Review: BMW G31 5-Series Touring (2017-on)

Overview

To be released in Australia in October 2017, the BMW G31 5-Series Touring is an executive wagon. Manufactured in Dingolfing, Germany, the rear-wheel drive BMW G31 5-Series Touring range for Australia consists of the 520d and 530i models (see table below).

Both engines for the BMW G31 5-Series Touring comply with Euro 6 emissions standards and, to reduce fuel consumption, feature:

• Auto Start Stop: can shut down the engine when the vehicle is stationary in traffic to reduce fuel consumption;
• Brake Energy Regeneration: regulates alternator output to recharge the battery when the vehicle is coasting or braking, thereby reducing load when accelerating; and,
• ‘Eco Pro’ drive mode: adjusts engine management and throttle response, and includes a coasting function which can disengage the drivetrain to reduce engine braking.

Body and dimensions

Compared to the BMW F11 5-Series Touring , the G31 5-Series Touring is 36 mm longer (at 4943 mm), 8 mm wider (1868 mm), 10 mm taller (1498 mm) and has a 7 mm longer wheelbase (2975 mm); its drag co-efficient is 0.28 Cd. Furthermore, the G31 5-Series Touring has a luggage capacity of 570 litres, though this increases to 1700 litres when the rear seats are folded down and luggage is filled to the roofline

Significantly, the BMW G31 5-Series Touring achieves mass reductions of around 100 kg relative to the F11 5-Series Touring through:

• The increased high-tensile steels in its body;
• The use of aluminium for the bonnet, boot lid, engine cross-member, rear side-members, roof, doors and tailgate. For example, the doors have aluminium shell construction and weigh around six kilograms each;
• Light-metal suspension components; and,
• A cast magnesium instrument panel support that is around two kilograms lighter than the steel version in the F11 5-Series Touring.

Inside, the larger passenger compartment of the BMW G31 5-Series Touring provides greater shoulder, elbow, rear knee and leg room, while other changes include a lower instrument panel and free-standing display. To reduce interior noise, the G31 5-Series Touring has:

• Synergy Thermoacoustic Capsule (SYNTAK) encapsulation, which consists of lightweight soundproofing materials surrounding the engine and transmission to reduce interior noise, improve heat retention and thereby reduce fuel consumption;
• Acoustic glazing for the windscreen; and,
• A headliner with integrated soundproofing.

Suspension

The BMW G31 5-Series Touring has double wishbone front suspension with separate upper and lower control arms and an independent, five-link rear axle. As standard, the BMW 530i M Sport is fitted with BMW’s ‘Dynamic Damper Control with Dynamic Drive’ which consists of electronically controlled dampers that continually adjust damping resistance according to road conditions and driver behaviour.

Steering

The BMW G31 5-Series Touring has rack-and-pinion steering with electric power assistance; the steering has a ratio of 16.3:1 and provides a turning circle of 12.05 metres.

Available as an option, the ‘Integral Active Steering’ system provides rear wheel steering. At parking speeds, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front wheels to reduce the turning radius; at higher speeds, the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the front wheels for greater stability.

Safety equipment

Standard safety equipment for the BMW G31 5-Series Touring includes dual front airbags, front seat-mounted side airbags, full-length curtain airbags (i.e. for front and rear occupants), ABS, electronic brake force distribution, brake assist, electronic stability control, traction control, active front seat head restraints and front seatbelts with pre-tensioners and load limiters.

As standard, the G31 5-Series Touring is equipped with BMW’s ‘Driving Assistant’ which includes the following technologies –

• Approach control and person warning with city braking function: operating at speeds from 10 km/h to 60 km/h for pedestrian detection and up to 80 km/h for vehicle detection, the approach control warning system initially warns the driver if there is a risk of a frontal collision. In its second stage, the brakes are pre-conditioned for faster response and, if the driver fails to react, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) is initiated to reduce vehicle speed;
• Lane Departure Warning: active at speeds above 72 km/h, the driver is alerted by steering wheel vibrations if the vehicle deviates from its lane without the prior activation of the indicators;
• Lane Change Warning: active at speeds above 10 km/h, Lane Change Warning monitors the zones to each side of the vehicle. If the driver activates the indicators to change lanes, the system checks these zones and, if occupied, warns the driver via steering wheel vibrations and flashing a symbol in the respective door mirror;
• Crossing-traffic warning rear: when reversing out of a parking space, ‘Crossing-traffic warning rear’ warns the driver of approaching traffic that may intersect the driver’s path;
• Prevention of rear collision: if a rear-end collision is anticipated, following traffic is warned by double frequency flashing of the hazard lights; and,
• Speed Limit Info: incorporates speed restrictions into the driver-selectable Speed Limiter function or Active Cruise Control (where fitted).

Beyond this, BMW’s ‘Driving Assistant Plus’ is fitted as standard and includes the following –

