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Business class all the way
Influencer, Richard Webb travelled to Lisbon ahead of the pack to try BMW’s new 5 Series. Follow him on instagram.com/richardmarkwebb
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early twenty years ago, John Frankenheimer’s film, Ronin burst upon our screens with its high level of action and intrigue, and yes, those car chases. The film centres on a team of hired ex-special ops baddies trying to steal a mysterious and heavily guarded briefcase while navigating a maze of shifting loyalties and alliances.
In one of the most realistic car chases of recent times, a BMW 535i (E34) rocketed through the streets of Paris, chased by Robert De Niro’s Peugeot 406. Fast forward to December, and I’m jetting off to Lisbon on the global launch to try the latest, the seventh iteration of the successful 5 Series. BMW call their 5 Series the ultimate business sedan and for many years, it has been the undisputed leader of its segment. Since launching the first 5 Series over 40 years ago, over 7.9 million cars have found new owners, with the outgoing version the most successful to date. It’s up to 100 kilograms lighter than its predecessor, thanks to the outer shell being constructed almost entirely of aluminium. That makes the car handle better and reduces fuel consumption considerably. The BMW 540i, for instance, offers 10% more performance with 11% less fuel consumption than its predecessor. One of the reasons for the 5 Series’ enduring success is the extensive range of engines, and customers will be able to choose between seven engine variants, with four, six and eight cylinders, and a hybrid model.
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From the sportiest M Performance version to the electrified iPerformance 5 Series, the newcomer should meet the full spectrum of readers’ needs. The M Performance 5 Series, for example, delivers 462 hp and rockets from standstill to 100 km/h in just four seconds. The plugin hybrid BMW 530e iPerformance combines average fuel consumption of a mere 1.9 litres with an electric range of 50 kilometres. The car frankly doesn’t look new - even though it has almost all new parts - and you need to see the new one next to the outgoing model to notice the changes. Like VW’s Golf or the new MINI, it’s a gradual evolution of the genre rather than a complete change of direction. That’s because customers have an expectation around what a 5 Series or Golf or MINI is supposed to look like. Over a wide range of mountain-hugging coastal roads and through urban sprawl, the car displayed a well-built, refined luxury car persona. Traction, body lean and cornering finesse are all about as good as it gets. Hurl the 5 Series into a twisty road and there is simply no drama. I was presented with the choice of two four-cylinder engines, the 520d and 530i and two six cylinder engines, the 530d and the 540i, but more with more variants will follow, including the Touring and M5. A clear, bright day greeted me as I eased ‘my’ BMW 540i M Sport out of the Penha Longa hotel (see side bar) and pointed it north
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