At this month’s Detroit Auto Show, BMWBLOG sat down with BMW designer Marc Michael Markefka to talk about the new 2017 BMW 5 Series. Markefka spent a few minutes with us taking us around and inside the new 5 Series, highlighting some of its design cues, features and technology updates.
Compared to the previous generation, the design of the G30 5er is more refined, more premium, yet just as sporty, if not even sportier. The front end now features headlights that connect with the, now much wider, signature kidney grilles. Those headlights are now all LED as standard and are an evolution of the classic twin-circle BMW headlight. Adaptive LED headlights are also available, with BMW Selective Beam. The nose is leaner and lower, giving off a much more aggressive vibe.
Where the new 5 Series really shines is on the side profile. It’s far more muscular and athletic looking than the F10, and the hockey stick now perfectly fits with the slightly redesigned Hofmeister Kink.
In the rear, the wide, “L-shaped” taillights reach all the way to the outer sides of the car – even more than the previous 5 Series – increasing visual width. Along with that, the low-slung rear decklid give it a lower look and a sportier stance.
On the inside, BMW wanted the new 5 Series to be the perfect blend between luxury, technology and sportiness. It also wanted to make the cabin very business-like. The overall interior design was clearly taken from the big brother 7 Series, but that’s a very good thing. It allows 5 Series buyers to get the luxury that the brand’s flagship provides without having to shell out flagship money.
It’s how design and technology should properly trickle down throughout an automaker’s model line.
