BMW has launched the 5-Series facelift in India today. The Bavarian automaker has been lagging behind its German rivals in sales as the race to the top is being fought between Audi and Mercedes-Benz. BMW was the leader in the luxury car market for quite sometime (2009-2013) but Audi overtook them earlier this year and soon Mercedes-Benz snatched the second position as well. BMW’s poor performance can be attributed to the lack of new and exciting products. While the company still offers the best driving package, the automaker lacks in style and exclusivity with all its models having high levels of similarly amongst them.
The 5-Series is an important model for BMW but hasn’t been the segment leader as buyers in that price range prefer the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The Stuttgart based automaker recently launched the facelifted E-Class while the A6 was updated by Audi in August 2011 and the Jaguar XF was updated in November 2011. The 5-Series was thus the oldest vehicle, with the F10 model being launched way back in April 2010. In order to spice things up, BMW has launched the LCI (Life Cycle Impulse) of the 5-Series, which is nothing but a minor facelift to spruce things up before the next generation model arrives in 2015.
The 2014 BMW 5-Series gets exterior changes which are in-line with what its elder sibling, the BMW 7-Series received earlier this year (updated grille, chrome foglight surrounds, re-styled air intakes, indicators on rear view mirrors, new alloy wheels, updated front and rear aprons, new headlights and updated tail lights). Yes, the minute changes don’t make a world of a difference and the interiors aren’t much different either. The facelifted model gets a touch sensitive pad along with Xenon headlights, LED foglights and handsfree boot function (you can simply place you leg below the rear bumper to open the boot). Adaptive LED headlamps are offered as an option.
BMW has improved the drag efficient which helps in better performance and reduced fuel consumption. The 5-Series gets a coasting mode as well and the engine options being offered right now include the 520d, 525d and 530d. Petrol engines are not being offered on the facelifted 5-Series.
2014 BMW 5-Series Prices (ex-showroom, Delhi) –
* 520d Modern – Rs. 46.90 lakhs
* 520d Luxury – Rs. 46.90 lakhs
* 525d Luxury Plus – Rs. 51.90 lakhs
* 530d M Sport – Rs. 57.90 lakhs
The BMW 5-Series’ Luxury Line gets chrome touches, Modern Line gets matte chrome touches while the M Sport gets a host of sporty features including an aerodynamic body kit, sporty seats at the front and M leather steering wheel with paddle shifts. The BMW 520d and 525d use the same 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine producing 184 HP/380 Nm and 218 HP/540 Nm respectively. The 530d uses a 3.0-litre, 6-cylinder engine which produces 258 HP of power and 540 Nm of torque. The 520d, 525d and 530d complete the 0-100 km/hr sprint in 7.9, 6.9 and 5.8 seconds respectively. All engines are mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
