2024 BMW 5 Series LWB : Observations after a day of driving

Right off the bat, this is a fantastic engine and gearbox combination. For a 4-cylinder, it has a good amount of grunt and responsiveness.

Driving the BMW 5 Series 2.0L Turbo Petrol AT

Powering the BMW 530Li is a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that makes 255 BHP @ 4,500 – 6,500 rpm and 400 Nm @ 1,600 – 4,600 rpm. It is mated to an 8-speed transmission which sends power to the rear wheels:

This is the only powertrain on offer with the 5 Series and it is actually disappointing that there is no 6-cylinder available. In particular, there is no 530d which was an iconic nameplate. There is a 540i, 6-cylinder petrol on sale internationally, and hopefully, BMW will get that to India for enthusiasts. Compared to the 4-cylinder engine from the previous generation, this engine makes more 7 BHP & 50 Nm more. It features the same BMW TwinPower Turbo tech and an exhaust manifold that is integrated into the cylinder head. The engine also features a 48V Electrical Motor with a power output of 11 BHP and 25 Nm of torque. The 8-speed ZF Steptronic transmission sends power to the rear wheels.

Moving on from all the technical jargon to driving the car. It gets off the line pretty smoothly and without much drama. Start driving in the city and the engine gearbox combination will impress you with its smoothness. With a light foot on the throttle, you can barely feel the shifts and the driving experience is quite pleasant for you and the passengers. You can keep up with traffic easily and close the gaps without much effort. For most of the driving conditions in the city, part throttle inputs should be enough. There are 2 settings for the engine mapping on the 5 Series – Comfort and Sport. I do feel that the Eco mode in the Mercedes E200 was a tad smoother. Measuring 5,175 mm in length, the 5 Series is a long car, but it is pretty manoeuvrable in the city traffic.

Out on the highway is where you can experience the entire rev range. Right off the bat, this is a fantastic engine and gearbox combination. For a 4-cylinder, it has a good amount of grunt and responsiveness. The power comes in early and you don’t have to wait for it. It’s instant and the gearbox is also responsive enough to be in the right gear so that the car is ready to go. With your foot flat on the floor, the revs climb quickly and the shifts are also on point. The car also has a launch control mode or the Sport Boost function which will ready the car for a launch. This is activated by pulling and holding the left paddle shifter. You will be taken to the launch screen on the MID.

It is worth noting that given the extra length and additional weight, the G68 5 Series is slower in the 0-100 km/h sprint than the previous generation car. While the previous generation 5 Series did 0-100 km/h in 6.1 seconds, the new car is 4 tenths slower. The standard wheelbase version which is available in international markets is quicker by 2 tenths of a second (5.9 seconds). Keeping the numbers aside, the car is still fast and you won’t feel much of a difference unless you are a Formula 1 driver.

What you will be doing in the 5 Series from time to time is cruising on the highway. The engine spins quietly at 1,400 rpm at 100 km/h and at 1,600 rpm at 120 km/h (both in D8). Want to make a quick overtake, just floor the A-pedal and the transmission drops down the gears and off you go! There’s not much delay and the gearbox responds quickly. You can also manually downshift using the paddle shifters which are very responsive as well. There’s also the transmission's ‘S’ mode that you can engage for aggressive shifts. It does make a difference as the transmission holds on to gears longer in this mode. Using paddle shifters in the S mode gives you full manual control of the gearbox and it doesn’t upshift on its own. You can use the entire rev range in this mode.

BMW 5 Series gets a bunch of modes all of which are not specifically meant to alter the driving characteristics. Certain modes alter other characteristics like the sunshade, ambient lighting etc. The mode which makes a difference to the driving characteristics is the Sport mode because in this mode you can select certain aspects of the car. You have Comfort and Sport mode for the engine map. Then you have the Sport mode for the dynamics of the car in which you can switch off the traction control to have some fun and you have the Comfort and Sport settings for the steering as well. There is a noticeable difference, but I feel that BMW has unnecessarily complicated a fairly straightforward ‘Drive Modes’ feature.

Noise, Vibration & Harshness (NVH)

While driving around in the city, the engine is quiet and the overall cabin experience is very silent. The damping is impressive for a silent driving experience. When you rev the car, the engine note is nice and enjoyable. It does feel a bit muted though thanks to the solid damping of the cabin. If you want to hear more of the engine noise, engage the S mode and you’re sorted. The engine noise is louder and something that the enthusiasts will enjoy. But wait! This is trickery on BMW’s part. The exhaust note is actually amplified through the speakers in S mode and it is very convincing. The ‘fake’ engine sound actually sounds great inside the cabin.

The wind and road noise are very well controlled at 100-120 km/h. On the other hand, the speed alert chime at 120 km/h is very annoying. What’s worse is that the music volume gets muted and you can’t do anything about the chime. I’m sure some tuners will quickly find a way to remove this chime.

Mileage & Fuel economy

There is an efficient mode that switches on the idling start-stop system. It is quite aggressive and turns off the engine even when in bumper-to-bumper traffic which can get annoying. The claimed fuel efficiency of the 530 Li is 15.7 km/l which will go out the window when you have some fun with the car. The 5 Series also features Brake-Energy Regeneration which recovers energy during deceleration.

The fuel tank capacity is 60 litres and just like the E200, the 5 Series is E5, E10 and E25 compatible:

Suspension

Ride Comfort

Given that the 5 Series is a long wheelbase sedan and going up against the E-Class, we had an idea that the focus would be on comfort and that’s exactly the case. In fact, the suspension tune is very similar to the E-Class, which also focuses on ride comfort. In the city, at slow speeds, the suspension feels absorbent. You don’t have to be excessively careful over bad roads, just be mindful that this is a German sedan and you’ll be fine. The softly sprung suspension also means that there is side-to-side movement in the cabin over bad roads. The 18-inch wheels are also a contributor to the nice ride quality. There’s enough tyre sidewall height and the suspension is comfort-oriented. The ride is very absorbent and does a fabulous job of cushioning on imperfect suburban roads. The ride gets flatter as you gather speed. Over road undulations at high speeds, there is vertical movement. It’s still controlled and doesn’t feel excessive.

This is a long wheelbase sedan with a soft suspension, so it’s best if you are careful over speed breakers (especially if you have 4 people and luggage in the car). In this picture, there is no load:

Handling & Dynamics

As you expect from a German sedan, the high-speed stability is good. On smooth roads, you can cruise at triple-digit speeds effortlessly. Also given the refinement, long journeys should be more comfortable as well. The 225/55 R18 Vredestein Ultrac Vorti tyres provide good grip around the corners.

Unlike the previous generation, this generation of 5 Series is not a handler. You don’t want to be attacking corners with this. It’ll manage to hold its line, but you can feel the roll and the softness of the suspension which will hold you back.

Even as an enthusiast, GTO has a counter-view. He thinks this is the best kind of suspension for India. Yes, it’s not as sharp a handler as the outgoing 5 series, but there’s still enough grip for you to have a decent amount of fun. It’s only about 5% of the time you’ll be enjoying the previous generation’s handling advantage. The other 95% of the time that you’re driving in a normal manner on typical roads, you will appreciate the ride comfort of the G68 5 Series a lot more.

Steering

The chunky M steering is fantastic to hold. For an EPS, it is quite light and direct. It does feel connected when in the corners and is not vague. In Sport mode, it weighs up a bit and adds to the confidence in corners.

Braking

The all-wheel disc brakes perform very well. There’s a good bite and sharp response to pedal input and it feels progressive. Emergency braking situations are also handled well.

Continue reading the discussion on the BMW 5 Series LWB on our forum.