In early summer, the twin pack of BMW 5 Series and i5 celebrates its official premiere and in autumn the new luxury model from Munich will be launched on the international markets. The wide choice of drive portfolio is similar to that of its big brother, the 7 Series. In contrast to him, however, the front in particular will not polarize as much as the figurehead from Dingolfing.
The upcoming 5 generation will be offered with supercharged petrol engines, diesel engines, as a plug-in hybrid and as a purely electric version i5. Every customer should therefore find what he likes. The new 5 Series will continue to be offered as a sedan and estate version with the Touring name. China keeps its version with a long wheelbase and largely identical technology with local production. For the hatchback version of the BMW 6 Series GT, formerly the 5 Series GT, the end should have come by early 2024. Manual switches have been eliminated and the models – including the up to 750 hp M5 version with V8 plug-in hybrid drive – are coupled with the latest generation of ZF automatic transmissions. The upcoming BMW M5, optionally as a sedan or touring, will not follow until the end of 2024; the particularly sporty electric i5M only at the end of 2024 / beginning of 2025.
The upcoming BMW 5 Series is available with either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive and probably three or even four versions with plug-in technology. The plug-in hybrids - optionally with four, six or eight cylinders - cover a wide range of performance from 200 to over 700 hp. The maximum purely electric range is over 100 kilometers. The technical basis remains the larger 7 Series with its modified platform, which offers a home for various drive variants. The dimensions remain almost unchanged and there are no major differences to the current generation in terms of weight, despite the additional equipment worth mentioning. Inside, there's the Curved Display introduced with both the iX and i4 models - as an option with an extended screen for the front and rear passengers.
Unsurprisingly, the flagship model of the 5 Series comes from Garching and is available either as a plug-in hybrid or as an electric model. The days when the M5 was powered solely by a 4.4-liter V8 twin turbo are now a thing of the past. The next BMW M5 is bound to be a plug-in hybrid equipped with the BMW XM powertrain. It is not only available as a 650 hp variant, but in the coming year also as an LED label variant with 750 hp, which the upcoming BMW M5 should also be happy about in its most powerful variant. Electric range: around 100 kilometers. But that's not all, because the purely electrically powered BMW i5, unlike the current i4 or the splendidly started i7, should also get a real M version, which is in no way inferior to the 750 hp M5 combustion engine. Based on the Audi model, such as the current Audi Q8 E-Tron S, two electric motors could work on the rear axle for maximum traction and performance, while an electric motor at the front makes the BMW i5 M the obligatory all-wheel drive vehicle. 850 to 900 hp seem set for the electric power sedan from Garching. Thanks to new battery technology, a range of 600 kilometers should be possible before it goes back to the charging station. The battery technology already contains modules of the new class, which will celebrate its premiere in 2025 with the upcoming BMW three-series.
