BMW Malaysia introduces facelifted 5 Series

-Posted by Anthony Lim

BMW Malaysia today launched its updated 5 Series, and the new line is made up of six model choices - the 523i SE, 525i, 530i, 540i, 530d and the M5.

Externally, a number of modifications give the refreshed 5 Series a more elegant and contemporary appearance. These include headlights that now feature new clear glass technology, with transparent glass panels covering the direction indicators and chrome surrounds highlighting the round headlights.

5 Series, revised, but most of the fun is hidden away inside and underneath.

The front end has also been given a tweak; the surrounds on the BMW double kidney grille are now flush with the surfaces on the front air dam, and the air intake now sweeps up at the side along the same dynamic line as the headlight contours.

Elsewhere, there's an additional light contour along the side sills to lend the vehicle's body an even sleeker, more stretched look viewed from the side, while at the rear, the tail lamps also come in a new, sophisticated clear-glass look and now feature LED direction indicators.

Making light out of it.

Inside, the cabin gets, among other things, a twin-tone finish on the door panels, as well as additional storage options - the door pockets now provide greater storage capacity. The biggest giveaway on this one is the new, electrical gear selector lever for the automatic transmission.

Power output figures are 190bhp for the 2.5l block on the 523i SE (13bhp more than its predecessor), 218bhp for the 525i and 272bhp for the 530i; the 3.0 diesel does 218bhp, and the M5 continues on with its massive 507bhp run. As for the V8 4.0l engine found on the 540i, that one turns out 306bhp, and in case you would like to know, this helps the 540i do the 0-100km/h sprint in 6.2secs.

The first thing you'll notice inside the new one, really.

The automatic transmission on the new 5 Series has also been given a new gear selector which controls the new automatic six-speed transmission electronically and enables significantly faster gearshift times (except the M5).

Lots of goodies too on the new one. All the 5 Series variants are fitted with Active Steering, Adaptive Headlights, BMW Navigation system Professional, High Beam Assist and the trademark BMW runflat tyres (again, except the M5).

Face is softer, more approachable, don't you think?

BMW is also unique in equipping the 525i, 530i, 530d, 540i and M5 with a Head-Up Display (HUD) system. The HUD creates a virtual image that contains key driving data such as speed, navigation directions and other necessary indicators directly into the driver’s field of vision, enabling him or her to keep the road constantly in view.

BMW Night Vision, BMW’s state of the art infrared technology that enables drivers to detect people, animals and objects on and next to the road up to a distance of 300 metres, is also made a standard offering in the M5, 540i and 530i variants.

Exclusive to the BMW 540i is the Lane Departure Warning system, a mechanism which warns the driver when the car is at risk of veering out of its lane by vibrating the steering wheel.

The retail prices (on-the-road, without insurance, with BMW Service Inclusive + Repair) for the new BMW 5 Series model range are:

523i SE – RM376,000

525i – RM409,800

530i – RM543,800

530d – RM499,800 540i – RM628,800

M5 – RM898,000