Aurelia Butler

Electrification has come to the BMW 5-series. The eighth generation of the sedan that fits in between the 3-series and the 7-series will now offer a full electric version, the 2024 BMW i5, in addition to gas-fired models. The plan follows the one introduced by the 4-series and i4 and of the latest 7-series and i7, whereby a single platform underpins both gas and battery-electric versions. More conservatively styled than the new 7-series, the 5 is larger in all major dimensions. Overall length is up by 3.9 inches, it’s 1.3 inches wider and 1.4 inches taller, and the wheelbase is stretched by 0.8 inch to 117.9 inches. The dash-to-axle proportion (the distance from the base of the windshield to the front tire) is long, and the hood spans far forward. BMW’s big-nostril grille makes an appearance, but it isn’t as massive as the one found on the 7-series, nor does it have the bucktooth grin of the 4-series and M3/M4.A Choice of Five 5sThis fall, U.S. customers will be able to select from five different 5-series configurations, all of which will have automatic transmissions. The least expensive will be the 530i, which will get BMW’s familiar 255-hp 2.0-liter turbo four and the option of all-wheel drive. BMW claims a 60-mph time of 5.9 seconds for the rear-drive version and 5.8 for the all-wheel-drive version. Those four-cylinder models open at $58,895, with the 530i xDrive starting at $61,195 when they go on sale in October.At the top of the gas-powered range is the six-cylinder 540i xDrive. Power from the turbocharged 3.0-liter six is up to 375 horsepower, from 335, and torque is up to 384 pound-feet for the engine and 398 pound-feet when the 48-volt mild-hybrid system contributes. According to BMW, it’ll accelerate to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, but although it’s the quickest of the gas-engine 5s, it’ll be the last to arrive as it goes on sale in November of this year.Two Electric 5sCustomers interested in a battery-powered 5-series will have two to choose from, neither of which will have a frunk under the long hood. Following the nomenclature introduced by the i4 and i7, the electric 5 will be called the i5. At the bottom of the EV lineup is the i5 eDrive40, a rear-drive setup with a rear motor with 335 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque (a Sport Boost function dials up the torque to 317 pound-feet). With its 84.3-kWh battery, EPA range for the estimated 4100-pound sedan is expected to flirt with 300 miles. BMW tells us that 60 mph will arrive in 5.7 seconds. Pricing starts at $67,795, putting it above the $55,000 threshold for Inflation Reduction Act tax credits. An optional M Sport package blacks out metal trim, adds different wheels, dresses up the front and rear end with a more aggressive look, and brings a retuned suspension.The Most Powerful 5-Series Is an i5The most powerful 5-series (until the next M5 arrives) will be the i5 M60 xDrive, a two-motor, 590-hp electric version that ostensibly replaces the previous-gen V-8–powered M550i. Prices start at $85,095. More on Future BMWsOther numbers of note are its claimed 3.7-second time to 60 mph and a C/D-estimated 5300-pound curb weight. BMW also promises that the power won’t taper off as speeds increase right up to its 143-mph top speed with summer tires or 130-mph top speed on winter rubber. To get all the horses ready for an acceleration run requires pulling the Boost paddle behind the steering wheel. Hold it for 0.8 second and you get max acceleration. To make sure there’s more drama besides the acceleration, the car plays its Sport soundtrack. Powered by the same 84.3 kWh battery as the i5 eDrive40, the M60 comes in with an estimated 256-mile range. For the range-anxious, the i5 EVs have a MAX Range mode that promises to optimize the remaining charge in the battery by limiting top speed to 56 mph and shutting down the climate control, the heated and cooled seats, and even the heated steering wheel. The 400-volt architecture allows for up to 205 kW DC fast charging and 11 kW charging on a Level 2 hookup.To entertain you while you’re waiting to charge, the i5 comes with AirConsole video games that use your smartphone as a controller and the 12.3-inch center display. For those who aren’t into gaming, the car has a built-in YouTube app which is perfect for watching Car and Driver’s YouTube account—please like and subscribe.BMW calls its driver-assist option Driving Assistant Professional. This system, which still requires the driver to hold the steering wheel as it “drives” the 5-series, comes with Active Lane Change Assistant, a marketer’s way of saying that it will change lanes to move around slower traffic, something that GM’s SuperCruise system also does. BMW’s system, however, only makes a suggestion and won’t act until the driver’s eye looks at the corresponding mirror.The new platform features a double-wishbone front suspension on coil springs and multilink rear suspension on air springs. Four-wheel steering is optional, as are active anti-roll bars and adaptive dampers. We won’t have a chance to drive the new 5-series for another few months (sales begin in late September), but we’ll be the first to let you know how BMW has tuned the hardware and just what the new 5 drives like then.Editor-in-ChiefTony Quiroga is an 18-year-veteran Car and Driver editor, writer, and car reviewer and the 19th editor-in-chief for the magazine since its founding in 1955. He has subscribed to Car and Driver since age six. “Growing up, I read every issue of Car and Driver cover to cover, sometimes three or more times. It’s the place I wanted to work since I could read,” Quiroga says. He moved from Automobile Magazine to an associate editor position at Car and Driver in 2004. Over the years, he has held nearly every editorial position in print and digital, edited several special issues, and also helped produce C/D’s early YouTube efforts. He is also the longest-tenured test driver for Lightning Lap, having lapped Virginia International Raceway’s Grand Course more than 2000 times over 12 years. More

