BMW also plays with a big sofa and a big color TV! Can the new 5 Series still be a hit?

Mondo Cars Updated on 2024-02-01

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The new generation of Mercedes-Benz E-class has only been on the market in China for more than a month, and its biggest rival, the BMW 5 Series, has also ushered in an official replacement. Like the all-new 7 Series before itThe new 5 Series also adopts a gasoline-electric symbiosis platformThe fuel version of the 5 Series and the pure electric version of the i5 were launched simultaneously, which is already the eighth generation of the BMW 5 Series and the most domestically produced model.

43.99 to 52580,000,The **threshold of the new 5 series is similar to the current model, but the top configuration** has been lowered a lot. What are the characteristics of the 5 series of gasoline-electric symbiosis this time? Will it still be able to maintain its status as a mid-to-large luxury sedan?

What kind of car is the all-new 5 Series?

For the new 5 Series, the most important change should be the gasoline-electric symbiosis platform. In the new energy era, most traditional luxury brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volvo, and Cadillac have launched models based on a new pure electric platform, in contrast to the previous "oil-to-electric" models.

In addition to the differences in the internal architecture, this new model based on the pure electric platform often has a significantly different style in the design of the shape and interior. For example, Mercedes-Benz's new E-Class and EQE sedans, Audi's Q5 e-tron and Q5, etc., although they still retain the brand's family elements, each is no longer a set of designs.

BMW, on the other hand, has taken a more conservative route, that is, when replacing the core model, it adopts the strategy of sharing the platform of the fuel version and the pure electric version, synchronous research and development, and launching at the same time, and adopts almost the same interior and exterior design styleHowever, the pure electric version is no longer an ancillary or derivative product of the gasoline version.

So is BMW's approach a "change from oil to electricity"? I don't think so. Because the essence of "oil to electricity" is to forcibly transform it based on a platform that does not consider the pure electric version at all. And the petrol-electric symbiosis of the BMW 5 Series isFrom the underlying architecture, the needs of both fuel and pure electric versions are taken into accountThe previous defects of "oil to electricity" in terms of battery life, safety, and design have been largely avoided in the new 5 Series.

In fact, compared with other models based on pure electric platforms, the BMW i5, which is a gasoline-electric symbiosis, has made up for some key shortcomings, which we will talk about in a little detail.

Outside of the platform, the all-new 5 Series has not changed much from the current model in terms of size and pricingThe wheelbase remains unchanged at 3105mm, and the length, width, and height have increased slightly. However, at the design level, both the exterior and the interior, the new 5 Series has been significantly different from previous generations, of which the interior design basically follows the new 7 Series, but the exterior style is not made into a "small 7 Series", but out of its own style.

What are the highlights of the new 5 Series?

The i5 has received more attention, but the real potential customers should pay more attention to the fuel version. In today's article, we will focus on the fuel version of the new 5 Series.

Highlight 1: The front face is conservative and the side is dynamic

In the past few generations of the 5 series, the appearance style is basically the same as the 7 series, the local design, the overall posture are relatively similar, and basically has the identity of "small 7 series". But this time around, the appearance of the new 5 Series will not follow the 7 Series.

The exterior of the new 7 Series is characterized by a raised nose, a flattened hood, a basic horizontal waistline connecting the head and tail, and a two-tone bodyIt is a solemn route.

The front half of the new 5 Series has a swooping stance, and the rear half has a pronounced large slip-back design, which is much sportier than the current 5 Series. However, due to itself nearly 52 meters in length, and 1At a height of 52 meters, the grandeur of an executive-class sedan has been retained.

In addition, compared to the huge kidney grille of the new 7 SeriesThe new 5 series of the net converges a lot,This should be a good thing for many consumers.

It is also worth mentioning that the 5 Series petrol version also has a luminous grille and a semi-hidden door handle, which not only increases the recognition, but also has some technical features of electric vehicles.

Highlight 2: The interior has an enhanced sense of luxury

When it comes to interior design, BMW's sense of luxury has always been weaker than that of Mercedes-Benz, but the new 5 Series follows the cockpit design of the 7 SeriesThe sense of luxury becomes an advantage of the 5 Series.

In short, except that the rear space is not as spacious as the 7 Series, sitting in the new 5 Series, there is basically no obvious gap between technology and luxury and the 7 Series. The large dual screen, wrap-around interactive light strip, crystal lever and knob, and newly designed steering wheel are all retained on the new 5 Series.

Compared with the largest competitor Mercedes-Benz new E-Class, the interior style of the two models is completely different, but in terms of sense of technology and luxury, the new 5 Series can basically be on par with the E-Class. Especially with the starry sky sunroof and the rear row "big color TV", the luxury experience is even slightly better than the new E-class.

