Published:
27 May 2024To gain economies of scale, this BMW 5 Series is built on the same basic platform that sits beneath the BMW 7 Series (2008-2015), BMW 5 Series GT (2009-2017) and BMW 6 Series. BMW called it a backbone strategy. The most obvious result of this is that this 5 Series was larger than any that went before it; although the wheelbase was shortened by 100mm compared with the 7 Series and 5 GT, and at 2968mm it is longer than the then Mercedes E-Class and Audi A6.
The shared foundations also meant this 5 Series came packed with technology. Or at least, it did if your pockets were deep enough. Four-wheel steering, adjustable dampers and active anti-roll bars were all available on the options list.
So what did you get with the basic car? For starters, it uses a conventional monocoque construction instead of the hybrid construction of the previous model (E60), while the body is a mix of steel and aluminium (bonnet, front wings and doors). The front suspension uses double wishbones and the rear a multi-link arrangement; both use steel springs and lots of aluminium components.
The Touring version is bigger than its predecessor, too. The estate’s 2968mm wheelbase is 82mm longer and the overall length grew by 64mm to 4907mm. Visually, despite creases in the bodywork and a sloping roofline that’s designed to make the 5 Series Touring look sleek, its significant dimensions are obvious from every angle – albeit not in an unattractive way.
