Pricing: New BMW 5 Series touches down in South Africa
The eighth-generation BMW 5 Series has landed in South Africa, packed with tech and offering an electric variant for the first time.
Just two variants will be offered initially, with the 520d priced from R1,240,000 and the all-electric i5 M60 xDrive starting at R2,190,000
The 520d is powered by a 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine that produces 152kW and 400Nm, for a 7.3 second 0-100km/h sprint.
But the i5 takes performance to a whole new level with its twin-motor all-wheel drive powertrain that pushes 442kW and 795Nm. That’s enough, they say, for a 3.8 second 0-100 run, making it just half a second slower than the outgoing M5 Competition.
The electric model is fed by an 81 kWh battery that allows a range of between 456km and 515km, according to BMW.
Befitting its M badge, the i5 also comes with an 8mm-lower Adaptive Suspension system as well as various M-specific design features.
Inside the 2024 BMW 5 Series features the new BMW Operating System 8.5, offering a much wider array of digital entertainment - including in-car gaming when the car is stationary.
This new electronic brain comes along with a new iDrive interface and more user-friendly menu system for the Curved Display cockpit, which includes a 12.3-inch (31.2cm) digital instrument cluster and 14.9-inch (37.8cm) central display.
There’s also an optional “interaction bar” that allows certain functions to be controlled via hand gestures.
In terms of features, the BMW 520d comes standard with the M Sport Package, while the M Sport Pro kit is optional.
As you’d expect, there is a wide variety of interior feature packages to choose from.
These include the Equipment Package Professional, at R40,000, which gives you BMW Live Cockpit Professional, Interior Camera, Parking Assist Professional and BMW Natural Interaction.
There’s also a Deluxe Package for R70,000, which treats customers to a skyroof as well as ambient cabin lighting and four-zone climate control.
These are just two examples of the many feature combinations available to buyers of the new BMW 5 Series.
Unfortunately we can’t tell you more about the standard features as the online configurator was not functional at the time of writing.
Watch this space for our driving impressions in the coming week.
IOL Motoring