Highlight 3: The performance of the rear row is extremely good

At the level of medium and large cars, there are many pure electric models of independent brands, especially in the range of 20-300,000 yuan, which has become the most intense market for medium-sized and medium-large cars. However, the rear experience, which is most important for traditional medium and large sedans, is a common shortcoming of independent models.

The reason is very simple, the dynamic, fastback shape, extremely low wind resistance, and the encroachment of the battery pack on the vertical space will affect the headroom and riding posture of the rear row. Therefore, many electric sedans have ample knee room, but sitting in the back seat is always not stretched enough, and the head view is not bright enough.

Sitting in the back row of the new 5 Series, you can instantly experience the meaning of the so-called executive-class sedan, with ample knee room is considered a basic operation, and the legs are also very stretched on the floor, and the head is more than enough space from the top. In addition, the seat is specially adapted for the Chinese market, with a soft texture, a stretched backrest, extremely long leg rests, and obvious wraps on both sidesThe whole person feels comfortable and trapped in the seat and is embraced.

In addition, it is worth mentioning that the panoramic sunroof of the new 5 Series has a very large area, covering the front and rear passengers' heads, and has an "extremely advanced" configuration - sun blinds, which should receive a lot of praise.

The rear experience of the new 5 Series petrol and electric versions is basically the same, so they both have a high middle platform, plus the impact of the seat wrap on the middle seat on both sidesThe ride experience of the middle seat in the rear of the new 5 Series can be said to be very poor.

But,If you look at it according to the 4-seater car, the comfort experience of the rear row of the new 5 series can be said to crush a series of pure electric sedans of its own brandThis is the core advantage of the 5 Series fuel version and pure electric version in the current era.

The above are the core highlights of the new 5 Series, and if you talk about the shortcomings, the fuel version of the 5 Series actually doesn't have much to find fault with. The doubts it has aroused are mainly focused on the change in appearance, and the style of the big slip-back has lost its former calmness for some people, but if you can accept this innovation, the 5 Series fuel version has no obvious shortcomings in the field of executive sedans.

As for the pure electric i5, if it is placed in the pure electric car market, there are still some shortcomings. For example, the battery pack of the whole series is only 79kwh, and the range is less than 600 kilometers under working conditions; No dual-motor 4WD, 6The power to break 100 in 7 seconds is much weaker in the face of competing products that often break 100 in 3 seconds; Without the latest 800V high-voltage architecture, there is a gap between the fast charging speed and the first echelon; At the level of intelligent driving, it does not have the ability of high-speed and urban intelligent driving in China.

These shortcomings of the electric i5 objectively exist, but if the focus is on the positioning of "executive sedan", the comfort and luxury of the rear row of the BMW i5 basically have no rival in the electric sedan market.

In addition, the BMW i5 also has a key advantage, which is that the styling is similar to the high-speed version of the gasoline version. It can be seen from the hot sales of i3 and ix3 that the appearance of the electric version and the fuel version are similar, which is actually an advantage for the BMW brandIt can better exert the influence of BMW's luxury brand.

In the electric era, can the new 5 Series still sell well?

Before analyzing the sales prospects of the new 5 Series, let's first mention the background. In the past three years, the share of domestic brands in the domestic market has increased significantly, and last year it exceeded 50%, officially surpassing the joint venture camp. But in the past three years,The share of the traditional luxury camp did not fluctuate muchThe decline in joint venture brands is mainly mainstream joint venture brands such as Volkswagen, Toyota, and Nissan.

For example, the BMW 5 Series still reached 14 last year30,000 vehiclesWhen the replacement is approaching, the monthly sales volume is still steadily exceeding 10,000.

However, it cannot be ignored that the stability of BBA's share comes at the cost of substantial terminal discounts. At present, the discount of the current 5 series is easily 70,000 or 80,000 yuan, which was unimaginable three years ago.

Therefore, whether it is the new 5 series or the new E class, it is bound to gradually release large discounts, the question is whether the new 5 series can still continue the status of the executive-level hit after the discount is in place.

As mentioned above, although there is still a gap between the intelligent driving level and the independent first-line brands, the new 5 series has completely lost the new forces in terms of science and technology. In terms of overall space, comfort and luxury, it has been greatly improved compared with the current model, coupled with BMW's traditional advantages in chassis and handling, as an executive-class sedanThe comprehensive luxury of the new 5 Series still has a lot to learn from its own brands.

Compared with Mercedes-Benz and Audi, the two old rivals, the use of the gasoline-electric symbiosis platform is more conducive to promoting the expansion of electric products. Instead of blindly pursuing innovation, BMW still sticks to some of the core attributes of the luxury brandAnd this seemingly conservative insistence has finally formed a valuable and difficult to replace quality under the wave of new energy.

So in my opinion, the new generation of the 5 Series,It will still be one of the benchmarks for executive luxury sedans. What do you think of this car?

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