It's been around since the early 70’s and five million versions of it have been sold, but now the BMW 5 Series has undergone its most dramatic revolution - it’s electric.
In Ireland, the 5 Series diesel has been a major presence in the executive segment. In fact, most of its sales in fact have been diesel. Now, however, the diesel era is over for the 5 Series and there will only be one internal combustion offering - a 2.0 litre petrol.
BMW is, of course, one of the major car companies to have hedged its bets in terms of full electrification - it will continue to produce petrol and diesel engines for other markets in the short term - but electrifying the 5 Series is a game changer. It will help bring BMW’s pure electric sales to over 15 per cent this year.
The i5 has a power output of 340 horse power and has a claimed range of between 477 and 582 kilometres. Today’s launch also features a 2.0 litre petrol option, with a power output of 208 horse power and BMW says it can achieve consumption figures of between 5.7 and 6.4 litres of fuel per 100 km. The former costs €90,110 and the latter costs €69,850.
This petrol version was originally due to be priced at €79,690 but improvements in CO2 emissions levels from BMW's petrol engines have moved the 2.0 litre petrol into a lower tax bracket.
That circa €90,000 price tag for a full-electric 5 Series is certainly punchy but is actually in line with the higher production costs involved in manufacturing electric cars, except Chinese ones.
The 80.7 kWh battery can be charged from 10% to 80% - on a fast charger - in about 30 minutes.
With a more sloping roofline, sharper body lines and a less-prominent kidney grille the car looks far more svelte than the current model but it’s actually higher, wider and longer than the one it replaces. BMW’s "reduced design language" also means a long bonnet profile and a higher shoulder line.
There are twin LED lights at the front and four LED strips at the rear.
The all-important interior goes a lot further with the tech and connectivity experience. A 14.9 inch control screen merges with a full digital high res display. That infotainment screen is a 12.3 inch configuration.
There is also what’s called an "interactive bar" that runs from one front door panel to the other and allows for control of functions such as ventilation and glove box opening.
Standard equipment will include a vegan-friendly leather upholstery, which will also cover the door panels, called Veganza. Four zone automatic air conditioning is also standard, as is a Harmon Kardan surround sound system.
There is also an interesting innovation called an "efficiency coach", which enables to driver to limit driving power to conserve energy. This can save up to 25 per cent of battery power and the system could be used when running low on battery capacity - for example when a charger is not within easy driving distance. The system will limit speed to 90 KPH, de-activate the air conditioning system and reduce rear window heating.
The standard wheel size is 19". An advanced suite of safety features in line with current BMW offerings is also standard.
For those looking for a little more oomph to their electric motoring- and deeper wallets - there is an M60 version with a massive 601 horse power output. It comes in at €119,210.
An all-electric 5 Touring is also in the pipeline.
The new 5 Series range is expected in Ireland towards the end of the year.
