Six months after the G30 BMW 5 Series was introduced in Malaysia in fully-imported (CBU) form, the locally-assembled version (CKD) has finally arrived. The executive sedan continues to be offered in a single 530i M Sport variant but gets a RM 10,000 price drop, retailing at RM 388,800 on-the-road without insurance.

It loses out on adaptive cruise control with stop and go, but otherwise standard equipment remains identical to the CBU model. On the outside, that means you get the full M Sport appearance package, plus adaptive LED headlights with auto high beam, LED fog lights, 19-inch double-spoke style 664 M alloy wheels, M Sport brakes with blue callipers and BMW Individual satin aluminium trim.


Other items on the list include Comfort Access keyless entry, power-adjustable front sports seats with driver’s side memory, four-zone automatic climate control, a glass sunroof, sunblinds for the rear side windows (manual) and rear windscreen (electric), 11-colour ambient lighting, a powered tailgate with kick-activated hands-free operation and M Sport suspension with Dynamic Damper Control.

You also get the upgraded Professional navigation system with a 10.25-inch touchscreen and gesture control, along with a full 12.3-inch multifunction instrument display, a reverse camera, Park Assistant for automated parallel and perpendicular parking manoeuvres and a 16-speaker, 600 watt Harman Kardon surround sound system. The touchscreen-equipped Display Key is also retained.


Safety-wise, the CKD 530i M Sport comes with the Driving Assistant package that adds Approach Control Warning and Person Warning with City Brake function, operating at speeds between 10 km/h and 60 km/h for pedestrians and 80 km/h for vehicles. Other features included in the pack include Lane Departure Warning, Lane Change Warning, rear collision prevention and rear crossing traffic warning.

The B48 2.0 litre turbo four-cylinder engine remains, producing 252 hp from 5,200 to 6,500 rpm and 350 Nm of torque between 1,450 and 4,800 rpm. All that is sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed Steptronic Sport automatic transmission, resulting in a zero to 100 km/h sprint time of 6.2 seconds, as well as fuel consumption of 5.5 litres per 100 km combined and carbon dioxide emissions of 126 grams per kilometre.


Buyers can choose between Sophisto Grey Brilliant Effect, Alpine White, Mediterranean Blue and the new Carbon Black Metallic and Bluestone Metallic exterior colours, while black (with contrasting blue stitching) or Cognac Dakota leather upholstery feature inside. A five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, a five-year free service package and a two-year tyre warranty are included.