After making its global debut last year, the 2021 BMW 5 Series facelift has finally made its way to Indian shores. For 2021, it gets more kit on the inside and styling updates on the outside. There will be three powertrains on offer, one with a petrol engine and two with diesel units. The petrol 530i is offered only in M Sport trim, while the diesel 520d comes in Luxury Line trim and the range-topping 530d diesel comes in M Sport guise with the powerful six-cylinder diesel engine. The three variants demand an ex-showroom price of ₹62.9, ₹63.9 and ₹71.9 lakh respectively.
For 2021, the BMW 5 Series gets a facelift or LCI (Life Cycle Impulse) as the company calls it. This update brings with it a sharper kidney grille at the front, flanked by a pair of sleeker headlights with new L-shaped DRLs. The higher spec M Sport variants get BMW’s Laserlight headlights which have a 650 metre-long throw. The front bumper is sharper too, making the 5 Series look sportier than before. At the back, the new 5 Series gets 3D LED tail lights and new twin-exit exhaust pipes. While the cosmetic changes are subtle, the new 5 Series has gained 27mm in terms of its overall length, primarily due to the design of the new bumpers. At 2975mm, the wheelbase is identical to the outgoing 5 Series. There are also two new paint colors on offer – Bernina Grey Amber and Phytonic Blue.
On the inside, the cabin design and layout remains largely unchanged in comparison to the previous model. Updates include a larger 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, quite an upgrade from the 10.2-inch unit from earlier, and it gets an updated climate control display. You get BMW’s 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster as standard with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The higher-spec M Sport variants come equipped with a panoramic sunroof, configurable ambient lighting, a 16-speaker Harman Kardon surround sound system and a 360-degree parking camera. The M Sport Package also adds in an M Sport steering wheel, new trim elements to the dashboard, illuminated M door sills, M Sport dark blue brake callipers and an array of ‘M’ badges inside out. Upholstery wise, the petrol variant gets perforated faux leather seat fabric and the diesel variants offer genuine ‘Dakota’ and ‘Nappa’ leather upholstery.
BMW has also added a ‘reversing assistant’ function which allows the 5 Series to automatically back up from tight parking spots, by remembering your last few steering movements at low speeds. On the safety front, the new 5 Series sports six airbags, ABS, traction control, stability control, cornering brake control and an auto hold feature. All variants of the new 5 Series get adaptive suspension as standard.
The 2021 BMW 5 Series is available with a choice of three engines, one petrol and two diesels. The 530i variant gets a 2-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine making 248bhp and 350Nm torque, the 520d makes use of a 2-litre four-cylinder diesel that churns out 187bhp and 400Nm and finally the 530d gets the 3-litre six-cylinder diesel engine producing 261bhp and 620Nm torque. A claimed 0-100 kmph acceleration time of 5.7 seconds, makes the 530d the quickest car in its segment. All engines are mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox as standard.
Read our review of the 5 Series here.
The new BMW 5 Series range starts at ₹62.9 lakh, which is a ₹1.5 lakh price gain over the pre-facelift version. That makes it ₹70,000 dearer than the most affordable version of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the E 200, which starts at ₹63.6 lakh. But it is a whole ₹5.82 lakh more expensive than the Audi A6 which starts at ₹57.08 lakh.
Here are the variant-wise ex-showroom prices of the new BMW 5 Series:
530i M Sport - ₹62.90 lakh
520d Luxury Line - ₹63.90 lakh
530d M Sport - ₹71.90 lakh