BMW has started
testing the facelifted 5-Series on public roads, with our spies snapping a few
shots of a slightly camouflaged Touring model with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
The camo tape covers both ends of the test car in order to hide the design
changes of the mid-life facelift. It’s not that hard to notice that
the slimmer headlights and the redesigned grille, which appears to have grown
in size but thankfully not as much as in the 7-Series.
Wrapping up the
changes will be a slightly updated interior that will feature BMW’s latest
technologies, including the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster as well as the
10.25-inch infotainment system from the 8-Series.
BMW’s LCI updates
are usually subtle but now the company wants to give a more distinctive
appearance to each of its models in order to become more easily identifiable.
The test car makes it very clear that it’s powered by a plug-in hybrid
powertrain thanks to the mandatory sticker on the doors and the sizeable charge
port on the left front fender. BMW already offers the 530e, which pairs a
2.0-liter four-cylinder with an electric motor for a combined 248 hp and 310
lb-ft of torque.
We’ve heard however
that BMW is planning to introduce a new 545e xDrive, using the more powerful
388hp six-cylinder electrified powertrain from the 745e. Given the test car’s
trapezoid exhaust tips, there’s a good chance that this is the new rumored
model. The rest of the rather wide engine range will remain more or less the
same, featuring small revisions for improved fuel efficiency and slightly
better performance on both petrol and diesel models.
