FIVE STAR?(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 50

BMW's 'G60' eighth generation 5 Series has changed - but not beyond recognition. The looks get sharpened, there's enhanced cabin media tech, engine electrification now proliferates and an all-new full-EV variant joins the range. Otherwise, the line-up continues with much the same polished, Teutonic and mildly dynamic appeal as before.

Background word count: 153

How do you right a bestseller? This eighth generation G60-era 5 Series is BMW's answer to that question when it comes to the Munich maker's uber-successful offering in the full-Executive segment. It's G30 predecessor was the biggest selling 5 Series design to date, this model line's lineage dating all the way back to the Seventies. It's never looked quite like this though. Diesels have been dumped, there's just one single entry-level variant you can't plug-in and a huge proportion of sales will be accounted for by an all-electric version, the i5. There are of course more familiar elements to this MK8 design: a developed version of the old car's 'Cluster Architecture' CLAR platform; the 'Curved Screen' cabin tech we now see in all new BMWs. And the car rolls out of the same German Dingolfing factory as its predecessor. Its role though, is to prepare us for a very different 5 Series future.

Driving Experience word count: 291

For decades now, 5 Series sales have been primarily diesel-led. The line-up's perennial bestseller, the 520d, still on sale in Europe, isn't even offered here now. And the only variant that doesn't require a plug to maximise its efficiency returns is the entry-level 520i sDrive. This runs the latest version of the brand's 2.0-litre four-cylinder 48V mild hybrid petrol engine driving the rear wheels. There's 208hp on tap, which means 62mph in 7.5s en route to 143mph. The alternative is the all-electric i5, which borrows its EV drivetrain from the only slightly smaller i4. And like that car is offered in two forms: the rear-driven eDrive40 with 340hp (62mph from rest in 6.0s en route 119mph) giving up to 356 miles of range. Or there's the four-wheel drive M60 xDrive, which mates its stablemate's rear motor with an additional one at the front, creating a combined output of 601hp (so 0-62mph in 3.8s en route to 142mph, with up to 315 miles of range). If you need to go electric but aren't quite ready for a full EV, then you can choose between a couple of Plug-in Hybrids, the rear-driven 530e sDrive with 299hp; and the four-wheel drive 550e xDrive with 489hp. Both use a larger 19.4kWh battery than their previous generation counterparts, allowing the 530e to go up to 63 miles on battery power - it's up to 56 miles for the 550e. Across the 5 Series range, firm M suspension is the standard ride set-up, which suggests a driver-orientated vibe. You can option that up to 'Adaptive Professional' suspension, which gives you adaptive dampers and rear wheel-turning 'Integral Active Steering'. The top set-up is 'Adaptive M Professional' (standard-fit on the M60), which combines rear-wheel steering with active roll stabilisation.