Enlarge / The eighth-generation 5 Series has the least-outrageous styling we've seen from BMW in some time. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)
COMO, ITALY—BMW has earned a reputation for challenging car designs. It's not a new thing, either. People mocked the Z1's disappearing doors. The Z3 coupe's "clown shoe" nickname was not at all affectionate. And few could find a kind word about the infamous "Bangle butt" on the fourth-gen 7 Series. But it doesn't take those kinds of risks with every model, particularly not the latest 5 Series, which now includes a fully electric i5.
The 5 Series is BMW's midsize sedan, and until the advent of the luxury SUV—a category that BMW basically invented—it was the company's bread and butter. There's a new 5 Series out this October, the eighth generation to bear the nameplate. Like other recent BMWs, it uses the manufacturer's latest flexible architecture that supports battery electric, plug-in hybrid, and conventional powertrains, something we've seen to good effect with the 4 Series and particularly with last year's 7 Series and i7.
Now try and picture it wearing a taxi livery or perhaps a police version. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)
The sedan is not dead
"We're particularly happy with how it turned out proportion-wise. I think it is a long, elegant, sporty sedan, and that, for me, is the essence of any BMW anyway. And the five series, of course, is the core of the brand in many, many markets," said Adrian van Hooydonk, design director at BMW Group.
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