Testing a prototype
The BMW 5 Series and the i5 were recently unveiled. Shortly before that moment, we could already drive with a camouflaged copy of the all-electric version. We set off with the i5.
How about that, driving a prototype of the BMW i5?
For our introduction to the newcomer, we traveled to Miramas in the South of France. This is where the test track is located, where BMW puts all prototypes through their paces and fine-tunes them. This often happens at the BMW Group. This spring, for example, we already drove the new Mini Cooper SE and new Mini Countryman, which were also camouflaged at that event because they had not yet been revealed at the time of driving.
How are the driver assistance systems of the new 5 and i5?
The 5 Series takes another step in that area. Next to me is Daniela Kern, head of autonomous driving integration at the manufacturer. I am driving at a speed of 110 km/h when I switch on the Driving Assistant Plus via a button on the steering wheel and take my hands off the wheel. It automatically follows the lane and overtakes when I look in the wing mirror for a long time. So I look in the left wing mirror, after which the i5 switches on the left flasher and starts overtaking. I look to the right, and the flasher on the other side switches on and the car returns to its original lane. Up to a speed of 130 km/h, this system works fully automatically. After the ride, Daniela asks what I think of the assistant. “To be fair, I wouldn’t disable this system,” I say. “It doesn’t irritate me, it helps me.”
Is there still a bit of emotion in the i5?
It’s still a BMW, so the answer to the question of how the brand’s engineers managed to give the electric version the necessary emotion is at least as important. We first drive the eDrive 40 with 340 hp and a motor on the rear axle. The power is more than sufficient, it provides a pleasant forward thrust and a high level of comfort.
And does the M60 xDrive come close to the M feeling?
In terms of numbers, anyway. The M60 xDrive, with an output of 598 hp and four-wheel drive. The car is longer than its predecessor and weighs a whopping 2.3 tons. We’re dumbfounded at how the BMW engineers managed to make such an obese and large model feel so sporty, like a car from a lower segment. An M4 drives ahead of us on the closed course. He indicates the speed. On the bumpy road surface, our i5 irons out the frost damage, while the craters are still nice. Driving over a small bridge at 140 km/h, followed by a bump and a left turn, the M4 briefly lifts one rear wheel. The test i5 comes out for a moment and then dives back in. Meanwhile, he stoically sticks to the road. “Was something wrong?” he seems to be saying. At BMW they have managed this split in driving behavior well, that balance between nimble cornering tiger and comfortable cruiser.
How did they manage to achieve the beautiful balance of the 5-series and i5 with the well-known CLAR platform?
By increasing the stiffness and allowing all control systems to work together in a smart way. The electric variants and the plug-in hybrids always have rear air suspension. Our test i5 also has a sports suspension and roll stabilization and a variable rack and pinion steering that has an even more direct transmission than in its predecessor. In addition, the engineers have implemented an artifice that ensures even more steering and chassis precision: the battery housing is connected to the axles, which contributes to the rigidity of the body. All in all, the i5 is a very successful overall package and shows that BMW also makes electric driving great.
The new BMW 5 Series was unveiled on May 24. In the video linked to this article, we tell you everything about the new 5-series and we take you into the interior. A test with an uncamouflaged copy will follow later this year.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl