There’s a new BMW 5 Series hitting roads later this year and it comes with a game-changing new feature. The German car company has joined forces with entertainment experts from AirConsole to bring a full gaming experience to these premium vehicles. That means when you pull over for a coffee – or want to pass the time if you buy the i5 EV version and need to charge it – you’ll have access to a swathe of titles that can be played on the car’s giant curved screen.
Using smartphones as controllers, there’s even the option to play against family and friends with quizzes, football and racing games all available at launch. A simple QR code system even makes it easy to connect with multiple players and around 20 games will be available at launch.
Along with gaming, the main 14.9-inch screen can also be used to watch video content including shows on YouTube and other streaming platforms – of course, this only works when the car is stationary so there’s no chance of drivers getting distracted.
Along with entertainment, there’s plenty more going on inside the new BMW 5 Series with it now including the clever Interaction Bar which was previously only available in BMW’s 7 Series.
This touch-sensitive tech, which runs under the instrument panel, allows things such as air conditioning and ventilation to be controlled without digging into endless settings on the screens.
There’s also full ambient lighting which changes depending on what is happening inside the car. Hop in the driving seat and you’ll be greeted by a welcome scenario, then receive a phone call and the dynamic lights will animate to make sure you answer it.
A plush new steering wheel should make it more comfy on long journeys and there’s now the option to heat it so your fingers don’t feel the chill on those cold winter mornings.
Other features inside the 5 Series include a surround sound 12 speaker system from the team at Harmon Kardon, there’s full wireless charging for your phones and owners get something called an EfficiencyCoach which helps them drive more efficiently.
As we mentioned earlier, the new BMW 5 Series now gets a full electric eDrive40 version which can whizz from 0-62 in just 6 seconds and reach a top speed of 120mph.
Then there’s the M60 xDrive model which hits 62mph in under 4 seconds.
These cars have a range of around 300 miles and include a bunch of tech such as adaptive recuperation to help keep things going for longer. There’s also a max range mode which limits certain features to make sure the battery reaches its best potential plus a unique air flap on the exterior can increase the range by up to 16 miles by only opening the cooling air intakes on the front kidney grille.
Finally, the i5 gets unique sounds blasted around the car when changing driving modes with the noises designed by composer Hans Zimmer.
Prices for the entry-level petrol 520i start from £49,850.
If you want to go electric it will cost quite a bit more with the eDrive40 model starting from £73,200 this rises to £96,840 for the M60 variant.
Expect to see it on roads a little later this year.
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