mm lower.
Inside, the centre console is turned towards the driver, while the screen is as big as 10.25″ and is controlled by gesture. The true novelty of the 5 Series is the Assisted Drive which deploys cameras, GPS and more than 20 sensors and radars: with automatic capabilities such as direction control, lane maintenance and peripheral vision, the car can drive itself even up to 210 kph, but for regulatory reasons after a few seconds a pilot light obliges the driver to put his hands back on the wheel; in addition there are various systems for detecting and avoiding obstacles, at night too. And you can even use a remote to park your car when you are outside the vehicle.
There is multimedia and internet, with the BMW cloud, while the Car-to-X network sends data to other cars. The technology remains of the highest quality: the 6 cylinder in line TwinTurbo of the 530d, for example, delivers up to 265 bhp and 620 Nm and has a theoretical consumption of 4.5 l/100 km with the automatic 8-gear ZF gearbox; the xDrive has all-wheel drive and 4 steered wheels so that you can also have fun with a traditional drive set-up.
