First Drive: 2017 BMW 540i M Game

LISBON, Portugal – What fries are to McDonald’s and razors are to Gilette, the 5 Series sedan is to BMW. “We asked people, ‘What do you most partner with our brand?’ and 58 percent spoke back, ‘Five Collection,'” says Klaus Fröhlich, head of BMW research and improvement. “Global, we have sold 7.6 million five Collection because of the auto’s creation in 1972, a few 2.2 million just of the most current 6th-technology car. In truth, more or less 20 percent of all BMW sales now come from the 5 Series on my own.”

And now BMW is tinkering with its fries recipe. In February, the all-new, seventh-generation “G30” five Series, which BMW released at the twisting beach -lanes of Portugal, represents a massive opportunity and similarly massive stakes for the Bavarian maker. Get it right, and BMW’s corporate coffers will bulge — in a particular way to a white-warm marketplace in China (in which nearly 1 million Chinese-built 5 Collection have already been sold). The results if the market says, “meh?” It’s too horrible to contemplate.

Size-sensible, the new vehicle isn’t dramatically different from its predecessor. Its width, top, and wheelbase have grown fractionally while the overall period has expanded just over an inch. BMW senior Vice-chairman of layout Adrian van Hooydonk calls the theme of the new bodywork “commercial enterprise athlete,” which is a more fashionable way of saying, “It seems lots like a 3 Series, best bigger.” A bigger kidney grille (which hides aero-improving portable radiator slats) and sleeker headlights deliver the impression of extended width — “but the automobile isn’t wider,” says van Hooydonk.

“In all, the front end is flatter, more concentrated.” At the rear, large taillights wrap similarly into the rear fenders. With the to-be-had M Game trim (as on my take-a-look at the vehicle), the front air intakes grow, wheels swell to 19 inches, the side skirts come to be more competitive, and the rear end gains a diffuser-fashion fascia with trapezoidal exhausts (the same old exhausts are round). Most crucial, the 5 Collection makes use of the “cluster architecture” of the 7 Series, without the carbon fiber, however, making tremendous use of lightweight, excessive-electricity steel, magnesium, and aluminum (used in the trunk, trunk lid, doorways, and roof) to lessen weight using as much as 137 pounds over the previous 5 Series — while additionally improving structural rigidity.

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LISBON, Portugal – What fries are to McDonald’s and razors are to Gilette, the five Series sedan is to BMW. “We asked human beings, ‘What do you most partner with our emblem?’ and 58 percent answered, ‘five Series,'” says Klaus Fröhlich, head of BMW studies and development. “Global, we’ve offered 7.6 million 5 Series because of the car’s introduction in 1972, a few 2.2 million simply of the latest 6th-technology automobile. In truth, 20 percent of all BMW revenue now comes from the five Series on my own.”

BMW 540i

And now BMW is tinkering with its fries recipe. In February, the all-new, seventh-technology “G30” five Series, which BMW launched at the twisting beach -lanes of Portugal, represents a huge opportunity and similarly large stakes for the Bavarian maker. Get it right, and BMW’s corporate coffers will bulge — particularly thanks to a white-hot market in China (almost 1 million Chinese-built 5 Collection have already been sold). What are the outcomes if the market says, “meh?”It’s tooo horrible to ponder.

Size-smart, the new automobile isn’t dramatically different from its predecessor. Its width, top, and wheelbase have grown fractionally while the universal period has extended just over an inch. BMW senior Vice-chairman of design Adrian van Hooydonk calls the theme of the new bodywork “commercial enterprise athlete,” which is a more fashionable way of saying, “it appears a lot like a three Series, handiest bigger.” A bigger kidney grille (which hides aero-improving transportable radiator slats) and sleeker headlights give the influence of accelerated width — “however, the automobile isn’t wider,” says van Hooydonk.

“In all, the front cease is flatter, extra concentrated.” Large hind lights wrap in addition to the rear fenders on the rear. With the to-be-had M Recreation trim (as on my check car), the front air intakes grow, wheels swell to 19 inches, the aspect skirts come to be extra competitive, and the rear end gains a diffuser-style fascia with trapezoidal exhausts (the same old exhausts are spherical). Maximum critical, the 5 Series makes use of the “cluster structure” of the 7 Collection, without the carbon fiber but making considerable use of lightweight, high-electricity metallic, magnesium, and aluminum (used in the trunk, trunk lid, doorways, and roof) to lessen weight via as much as 137 pounds over the preceding 5 Series — at the same time as also enhancing structural rigidity. 2017 BMW 540i, the front three areas in movement 10.

At release, BMW will unveil the new 5 in two versions: the bottom 530i and the uplevel 540i. Each could be available with elective xDrive all-wheel Force. Changing the 528i, the 530i sports a new turbocharged, direct-injection 2.0-liter four, making 248 horsepower (up eight hp) and 258 pound-toes of torque (down of two lb-toes). As in all 5 Series fashions, it mates with an 8-velocity ZF automated (the one and simplest transmission providing).

The tons-loved 540i moniker (long past in the 6th-generation automobile) returns for 2017; however, it’s now not a V-eight. As a substitute, below the hood lies a turbocharged 3.0-liter I-6 that promises 335 hp (up 35 hp over the outgoing 535i) and 332 lb-ft of torque (a growth of 32 lb-feet) from as low as 1,380 rpm. BMW says the car is a full second faster to 60 mph than the 535i. With the M Sports package deal and its mixed-overall performance run-flat tires, the 540i can make the sprint in just 4. nine seconds (4.7 seconds with xDrive) on to a top pace of 155 mph (without the M Game package, Vmax is restrained to 130 mph).

Shortly in a while, probably in March, BMW will unveil two extra five Series versions. The 530e iPerformance plug-in hybrid will integrate a 2.0-liter gas 4 with an electrically powered motor to deliver 252 total system horsepower, 310 pound-ft of torque, and up to 30 miles of electrical-most effective range. At the opposite stop of the showroom floor, the new M550i xDrive (all-wheel-Force most effective) will romp with a rapid 4.4-liter V-8 pumping out 462 hp and 472 lb-feet. With a 0-to-60-mph time of just 4.0 seconds, BMW says, the M550i might be even quicker than the M5 (at the least, till the new M5 arrives down the street).

BMW had an M550i on display (but, unfortunately, not for use) in Portugal, and it was depraved. All, however, showed, but formally “being considered,” is a U.S. model of the 530d xDrive diesel. The brand new oil-burning 3.0-liter inline-six churns out 457 pound-feet of torque from as little as 2000 rpm and, BMW says, is 12 percent more gas-green than its predecessor. With a drag coefficient of simply 0.22, the 530d is also the slipperiest model within the 5 Collection variety. Search for it to arrive stateside this summertime. Probable.