THE FIRST GENERATION BMW 5 Series was launched 45 years ago, in 1972. It followed on from the very popular Neue Klasse (New Class) range of saloons and coupes produced from 1962 to 1977.
The 5 Series began life in 1970 as the 220TI Garmish by Bertone prototype which was turned into a production car by BMW design boss Paul Bracq. This design led the foundations for one of the manufacturer’s most successful lines.
It also heralded the introduction of BMW’s now-standard three-digit naming format. The first digit indicates the model series and the following two digits represented the engine’s cubic capacity. The first model was the 520i and had a four-cylinder engine producing 125hp.
Just a few weeks ago the very latest seventh-generation BMW 5 Series was launched in Ireland. Here, we take a look at the things that have changed.
1. The styling: from shark to swank
The first 5 Series had a now-famous wedge-shaped grille designed to look like the front of a shark, with two sets of round headlights that were 20cm in diameter.
This time round the design takes cues from the 7 Series and not the Jaws series. The new front end features a chunky chrome frame, LED headlights that flow into the kidney grille and a bolder looking air intake just below it.
2. The technology: parking is so 1972
With the original BMW 5 Series you had to park the car yourself, like a pleb. This new model can be fitted with the optional Parking Assistant Plus so the car parks itself – all the driver has to do is flick a switch and the car seeks out appropriate parking spaces.
When one has been found the driver turns on the indicator, holds their finger on a button and takes their hands off the wheel and feet off the pedals. The system then parks the vehicle parallel or perpendicular to the lane completely automatically. It selects the forward or reverse gear, takes control of steering and automatically accelerates or brakes as necessary. Once the manoeuvre has been completed, the system selects Park on the transmission.
3. The engines: a slight performance improvement
The original E12 520i model was powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mated to a four-speed manual gearbox. It produced 115hp and 162Nm of pulling power. The car had a top speed of 175km/h and 0-100km/h time of 11.8 seconds.
The entry-level petrol 530i of the new model range is powered by a TwinPower Turbo four-cylinder unit mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. With 252hp, it has a top speed of 250km/h and a 0-100km/h time of 6.2 seconds.
This new engine has a combined fuel consumption figure of 5.8 litres/100km (48.7mpg), which thankfully is a huge improvement over the 10.7 litres/100km (26mpg) figure of the original model.
4. The interior: from optional radio to 16-speaker surround sound
Much like the interior of the original E12 model the cabin of this new G30 model is spacious and comfortable. However, the new cabin features a 10.25-inch touchscreen with voice and gesture control as well as a heads-up display that shows basic information, such as speed, as well as alerting you to potential hazards.
There are now seats with massage functions as an option, and a Bowers & Wilkins Diamond surround sound system with 16 speakers. The radio or radio with tape deck was an optional extra on the original model and featured one speaker.
(Incidentally, the original 5 Series was the first BMW to have the indicator stalk on the left-hand side of the steering wheel.)
5. The drive
Whereas the original BMW 5 Series just, well, drove… the new BMW 5 Series has three different driving modes as standard; Comfort, Eco Pro and Sport.
The car also has the BMW Adaptive Drive system, which uses sensors to monitor vehicle speed, steering-wheel position and forces acting on the chassis and adjusts the stabilisers and the dampers to counteract the forces that cause body roll. Adaptive Drive even adjusts the suspension settings to suit the character of the road surface.
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