Thrifty 5-Series eight-shifter packs automatic appeal

BMW's latest 5-Series mates an 8-speed gearbox with stop-start technology. Photo / Supplied

BMW has launched its new 5-Series sedan in New Zealand with a ground-breaking first for the mid-size luxury segment: an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

The 'box will be available as standard across the 5-Series range in this country, starting with the diesel-powered 2-litre 520d at $107,000 through to the V8-powered 4.4-litre 550i at $173,000.

The 5-Series is also likely to be the first BMW to get an eight-speed gearbox linked to a fuel-saving stop-start system.

That is expected to happen later next year, when the carmaker will claim the pairing improves fuel consumption by more than 5 per cent.

Stop-start is now available only on the 520d manual in some markets. Mating it to an automatic gearbox - eight speeds or otherwise - is another significant automotive step.

It wasn't long ago that BMW and rival company engineers were saying stop-start and automatic gearboxes wouldn't go hand-in-hand until perhaps 2013-15.

The new gearbox headlines a standard technology package new to the 5-Series, including heads-up display. Options run to sportier gearbox shifts, active anti-roll bars, active steering, self-parking aids, surround camera system, collision warning, night vision and pedestrian recognition.

Our test car was the top-range 550i. The pairing of the eight-speed unit to the 300kW V8 is a triumph. The spread of ratios worked perfectly at all speeds, dialling up the right gear for every throttle loading.

Its seamless performance spread to the rest of the vehicle. The new 5-Series sits on a shortened version of the 7-Series platform and borrows the bigger car's all-aluminium suspension system.

The result is a driving experience more in keeping with the flagship but with shades of the sportier 5-Series bloodlines.

On the one hand, the new sedan is more refined and composed than the outgoing 5-Series, thanks partly to its 80cm-longer wheelbase. On the other, it remains stable and accurate, with pretty much all the precision the previous car offered.

The electro-mechanical steering is a step up from the hydraulic helm, even though it perhaps doesn't offer the feedback from the front wheels some drivers like.

Too bad, electric steering is here to stay: it aids fuel economy, for a start. In the 5-Series, the weighting is constant, turn-in is sharp. It inspires confidence, accuracy. So do the brakes.

BMW has also borrowed much of the 7-Series dash assembly, another aspect of the interior which provides more of a relaxed, roomier environment.

The longer wheelbase helps, too, providing noticeably more room overall, especially in the rear seats.

In a nutshell, the new 5-Series - codename F10 - is perhaps BMW's best all-round car yet.