Four-wheel-drive 593bhp i5 is star of new 5 Series

BMW's new saloon will hit the UK in October in EV and petrol forms; PHEVs to follow

- GREG KABLE

The new BMW 5 Series saloon has been unveiled ahead of a planned start to UK sales for the highly anticipated eighth-generation model in October.

It will initially come with a choice of drivetrains: pureelectric and traditional internal combustion engine. The electric line-up at launch will feature in a pair of i5-badged models - the rear-wheel-drive eDrive 40 and four-wheel-drive M60 xDrive - which have been conceived to take on the likes of the Mercedes-Benz EQE, Tesla Model S and upcoming Audi A6 E-tron saloon.

Shortly after its launch later this year, BMW also plans to begin offering plug-in hybrid versions of the new four-door in an expanded line-up that will also include a successor to the 5 Series Touring in early 2024.

The basis for the new 5 Series is BMW's Cluster Architecture (CLAR) platform.

It is the same structure that underpins all BMW models featuring either a longitudinally mounted internal combustion engine or electric drivetrain.

Stylistically, the new model adopts the change in design direction at BMW first seen on the iX, with a much more modern look than the model it replaces.

The front is still dominated by BMW's classic kidney grille.

On internal-combustionengine and plug-in hybrid models, the new-look grille receives 14 vertical louvres, but on the pure-electric i5 it sports a blanked-off design in high-gloss black plastic.

Mirroring the latest 7 Series, with which it shares many critical components, the 5 Series has grown in size. Its length has increased by 97mm to 5060mm, width has risen by 32mm to 1900mm and height is up by 36mm to 1515mm. The wheelbase has also gained 20mm, at 2995mm.