• Active Cruise Control with Stop&Go function: at speeds from 30 km/h to 210 km/h, Active Cruise Control can maintain a speed-dependent distance from the vehicle ahead. With the Stop&Go function, the vehicle can apply the brakes to bring it to rest and, once the traffic ahead begins to accelerate, automatically accelerate if the vehicle has been stationary for a period between 1 and 3 seconds. If the vehicle has been stationary for longer than 3 seconds, the driver needs to briefly press the accelerator or a button to initiate acceleration up to the previously set cruising speed;
• Steering and lane control assistant: operating at speeds up to 210 km/h, the steering and lane control assistant provides ‘comfort-enhancing steering interventions’ to keep the vehicle in its current lane (even where road markings are unclear). In stop-start traffic, the system also uses the preceding vehicle was an additional reference point;
• Lane Change Assistant: operating at speeds between 70 km/h and 180 km/h, Lane Change Assistant can be activated by a long press of the direction indicator. The 5-Series then uses its sensors to check if the adjacent lane is clear and that there is no other vehicle approaching at high speed in that lane. If safe to do so, the system would then ‘automatically assist’ the lane change manoeuvre;
• Lane Keeping Assistant: helps the driver pre-empt hazards by automatically applying corrective steering in three types of situation: 1) if the system detects that the vehicle is about to leave the road, 2) if the driver is about to change lane and has overlooked a vehicle in the next lane or 3) if danger is detected due to an approaching vehicle;
• Side Collision Warning: operating at speeds between 30 km/h and 210 km/h, Side Collision Warning alerts drivers via a visual signal or steering wheel vibration if another vehicle is ‘encroaching’ from the side. If the system detects sufficient room on the other side of the vehicle, it correctively steers the vehicle in this direction to avoid the danger. The corrective steering assistance, however, could be over-ridden by the driver at any time;
• Crossing traffic warning front: uses radar sensors to check for approaching traffic at junctions with poor or impeded visibility;
• Evasion aid: operating at speeds up to 160 km/h, the evasion aid can ‘support the necessary evasive steering action’ if a swift lane change is required because an obstacle suddenly appears in the driver’s path;
• Crossroads warning: provides visual and audible warnings in priority situations (i.e. where vehicles on another road had priority) and at stop signs. At speeds up to 84 km/h, the steering wheel would also vibrate to alert the driver; and,
  Wrong-way warning: can detect if the driver is driving the wrong way onto a motorway or onto a roundabout, or heading the wrong way down a one-way street.

As standard, the G31 5-Series Touring is also fitted with –

• BMW’s ‘Active Protection’: if a collision risk is detected, including from preceding vehicles or stationary objects, Active Protection activates the front seatbelt tensioners and closes the windows (and sunroof, where fitted). After a collision, Active Protection automatically applies the brakes to bring the vehicle to rest, thereby reducing the likelihood and potential severity of a secondary collision; and,
• An ‘active bonnet’ which has pyrotechnic actuators in the bonnet hinges. In the event of a pedestrian collision, the actuators deploy and locks keep the bonnet in a raised position to provide additional deformation space between the bonnet and hard structures beneath it.

Euro NCAP testing

In Euro NCAP testing , the related BMW G30 5-Series Sedan received a five star safety rating which included a 91 per cent adult occupant protection rating and an 86 per cent child occupant protection rating. In the frontal offset test, protection of the driver’s head and feet were rated as good, but chest and lower leg protection were rated as adequate – a penalty was also applied to because the knee airbag did not deploy correctly. While maximum points were awarded in the side impact test, chest protection in the more severe pole test was rated as adequate.

Features: BMW G31 520d Touring Luxury Line

Standard features for the BMW G31 520d Luxury Line include 18-inch alloy wheels, BMW’s ‘Professional’ navigation system with 10.25-inch touchscreen display, a 205 watt ‘HiFi’ sound system with twelve speakers, a CD player, digital radio tuner (DAB+), Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity and audio streaming, voice recognition, wireless smartphone charging and two USB ports, Dakota leather upholstery with ‘Sensatec’ covered instrument panel, power adjustable front seats, dual-zone climate control air conditioning, cruise control with speed limiter, LED headlights, LED front fog lights, dusk-sensing headlights, rain-sensing wipers, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, 40:20:40 split folding rear seats with through-loading system, remote central locking with proximity (BMW’s ‘Comfort Access’), power adjustable and heated door mirrors, auto-dipping for the passenger-side mirror on reverse, power windows, a power adjustable steering column (for height and reach), BMW head-up display (HUD), push-button start, four 12 volt power sockets, electrochromatic rear view mirrors, ambient lighting, velour floor mats, Fine-wood Poplar Gray Grey wood trim, tyre pressure monitoring, a trip computer and an immobiliser.

As standard, the BMW G30 520d Touring is also fitted with:

• BMW’s ‘Parking Assistant Plus’ which includes Parking Assistant with Active Park Distance Control to front and rear, Surround View and Panorama View; and,
• BMW ConnectedDrive with access to BMW Online and BMW Apps for third-party app integration, real-time traffic information, intelligent emergency call, TeleServices, Concierge Services and phone app-based Remote Services.

Features: BMW G31 530i Touring M Sport

Compared to the BMW G31 520d, the BMW 530i Touring is further equipped with a harman/kardon surround sound system with sixteen speakers and a 600 watt amplifier, a 12.3-inch high-resolution colour instrument display with black-panel technology, front sports seats with heating and power lumbar adjustment, a ‘BMW Individual’ anthracite roof liner and contactless bootlid operation. The BMW 530i and 530d were also fitted with Adaptive LED Headlights that could vary their light distribution and ‘BMW Selective Beam’ high beam which masked the light distribution to avoid dazzling oncoming drivers; the Adaptive LED Headlights had a range of up to 500 metres.

As standard, the BMW G31 530i is fitted with BMW’s ‘M Sport’ package which includes 19-inch ‘M’ light alloy wheels, lowered M Sport suspension and M aerodynamic package (front apron with larger air intakes, side skirt trim, a diffuser-style rear apron and an exhaust system with two rectangular tailpipes). For the interior, the M Sport package includes M Sport seats with Alcantara covers, an M Sport leather steering wheel, exclusive floor mats, interior trim strips and aluminium pedals.

Related links

• BMW Press: the BMW G31 5-Series Touring
• AustralianCar.Reviews: BMW G30 5-Series Sedan