BMW lifts 5 Series packages

BMW has added two options packages to its 5 Series range, adding value to the executive express as it enters its sixth year on sale in Australia.

The Professional and Exclusive packages range in price from $900 to $3800, and according to BMW Groups Australia, add up to $16,300 worth of extras to the vehicle, depending on the variant.

Professional packages are offered to buyers of the 520i and 520d sedan, Grand Turismo hatch and Touring wagon, as well as the 528i sedan, while the $3800 Exclusive is available for the 535i sedan, GT and Touring, 535d sedan, 530d GT and the petrol-electric ActiveHybrid 5 sedan.

Focussing on active safety, the Professional package adds $12,700 worth of value to the 520i, 520d sedan and Touring and boosts the price by $3400 apiece.

Features include a head-up display, lane-departure warning, digital radio, a multifunction instrument display, the Comfort Access System, Driving Assistant and auto-dipping interior and door mirrors.

In the 520d GT it costs $2400, adds $7900 worth of value and includes the aforementioned equipment, minus the Driving Assistant, while the Professional package for the 528i sedan includes less gear in the $900 package as some of it is already available as standard.

The Exclusive package includes Nappa leather upholstery, soft-closing doors, a BMW Individual leather instrument panel, sun-blinds for rear and rear-side windows, an automatic tailgate, Driving Assistant Plus, lane-departure warning, ConnectedDrive Freedom and a number of other comfort features, depending on the variant.

Pricing for the Exclusive is $3800 for each model, and it adds $12,200 worth of goodies to the 535i GT, $13,500 to the 535i Touring, $15,900 to the 530d GT and a substantial $16,300 to the 535i, 535d and ActiveHybrid 5 sedans.

The $159,930 V8-powered 550i that, aside from the fire-breathing M5, is the 5 Series flagship, has been discontinued from March production.

The move follows BMW's decision to realign its 3 Series range back in February by shuffling pricing and adding specification to particular variants.

BMW Group Australia head of product and market planning Shawn Ticehurst said the new options packages highlight BMW's safety and connectivity technology.

“Over its history, the 5 Series has marked the intersection where BMW luxury, driving dynamics, and technological advances meet. This is reinforced with the development of our Professional and Exclusive options packages.

“A culture of innovation lies at the core of our brand’s DNA, highlighted by initiatives such as BMW iDrive, ConnectedDrive and our award-winning driving assistance systems.

“The new Professional and Exclusive options packages will enable the BMW 5 Series to showcase these technologies, while remaining an icon of premium motoring.”The F10 5 Series landed in Australia in mid-2010 and was followed up by a facelift in 2013, with a new-generation model likely to appear next year.

Last year, Australian deliveries of the 5 Series sedan and Touring slipped by 20.4 per cent to 882 units, while the polarising GT dropped by 54 per cent to 86 units for the year.

Mercedes' E-Class was the top-selling large car over $70,000 with 1570 units shifted, while the Jaguar XF was in third with 846, followed by Audi's A6 on 617.