The BMW 5 Series luxury sedan traces its roots back to 1972 when the first-generation was driven out to a whole lot of success. Over the course of the past several decades, millions ofBMW 5 Series units have found way onto roads the world over. Closer home in India, the first BMW 5 Series touched down in 2007 and has been fairly successful here as well. Now in its eight-generation though, the 5 Series is perhaps making its biggest bet ever – both dimensionally as well as metaphorically.

The BMW 5 Series LWB or Long Wheelbase comes to the Indian car market for the first time but because it has always been a business luxury sedan, the real question is – what took it this long? The BMW 3 Series Gran Limousine has been a stellar hit while the flagship 7 Series LWB has been around for a while too. Over at the opposition camp, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class LWB – a direct rival to the 5 Series - has been a runaway hit. So, does the all-new BMW 5 Series LWB now have the potential to fight and fight harder?

Here is the first-drive review of BMW 5 Series LWB:

Watch: BMW 5 Series LWB review: XL size luxury under ₹80 lakh

BMW 5 Series LWB: Exteriors

The latest BMW 5 Series is significantly bigger on all fronts compared to the previous-generation 5 Series. In fact, it is even bigger than the Mercedes E-Class LWB. With a length of 5,165 mm, height of 1,518 mm and standing 2,156 mm wide, this sedan is as imposing as sedans can get. But it is its segment-best wheelbase of 3,105 mm that would be the biggest bragging point of the 5 Series because this is around 25 mm more than its direct rival.

But beyond just the dimensions, the 5 Series has some degree of athletic fair in terms of its exterior styling even if the stretched profile doesn’t quite give it the same machismo as what the previous-generation. The 18-inch alloy wheels look a bit too small when painted against the large canvas of the vehicle but the option of a larger 19-inch wheels can easily rectify this. What you do get straight off the showroom is an M-Sport package which is what adds that athletic flair mentioned earlier. The sleek head lights look classy while the massive kidney grille is now illuminated on the outline. The side profile gets Titanium Bronze elements and a ‘5’ badge on the C pillars. Over at the back, the flared LED tail lights are the only exciting visual element in an otherwise seriously business-class like profile.

BMW 5 Series LWB: Cabin

On obvious lines, the biggest highlight in the cabin of the BMW 5 Series LWB is the space it now offers for the back-seat passengers. And the bump up in wheelbase size is not just about numbers because there is acres of space here. The kneeroom, leg space and even the head room is great, giving two persons the option to sprawl out here. Then there is the whole feeling of not just being in a spacious cabin but in one that is richly luxurious as well. The quality of materials for the upholstery everywhere is absolutely top notch and the 5 Series in just this one regard, does justice to the price it commands.

On the flipside though, there are several crucial misses as well. For starters, the front passenger seat cannot be operated by the rear-seat passenger for personalized space. Considering this LWB model would be primarily chauffer driven, this could have been an option instead of barking commands to the driver. There are no side window curtains – manual or automatic – either and this is an epic miss. During the course of our drive, the June sun glared inside menacingly, taking a fair bit out of the otherwise positive experience. Also, the sunroof is a fixed pane and does not open. While this isn’t exactly a drawback personally, there may be many who get put off by it. And yes, even in this segment. Finally, the rear-seat incline is perfect but for anyone looking at making any adjustments, the option of a mechanical or even manual switch or lever is missing.

The BMW 5 Series, however, more than makes up for all of these by offering a feature-rich cabin that is minimally classic and yet extravagantly loaded. The dashboard design itself has been reworked entirely and looks very elegant, complete with hidden aircon vents. A 14.9-inch touchscreen unit – angled towards the driver as part of BMW Cockpit language – is the center piece here and packs in BMW iDrive 8.5 user interface. While a bit too peppered with options, it is extremely responsive to touch and has very little ambient glare. Even the feed from the surround cameras is typically good.

The center console has been updated and now gets plenty of crystal elements. Every element here is well within reach and the front half tries to be as premium as the rear half. Some of the other feature highlights here include four-zone climate control, three wireless phone charging pads, ventilated front seats, 18-speaker Bowers and Wilkins sound system and ADAS technology.

BMW 5 Series LWB: Drive characteristics

The BMW 5 Series is meant to be experienced from the back seats but then is any BMW ever meant to be driven around in? Get behind the wheel and forget that this is an executive sedan – with a two-litre four-cylinder petrol engine beating under the hood, there is fair bit of fun (or as much as can be expected from an executive luxury sedan).

The 530 Li offers around 257 bhp and 400 Nm of torque which makes it more powerful than its direct rival in its petrol guise. Along with the help of a 48V mild hybrid system, there is decent flare up from stationery when the pedal is pressed hard. The company claims 0 to 100 kmph time of 6.5 seconds and that is impressive considering the sheer volume of the vehicle.

What stands out by a mile though is how comfortable the BMW 5 Series is. Despite the extended wheelbase, the sedan manages to sail over speedbreakers and the soft-ish suspension manages to gobble up road bumps with remarkable ease. The steering feedback at high speeds is quite nice while gliding into rushed corners still manages to keep body roll down to a minimum wherever in the cabin you may be in. So while it may not exactly be extremely sporty, it manages to blend comfort with a fair degree of driving pleasure.

BMW 5 Series LWB: Verdict

The BMW 5 Series LWB is a great update. Period. It is still extremely fun to drive and now manages to offer dollops of space too. While the cabin has some significant misses in terms of creature comfort, it still packs in a quite a lot as well. And don’t forget, it is priced quite aggressively too when pitted against many of its direct rivals.

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