2017 BMW 5-series India review, test drive

BMW gives us an early taste of the all-new 5-series on Indian roads. Shapur Kotwal is suitably impressed.

Published on Mar 21, 2017 06:00:00 AM

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2017 BMW 5-series India review, test drive

The new 5 has a more coupé-like roof, and the flick of the integrated boot spoiler is clearly visible as well.

Round And About

The area in which the new 5 has improved the most over its predecessor, however, has to be the handling. Where the previous-gen 5 had positively soggy dynamics and a vague, uncommunicative steering, the new G30 returns to form, and how. Sure, the version that’ll come to India won’t have the rear-wheel-steering system, and ground clearance will be a bit more than the European car’s 144mm, but this car still displays such an eagerness to take corners hard and fast, you can’t help but give in.

I luckily stumble upon the perfect road. Private and cordoned off, this piece of twisting and turning tarmac leads to an abandoned construction site. The road is well-paved, wide, and has almost every type of corner. The best bit: almost no one uses it, so we have the playground to ourselves.

There’s no time for messing around. I select ‘Sport’ and dive right in. First impressions: this 5 has lost a bit of agility over the European spec car. The loss of the rear-wheel steering means it doesn’t rotate as easily, and there’s a bit more roll too. Still, the driving experience it delivers is just spellbinding. The brakes, to begin with, offer a tremendous amount of feel as I get into a corner. This allows me to brake as late as I dare, and there’s just so much grip and confidence coming up from the front wheels, it’s easy to keep pushing harder and harder. What truly elevates the driving experience, however, is the balance. Yes, it rolls and eventually runs out of grip at the rear, but the new 5 is always so poised and comfortable, I’m forever looking to add more power as I exit corners. And what also helps is that the smooth and lightning-quick eight-speed gearbox is always ready to play. A few minutes of hard driving later, I feel the car had shrunk around me; no way does it feel close to 5m in length with a wheelbase of 2,975mm. And the connection between the steering and the four wheels, there’s a huge amount of that here too. What’s important to remember is that it is around 95kg lighter than the earlier car, and that’s sure to have an effect.

What also works extremely effectively is BMW’s new Adaptive mode. It’s so good, you don’t really need to fiddle with the various modes any more. The ride is soft and supple when you want it to be, and then when you start tearing around, the car senses it and stiffens up the dampers. Over some of the sharper bumps there is a bit of stiffness, and the new 5 thumps through at times even in ‘Comfort’, but BMW seem to have found such a sweet balance between ride and handling, it almost feels like the ideal compromise.