It has get-up-and-go and is possessed of immense agility, observes Pavan Lall.
IMAGE: BMW 5 Series 530 M Sport. Photographs: Kind courtesy, BMW India
Some time throughout school, after I was within the midst of a spherical of racquetball with a retired policeman, we began speaking about the most effective premium vehicles.
He drove a Lexus on the time and I requested what he considered the brand new BMW 3 Series and why he by no means acquired a type of as an alternative.
His reply was that until one acquired into their bigger sedans that included the 5 Series or 7 Series, one wasn’t really getting the most effective that Bimmer needed to provide. He claimed it was the identical story for many luxurious vehicles.
Two many years later, and having pushed scores of entry-level BMW, I’m unsure I might totally agree.
But the latest 5 Series that it simply launched matches into the definition of the perfect that BMW has to supply.
The model that I drove was the M bundle variant, which, like the opposite variants, contains a new front-end design, lean muscular surfaces and redesigned headlights with L-shaped options that give the sedan a brand new face.
Inside the automotive, the roots of which return to 1972 and which is now in its seventh-generation mannequin, the distinction turns into starker for many who have been watching it evolve over time.
It’s gone from a boxy, muscular automotive to a modern and streamlined sports activities sedan.
It’s attention-grabbing to notice that the brand new seventh-generation automotive was preceded by the sixth-generation mannequin in 2010 that has been one of many extra profitable luxurious sedans in its peer group internationally.
BMW has offered over 2.2 million items or 200,000 5 Series yearly since launch.
While sportier is the very first phrase that involves thoughts when driving the brand new 5 Series, it is in actual fact additionally greater than the older model.
While top, width and wheelbase stay unchanged, the brand new 5 Series is 27 mm longer and has a brand new rear finish that enhances the automotive’s width with out upsetting its design aesthetics.
So, who is the competitors? From the Mercedes-Benz secure, it is the E Class; from Audi it is the A 6; and from the home of Jaguar Land Rover, one might flag its XF as a rival.
But the reality is none of those premium rides has what the 5 Series does — a pedigree of sport that is most naturally derived from its youthful sibling, the three Series.
(*5*)
Positioned on its 18-inch wheels, the 5 Series is an excellent journey and swallows bumps and dangerous roads effortlessly in its stride.
Its silky easy motor is punchy and potent when revved arduous or throughout slower drives.
While the bits which have had a facelift have definitely modified and the backseat is improved and comfier than earlier than, what stays the identical is the texture contained in the cabin and the journey high quality.
The tan leather-based interiors and the management panels evoke traditional BMW deja vu. And the iDrive wheel stays along with different voice-command activated controls, which is factor as a result of a lot too typically devices and car-makers alike change stuff that basically would not want any fixing.
As an analogy, consider the 5 Series like Jackie Chan. It has get-up-and-go and is possessed of immense agility.
The A6, however, could also be likened to Roger Moore — easy, refined and filled with methods up its sleeve, however not one you’d count on to do a somersault.
The 5 Series, then, sticks to its core of being a sporty and high performing sedan with little in the way in which of aggressive menace.
The latest model will probably be up there as an government sedan with a sporty aspect.
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com
