THUNDER, LIGHTNING AND THE PER , FECT STORM

The BMW 5 Series sedan range comprising 530Li, i5 M60, and M5 all descended upon us. They are all so similar in what they bring to the table, yet so very different from one another in terms of how much they bring to said table. And what a spread this table has. We pick them apart to ascertain the differences

- Jim Gorde

THE BMW 5 SERIES HAS ALWAYS BEEN MORE than a business sedan for suits. It has a charm, an excitement of a car meant to be driven. It was larger then the 3 Series—aimed squarely at driving enthusiasts—but had more then its fair share of performance-oriented genes.

As the years went by, the 5 Series grew. It grew larger and more powerful. From the four- and six-cylinder engines, the third-generation (E34) also adopted a V8 petrol engine for the very first time. The fifth-gen 5 Series, in its E60 M5 form, also packed a Formula 1-derived V10 engine. Sedan and Touring (estate) body-styles were available, too.

Fast forward to the present and there are three different forms in India, the long-wheelbase 5 Series with a four-cylinder petrol engine, the all-electric i5 with two electric motors and former M5-like power, and the new G90 M5, with both a V8 and an electric motor. Each is built for a different type of buyer. Each one of them is a different size. And every single one of them could even be considered good value, considering what the competition is doing. But, more importantly, each of them feels like a proper 5 Series. Or do they?

Thunder/530Li M Sport

The petrol-powered 530Li is the sole long-wheelbase iteration of the 5 Series in India. It measures the longest of the three at 5,175 millimetres nose to tail and has a lengthened wheelbase stretching the axles 3,105 millimetres apart, identical to that of the X7. Yes, it’s that long. And it is also generously proportioned, so much so that it indirectly also replaced the 6 Series Gran Turismo.