This is our latest look at the next-generation BMW 5 Series, as the model undergoes testing prior to going on sale in 2017.
The new BMW 5 Series, which is likely to be revealed towards the end of next year, will take the fight to Mercedes-Benz's new E-Class - itself due to be revealed in 2016 - as well as the Jaguar XF and Audi A6.
These latest spy pictures show the dashboard of the next 5 Series for the first time. It features the usual BMW widescreen central display, mounted high up on the fascia - but also appears to reveal that the 5 Series will get fully digital instruments. The engine was turned off when the interior pics were taken, and no graphics are visible in the close-up of the instrument dials; that's a sign that the 5 Series will follow the 7 Series (and the latest Audi A4) in offering a configurable TFT display for driver information.
Previous pictures have captured the car undergoing evaluation at the Nurburgring and winter testing alongside the current model. We've also spied the plug-in hybrid variant in testing, characterised by the charging port close to its left wheel arch.
The powertrain for the 5 Series plug-in hybrid is likely to include a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine paired to a single electric motor, with peak combined peak outputs of around 242bhp and 295lb ft. The same set-up has already been driven by Autocar in 3-series eDrive form.
As tradition dictates, the new 5 Series is set to feature a range of four and six-cylinder engines from the outset. The in-line units are central to a new modular engine family, with both petrol and diesel powerplants sharing common 2.0 and 3.0-litre capacities. A successor to today’s tri-turbo 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel will produce close to 400bhp.
It is also rumoured that the next 5 Series will benefit from BMW’s new 1.5-litre petrol and diesel turbocharged three-cylinder engines in an effort to help drop the German car maker's overall emissions below the 95g/km CO2 threshold proposed by the EU for 2020. However, senior BMW officials have suggested it is too premature to make any firm conclusions on the final engine line-up just yet.
“We have the opportunity to provide future iterations of the 5 Series with a three-cylinder engine,” said an insider. “As an engineering exercise, it would be an exciting prospect in combination with our Efficient Dynamics technology - especially the diesel. But we would have to ensure there is sufficient customer acceptance before making any definitive decisions in this direction.”
Both petrol and diesel versions of the three-cylinder engine are being trialled in combination with various electric motor solutions.
The new 5 Series will also be the recipient of a newly developed V8, due to that configuration’s continued popularity in the United States. The 4.4-litre engine is a development of the 90deg unit used in the 550i, although it remains to be seen whether it will be offered in the UK.
BMW is planning to provide the new 5 Series with a Getrag-produced six-speed manual gearbox in combination with lower-end engines and a new ZF-engineered nine-speed automatic transmission with the high-output powerplants.
Styling cues look set to be taken from the larger 7 Series and the recently launched 3 Series including a bolder interpretation of BMW's kidney grill and slightly crisper, slimmer headlights. Company bosses have already confirmed that the model will adopt a sleeker appearance than the current car, with clear influences from the Gran Lusso Coupé concept.
The mid-range model has been comprehensively redesigned for its 44th year of production and features a sophisticated new platform, a wider choice of petrol, diesel and hybrid powerplants and new 48-volt electrical architecture.
As durability testing continues on public roads, the car’s aero properties are also being trialled on full-scale models in a state of the art wind tunnel at BMW’s Munich R&D centre.
Unconfirmed reports suggest entry-level versions of the next 5 Series saloon will boast a drag coefficient of 0.24, bettering the 0.25 figure of today’s 520i (on standard 225/55 R17 tyres) and that of the latest Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
As with today’s hugely successful sixth-generation model, BMW is readying the new 5 Series in saloon, Touring and GT body styles — the latter being set to retain its liftback design and continue to ride on an extended-wheelbase platform shared with the Chinese-market 5 Series. The Touring version will typically arrive around three months after the saloon goes on sale.
The new car’s sophisticated platform is known under the internal codename OKL (Oberklasse, or ‘luxury class’). It has been conceived to underpin all high-end BMW models that use a longitudinally mounted engine, including future 5, 6 and 7 Series models.
Various facets of the new platform will also be seen in future generations of the X5, X6 and also the upcoming X7, which has recently been spotted testing.
The new platform’s structure has been designed to support a range of wheelbases and track widths, in order to provide increased production flexibility.
The structure uses a combination of aluminium, hot-formed high-strength steel and composite carbonfibre parts to reduce kerb weight weight below the 1595kg mark of the six-speed manual version of today’s 520i saloon, while bettering it for rigidity.
A further development, albeit one that is yet to receive the final go-ahead, is a new 48-volt electrical architecture. Driven by ever-increasing electric consumption, it is deemed necessary to handle added functions, including a semi-autonomous driving system that allows partial hands-off operation, a more sophisticated anti-collision system with fully autonomous braking, a new infra-red night time warning system and all-LED headlights.
Heading the line-up will be a successor to the M5, which is planned to be offered with the choice of either rear-wheel drive or optional ‘xDrive’ four-wheel drive for the first time when it appears in late 2017.
The new M5 is earmarked to receive a further-developed version of today’s twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8, running a more advanced direct injection system that is claimed to provide improved combustion qualities and take output close to 600bhp, 38bhp up from today’s 562bhp.
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