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Aug 10, 2023

The Intelligent 2024 BMW 5 Series' Breathtaking Interior Brings 7 Series Vibes

The new BMW 5 Series interior is completely redesigned with a gorgeous new

The new BMW 5 Series interior is completely redesigned with a gorgeous new curved display, a fun-induced technology upgrade, and a leather-free cabin.

The all-new 2024 BMW 5 Series is here. While the design is not as controversial as the 7 Series or even the all-new XM SUV, it still raises eyebrows. The new luxury sedan has grown notably as compared to the 2023 5 Series, with the exterior getting a notable design revamp. But it is the new 5 Series' interior that has us more excited.

A completely redesigned interior follows in the footsteps of the new 7 Series interior with a new curved display, minimal physical buttons, and loads of new standard and optional features. Technology plays a vital role in elevating the new 5 Series' cabin experience in luxury and comfort.

The coolest BMW 5 Series interior features include an ambient lighting setup that makes you feel like sitting in a diamond and cool entertainment technology features that allows occupants to stream YouTube, scroll through Instagram, and even play games on the all-new curved screen.

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BMW has dialed things up to 11 with technology and screens in the 2024 5 Series. The most notable upgrade is the cool new curved display that becomes the center of the new BMW iDrive experience. The frameless curved glass surface includes a 12.3-inch instrument cluster console and a 14.9-inch infotainment screen that also includes various in-car comfort and luxury control functions.

In fact, the layout is very similar to that of the new BMW 7 Series, albeit in a shrunken format. Talking of which, the new 5 Series' total screen area is actually smaller than the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class's screen real estate. Its instrument cluster is of the same size, but the infotainment screen is smaller at 12.3 inches. The Bimmer's screen layout also looks cooler and more futuristic thanks to much slimmer bezels all around.

BMW has also boldly removed all physical buttons from the infotainment screen. This is actually a risky attempt. But with the new software and all-screen layout of the 2024 5 Series, BMW plans to make the no-button layout way less complex than what we have seen to date. This is mostly taken care of by converting touches into swipes and voice controls.

The user interface of the new BMW 8.5 operating system shows the map permanently on the screen with other available applications that can be individually configured into small widgets across the infotainment as well as driver display. BMW has designed the new interface of the 2024 5 Series very similar to that of a modern smartphone. It gets a "Home" trigger that can take you back to the main menu at any time. Also, all major applications like Media, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and HVAC Controls are all just a single click away from the main screen.

The standard feature list on the 2024 BMW 5 Series is more loaded than ever. Thankfully BMW learned its lesson with subscriptions, and you won't have to pay a monthly premium to get heated seats or any other optional features in the 2024 5 Series. All optional bits are a one-time purchase, and there are a plethora of new optional packages to choose from as well.

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The coolest software feature of the 2024 BMW 5 Series line-up is the AirConsole platform. BMW allows occupants to stream content from YouTube using this platform on the large curved display. Taking the safety quotient quite seriously, consuming content on the new 5 Series screen is only possible when the luxury sedan is stationary or when charging, in the case of the 2024 BMW i5.

The AirConsole gets even more exciting with its in-car gaming feature. BMW offers the driver and passengers the fun alternative of playing casual games when static or when charging the new i5. BMW has curated a bunch of intuitive and easily accessible games that include racing, quiz, Sports, simulation, strategy, and even endless jump-and-run puzzle genres. Setting it up is straightforward. Players only need a smartphone that is used as a remote controller. The connection between the phone and the in-car screen is done by scanning a QR code. Multiple smartphones can be scanned to make use of the multi-player games offered in BMW's library.

Apart from the impressive new technology and software updates, the 2024 BMW 5 Series also raises the bar in luxury, comfort, and sustainability. The new 5 Series is bigger as compared to the 2023 model. This translates to the 2024 5 Series being 3.4 inches longer, 1.3 inches wider, and 1.4 inches taller. This increase also shows up in interior space and comfort. The 2024 BMW 5 Series is more spacious in both rows and the cargo.

The seats have been redesigned to further elevate the comfort quotient. All 2024 5 Series trims get sports seats as standard. The i5 all-electric luxury BMW cars come with standard multi-contour seats to truly hold you in place when hooning around in the powerful electric 5, especially the 2024 i5 M60 with 690 hp.

There is no compromise on luxury, as both rows are loaded with plush materials and loads of comfort features. Dialing up on the sustainability quotient, the 2024 5 Series can now be equipped with a fully leather-free interior. The alternate material used is called "Veganza". It wraps the seats, dashboard, panels, and even the steering wheel. You can get a lot of leather options in the roster as well. The exquisite Merino leather upholstery still remains an option across the new 5-Series line-up.

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BMW has truly evolved how the ambient lighting setup in a car works. While we generally expect the ambient lighting setup of luxury cars to be a clever play of LED lights, the new 5 Series has a lot of other tricks up its sleeve. Called the BMW Interaction Bar, the new 5 Series' ambient light bar has a magical design. A chunky strip of layered crystalline surface backlit with multi-LEDs constitutes the "ambient" setup in the all-new mid-size luxury sedan from BMW. It spreads across the width of the dashboard and even seeps on either side onto the door trimmings.

Apart from wrapping you up in a mystical world, these crystalline bars of light also hide cooler features. BMW has used invisible vents in the new 5 Series that stayed concealed in the BMW Interaction Bar. This bar also includes touch-sensitive control panels to vary the vent direction and air-con features. This magical bit is standard on the 2024 BMW i5 models and optional on the new 530i models.

The 2024 BMW 5 Series will be offered in five trim levels at launch, which is slated for late September 2023. The base 530i trim starts with an MSRP of $57,900 and goes all the way up to $84,100 for the most powerful 5 Series yet - the all-electric i5 M50 xDrive. The most powerful ICE 2024 5 Series is the 540i xDrive, which starts with an MSRP of $64,900.

Tijo is an engineer, mechanic, and an avid content creator. He is a grease-monkey who loves tinkering with automobiles every now and then, when not busy penning down his passion for them. He has always had a soft spot for JDM and is keen on diving deep in for anything that involves wheels and engines.