The renewed BMW 5 Series has been stretched by a few centimeters. The BMW 5-series L is therefore a lot more spacious in the back than the regular ones.
BMW is supplying the 5 Series in China in extended form and it is that car that has now been upgraded. Fair is fair: the adjustments do not come out of the blue. Earlier this year, BMW made a facelift to the 5-series in Europe and now it is the turn of the 5-series L, specially intended for the Chinese market, to climb on the cutting table.
On the outside, the Chinese 5 Series L benefits from the same modifications that the already well-known European model received earlier this year. The 5-series L has an extra 13 centimeters between the front and rear axle, which brings the wheelbase to 3.11 meters. Quite a distance. The non-extended 7-series has a slightly smaller wheelbase at 3.07 meters. BMW puts things like a large glass roof and two displays for the rear passengers on the option list. A special rear seat with extra thick cushions and softer headrests is an exclusive option for the Chinese market in the Fünfer. The 5-series L will be available as 535Le, a plug-in hybrid with a system power of 292 hp. We know that powertrain here from the 530e.
BMW is doing quite well in China with the 5-series. Last year, the model sold 174,000 units and thus wins from the Audi A6 and Mercedes-Benz E-class from a sales point of view. The extended 5-series will not be marketed in the Netherlands.