Updated 2021 BMW 5 Series revealed, coming to Aus in October

BMW has revealed a life-cycle-impulse update for the G30 5 Series with added tech and electrification, while addressing some styling concerns we had with the classic bavarian bruiser.

Namely, the updated and far sleeker light-fittings which suit the 5 Series’ classic low and wide proportions.

While SUVs may be the cool thing, the 5 Series still has its place in the market – the police certainly appreciate them. You could, of course, opt for an X5, but the usual german suspects like the Audi A6 and Mercedes E-Class make up the 5 Series’ list of classic foes.

Updates to the 5 Series continue inside; all models are garnered with leather sports steering wheels while wireless Android Auto joins untethered Apple CarPlay as standard fit as does BMW’s 12.3-inch digital driver display.

However, the overall interior design is much the same. A good thing for die-hard BMW fans and user-friendliness but it lacks the wow-factor of competitors.

As mentioned, here at Chasing Cars we always enjoyed the G30 5 Series’ classic saloon lines. And thankfully the design gurus at BMW addressed the old bulbous light fittings with cleaner and lighter LED signatures that suit the shape much better.

The LCI 5 Series also gets the option of BMW’s tremendous Laser Lights.

One feature that we’ll wait to judge in the flesh are the updated Kidney Grilles which have swollen – again – both in length and width. A natural progression for the Bavarian brand but one we wish would stop.

Just the other day at the office we were lamenting the boring colour choices on offer these days. Not so any more it seems. BMW has pictured this most conservative car in Verde Ermes. Quite an overt selection lifted from the Bavarian’s array of Individual colours.

Perhaps it’s a little too much, but hopefully, some BMW classics like Boston Green will return to the standard colour palette to replace the myriad greys and whites.

Front and rear bumpers were tweaked slightly; the M Sport items look particularly good in our eyes with more generous vent openings. Trapezoidal tailpipes are standard across every variant, too.

A new set of alloys adorn the G30s pictured here, BMW calls them Air Performance wheels, and we reckon they look good.

Drivetrains are mostly unchanged, the beefy M550i xDrive sits atop the Australian range, the twin-turbo V8 churning out 390kW and 750Nm to all four wheels.

There are two other petrol drivetrains confirmed for Australia, presumably the base model 520i with a turbocharged four-cylinder producing 135kW/290Nm and the more powerful 530i with 185kW/350Nm.

A sole diesel power plant will arrive, too, most likely the turbocharged six-cylinder 530d – a real peach – with outputs of 195kW/620Nm.

But the biggest news is the arrival of the 530e PHEV which teams a turbo four-cylinder engine with electric motors. Usually 135kW of power, the 530e makes 215kW for up to 10 seconds of overboost.

That’s 30kW more than the old 530e, but we’re unsure whether the 62km electric-only range will be improved. Regardless, it’s probably the most sensible 5 Series you can get.

Sadly we doubt the classic 540i will make it to Australia after the turbo six was quietly axed for 2020.

BMW has not priced the updated 5 Series for Australia yet. However, with the current economic situation, we presume there will be a price bump over the current 5 Series when the updated car arrives in October this year.