BMW 5 Series (2024) First Drive Review

I've always loved the 5 Series. While the 3 Series is a fantastic sedan and much loved by all BMW fans, the 5 offers plenty more exclusivity and cutting-edge tech. It's the car of a large corporate company's CEO, who prefers to drive himself instead of being at the mercy of a chauffeur in a much bigger and less manoeuvrable car.

Does the latest generation of the 5 Series live up to grand expectations? We journeyed from Cape Town's V&A Waterfront up the West Coast and back in the two locally available models to find out. 

Buying used? Find out which 7th-generation BMW 5 Series is better - petrol or diesel.

 

Styling: The 5 Series has nothing to prove

Where the old 5 Series looked like a bigger 3 Series, the new 5 Series Sedan's low-key, athletic beauty and presence are emphasised by a clean and simple, yet quietly aggressive design language up front. 

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The 5 Series doesn’t care if people like it or not; it quietly goes about its business all lean and muscular in a crisp and impeccably tailored Armani suit. After all, it is BMW’s “most successful business sedan in the upper mid-range vehicle segment.”

A more contemporary (i.e., smaller) take on the classic BMW kidney grille and twin headlights defines the new 5 Series Sedan's front end. And if you wish, you can also specify the LED kidney grille outline, or as the manufacturer calls it, the BMW Iconic Glow lighting, which I think is the cherry on top. 

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Additional features that strike the eye are black side skirts, flush-fitted doorhandles, and an incised ‘5’ in the centre of the Hofmeister kink. At the rear, the 5 Series continues the subdued theme with narrow, dual-bar wraparound LED taillights divided by a chrome band, finished off with a mean-looking black diffuser and no exhaust on the electric models. The i5 M60 xDrive is privy to the M kidney grille, M exterior mirrors and exclusive M wheels.

 

Inside the new BMW 5 Series - modern and shimmering

The exterior may seem somewhat reserved, but the 5 Series’ interior wows. Much like the 7 Series, there are sparkling crystal elements, beautiful crystalline backlighting (optional) that changes colour when you select different driving and cabin ambience modes, and the pièce de résistance, the mammoth curved touch screen consisting of a 12.3-inch information display and a 14.9-inch control display. The i5 M60 model gets carbon fibre interior trim, which is part of the M Package, that looks mesmerising in the sunlight.

 

 

“Veganza” (ie. animal-free) leather sports seats are standard in all models. Merino leather is available and can be specified in dual-toned trim should you prefer the real thing, but if you do select the vegan option, you can add perforation for a more interesting look.

 

 

Falling for BMW’s i5 M60 xDrive

The first day’s test route afforded us the opportunity to sample the fastest BMW 5 Series yet. The i5 M60, the brand’s new flagship of the range, is fitted with two electric motors, one on each axle, and a 81.2 kWh battery, which is good for up to 516 km of range, depending on how you drive, and the weather. The upcoming milder, single-motor i5 eDrive 40 version offers a slightly longer range of up to a claimed 670 km.

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Should you switch to efficiency mode, the i5’s Max Range functionality will limit things like your top speed and climate control to save more power. BMW says that the i5 M60 will take 4,5 hours to fully charge with a 22kW AC wall box, and around 8,5 hours with a 11kW wall box. Should you be out on the road, a 50kW public charger should be able to bring a 82 kW battery from 20 to 80 percent in about an hour, while recharging from 1% to 100% will take about two hours or so.

 

The highlight of the fully electric i5 M60 is without a doubt the standard M launch control and a lovely little M Sport Boost paddle behind the steering wheel that lets you access the full monty of its power for a full ten seconds. Say you need an immediate boost, you just flick the paddle, and it switches over to full-fledged sport mode. The 442 kW of power on tap is immense and immediate, and it knocks your socks off.

 

From standstill, the i5 M60 offers supercar speed with a Hanz Zimmer-engineered, launching-spaceship soundtrack in your ears and you’ll hit the 100 km/h mark from 0 in only 3.8 seconds. The total-system torque generated is a hair-raising 820 Nm when M Sport Boost or the M Launch Control function is activated. Needless to say, my co-pilot and I giggled like schoolgirls as we watched the numbers rise on the M-specific digital speedometer. And best of all, the ride is never harsh or choppy.

 

 

Getting to know the BMW 520d

On day 2, it was our turn behind the wheel of the mild-hybrid 520d model, equipped with a 48-volt starter generator that increases recuperative brake energy, lightens the engine's workload and boosts its power. (This technology was already present in the previous-gen model.)

At first, our trip up the N7 to Darling seemed slow in comparison with the lightning fast i5 M60 the previous day, but BMW knows a thing or two about building sophisticated diesel cars, and the 520 d is exceptionally smooth. You simply don’t feel how fast it is, even though the build-up is considerably slower. When I saw its power figures of 145 kW and 400 Nm, I was surprised, as it felt more powerful to me, thanks to its TwinPower Turbo technology.

For now, no petrol-powered 5 Series will be joining the lineup.

 

The 5 Series range also offers rear-axle steering (ie. Integral Active Steering) which made it ridiculously easy to make a U-turn after the standard built-in satnav seemed momentarily confused. And whether equipped with all-wheel drive xDrive or not, the 5 Series is capable of remarkable dynamic performances thanks to its nearly ideal 50:50 axle weight distribution.

 

Putting some of the tech to the test

On our way back, I had a chance to play with the new BMW Operating System 8.5 and found it reasonably intuitive, but the controls on the steering wheel take some getting used to. It would be advisable to take time out of your schedule to learn how everything works in order to utilise everything the system offers. The steering wheel buttons and crystal iDrive controller can also be used, if you don't want to get the touchscreen full of fingerprints.

 

In heavy traffic, I employed BMW’s latest-generation Driving Assistant Professional with Steering Lane Control Assist and Distance Control with Stop & Go function (i.e., adaptive cruise control), and it did a fine job of navigating through traffic, but I would have liked a slightly smaller gap between myself and the car in front, or it just gives people the opportunity to cut in front of you. We checked our settings via QuickSelect, which opens a screen full of different icons and found it was already set to the closest.

In overseas markets, the 5 Series is no stranger to higher levels of autonomous driving, but for the first time, it now also offers Active Lane Change Assistant with eye activation. The car will suggest a lane to change to, and to confirm, you simply look into the corresponding side mirror. The Active Lane Change Assistant will then steer the car into your chosen lane all on its own. It will still be a while until South African legislation allows hands-free driving, so even though the 5 Series is capable of doing so, it is by law not permitted to do so just yet.  We are missing out!

To see how cool this is, watch this BMW ad here.

Another cool new feature we didn’t get the chance to test out, is the in-car gaming feature. When the car is stationary, video can be streamed on the Control Display with the AirConsole platform, so when you play games on your smart device, the view is displayed in front for an immersive gaming experience. This is an entertaining way to pass the time while your car is plugged in at a public charging station.

 

Verdict

For power-hungry South Africans whose finances aren’t quite up to i7 standards, or who just prefer something different, the new 5 (and especially the electric i5 M60) is the perfect solution—and it’s 100% a driver’s car, not a chauffeur’s. If you’re smitten with the i4, but you have a family, the i5 will be ideal.

 

See all the 5 Series technical data here.

 

Model	Price	Price includes
BMW 520d	R1,247,893.60	CO2 tax
BMW i5 eDrive40 (available from Q2 2024)	R1,842,500.00	Wallbox and installation
BMW i5 M60 xDrive	R2,190,000.00	Wallbox and installation