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Photos shot by Rishabh Kaushik

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and… instead of launching forward and hearing the engine roar, I am brought back to reality. The red light turned green just 2 seconds ago, and some hunk in a white SUV with a political party’s emblem is flashing its lights and blaring its horn loudly. Waiting for traffic to clear up ahead of me, I create some distance and turn to the slow lane to let the impatient people pass. Am I pissed? Honestly, a little. Why? Because I am behind the wheel of the new BMW 5 Series, and Delhi-NCR is really short on space when it comes to being able to enjoy this car.

The last time I drove this car, it was in a controlled environment. This time, it was all about spending a day with it on the roads of Gurgaon. The moment it arrived outside my house, the first thing I wondered about was how it cleared the speedbreaker just a few metres away. While BMW hasn’t mentioned the ground clearance anywhere, all my doubts got quashed once behind the wheel, but we’ll get there in a bit. Even though I was still deploying the ‘diagonal vehicle’ tactic over taller speed breakers (because I don’t like taking unnecessary risks), it seemed like the 530Li would cross them anyway without a problem, which it did.

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To say that the new 5 Series is a huge car would be an understatement; at 5175 mm, it’s only marginally shorter than its big brother, the 7 Series, and the Range Rover LWB. BMW’s designs, particularly these days, could be described as ‘interesting’, for the lack of a better word. Now before you all start coming at me, let me clarify that I am Team BMW. Remember how much backlash the new 7 Series got on social media when it was showcased, and then it turned out to look so much better in real life. I hope the audience has learnt its lesson from then, because the new 5 Series is typically BMW; it won’t pass off as just any other car, and you will either love the design or hate it, there are no two ways about it.

There’s no denying that the interior of the new 5 Series, like any other BMW, continues to be premium and high-quality. However, if you really, really want to fully enjoy the interior, night has to be the best time. The new 5 Series gets the interactive ambient light panels inspired by the 7 Series, and they just look super cool, especially in either red or blue. Switching on the hazard lights also makes the light panels blink for a few seconds.

There is certainly no shortage of USB-C charging sockets, be it at the front or the rear, but for someone with a type-A to type-C cable, I was in for a surprise. The wireless charging pad is also big enough to hold two phones, something which will certainly be appreciated. To adjust the A/C vents, you get unique joystick-like elements, which take time getting used to, while fan speeds can be adjusted by sliding the touch panels seen on the ambient lighting bar.

What did set me off, however, was smartphone connectivity. Our test car seemed to have an affinity for iOS, and it just absolutely refused to connect with my OnePlus until the very end of the day. This could be a one-off case, but either way, this meant that I could not ‘test’ a lot of my chosen songs on the 18-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system, especially some of the ’80s pop hits. That said, our photographer Rishabh’s playlist, consisting of the latest from Shubh, did keep the vibe going, and as long as there was music in the car, I was content.

The real music, however, was from the 2.0-litre powertrain of the car. In its 530Li guise, the car sounded brilliant each time I floored the pedal, just so full of character. Sadly, however, our timing was cursed, and we just couldn’t indulge ourselves in some spirited driving for as long as we would’ve liked. Still, I attempted to make the rear dance wherever possible, and it definitely would have if there were no traffic.

This brings me to an important point; the beauty of this car lies in the fact that despite its growth in size, it is a surprisingly easy car to drive even in Gurgaon traffic, and it dared me to push it to its limits. When you look at it from the outside, the size of the car will definitely intimidate you, but once you’re in it, things just change completely. Before you know it, you’ll be squeezing this behemoth of a sedan into spaces you’ll later see and think, ‘Sh**, this car really went there?!’ The steering is full of character, is very well-weighted and feels direct, as you would expect from a Beemer. Not to mention that it’s been taken from the 7 Series, and it feels quite nice to hold as well.

The ride quality is a bit on the firmer side, to be honest. However, it cushions out bigger bumps rather well, while smaller ones were more noticeable and got more amplified in the car. The same case also stands when you take the car over rumble strips, both bigger and smaller ones. On the highway, the car maintained a flat, balanced posture, like one would expect of a car of this segment. The 5 Series feels surefooted, be it in a straight line, or while going through tight turns, not losing its balance. Only some quick lane changes may give you a brief reminder of the length of the car, but just briefly, for a second or two. Do note that these insights are coming purely from the driver’s seat; with the limited time we had, I could not get into the rear. However, from the teaser drive, I do remember the rear seat feeling quite well-contoured and offering great underthigh support. Ventilation only made things that much better.

The last-gen 5 Series used to cost between Rs 65 to Rs 74 lakh (ex-showroom), and this new isn’t all that far off with a price tag of Rs 72.90 lakh (ex-showroom).  However, this time, there doesn’t seem to be a diesel option around.

Things are about to get interesting in the luxury sedan segment, with Mercedes-Benz coming with the new E-Class LWB sometime this year. Meanwhile Audi, with its new naming strategy, is set to transition the A6 into an all-electric A6 e-tron sedan, so things look a little uncertain there. For now, I can safely say that the new 5 Series doubles up as a proper luxury sedan, and a sporty driver’s car when needed. It’s the perfect car to take by the wheel when you give your chauffeur the day off.