Honda, announcing its partnership with Aston Martin for F1 racing, said it sees the project as a chance to continue its research into carbon neutrality and improve its electric technology.2026 Formula 1 regulations mandate a 50/50 split between engine and electric motor power output and the use of 100 percent sustainable fuel. Aston Martin feels that the new regulations will require close relationships between the chassis maker and the power unit supplier.Way back in 2021, Honda announced it would be stepping away from Formula 1 racing to focus on passenger-car electrification, although it continued to supply power units for the Red Bull and AlphaTauri teams, with excellent results. When Red Bull announced an engine partnership with Ford for 2026, many wondered where that left Honda should it change its corporate mind regarding the value of racing. It appears minds have indeed been changed, but Honda has found a willing chassis partner in Aston Martin. HondaDuring a press conference in Tokyo on May 23, Honda announced that it will be part of the F1 Championship for the 2026 season, partnered with the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 team. Honda will provide power units, encompassing the engine, motors, battery and kinetic energy recovery system (ERS) that make up the complex hybrid F1 drivetrain. Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant team AMR23 Mercedes at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, April 2023. NurPhoto|Getty ImagesCarbon Neutrality Is Integral Part of Honda’s revived interest in F1 racing is due to the ambitious goals the series has set for achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, which align with Honda’s own stated goals. New F1 regulations will require that the electric element in the power unit, currently responsible for 20 percent of the power output, will be upped to a 50/50 split, and the combustion engines will need to run on sustainable fuel. The development of the power units will be under the purview of the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC). “One of our goals in racing is to use it for the development of our young engineers,” said Koji Watanabe, president of Honda Racing Corporation, when asked if the new program would require new hires or adjustment of current staff. “We will of course need to bring in some from the outside, but many of our resources will be from within our internal programs.”While Honda hopes to develop technologies that might eventually be incorporated into streetgoing machines, Aston Martin is excited to have a partner in development on a works engine rather than simply getting finished power units from a supplier. Martin Whitmarsh, Group CEO of Aston Martin Performance Technologies, says that the new regulations will make integration much more challenging than it is even with the current hybrid units. “A power unit in F1 is not just a combustion engine and a set of turbos. There’s the battery pack, the ERS.” He says that how it is all integrated into the chassis needs to be part of the strategy from day one, and that he believes partnering with Honda will give the two companies the close working relationship needed for success. “We are still young. We need to have the humility to listen to Honda.””Honda and our new partner, the Aston Martin F1 Team, share the same sincere attitude and determination to win,” says Toshihiro Mibe, Honda’s Global CEO. “Starting with the 2026 season, we will work together and strive for the Championship title as Aston Martin Aramco Honda.”This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Senior Editor, FeaturesLike a sleeper agent activated late in the game, Elana Scherr didn’t know her calling at a young age. Like many girls, she planned to be a vet-astronaut-artist, and came closest to that last one by attending UCLA art school. She painted images of cars, but did not own one. Elana reluctantly got a driver’s license at age 21 and discovered that she not only loved cars and wanted to drive them, but that other people loved cars and wanted to read about them, which meant somebody had to write about them. Since receiving activation codes, Elana has written for numerous car magazines and websites, covering classics, car culture, technology, motorsports, and new-car reviews.     More

Night Series special editions are coming to Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV, GLS, and S-class.The package features dark chrome exterior trim, rose gold elements, and exclusive interior color treatments.They will be available starting with the 2024 model year.”Let me tell you about the very rich,” F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote. “They are different from you and me.” One way they’re different is that they can afford a Mercedes-Maybach. One way they’re not so different, though, is that when it comes to their cars, they are drawn to darkness, just like regular folks. And so all three Mercedes-Maybach models are rolling out new Night Series trim packages, a move that echoes ones we’ve seen with the Ram 1500, Hyundai Santa Cruz, Kia Telluride, and countless others.More Extra-Special MaybachsThe details, of course, are somewhat different. Rather than going for a complete blackout treatment, the Maybach Night Series cars make use of dark chrome exterior trim. On the Mercedes-Maybach EQS680 SUV, dark chrome is integrated into the headlamps, features prominently in the lower air intakes, and is used for the Maybach logo on the black running boards. The side window trim is also black. Mercedes-BenzOn the Mercedes-Maybach S580 and S680 sedans, the dark chrome exterior elements extend to the tailpipe finishers, while on the Mercedes-Maybach GLS, they include the stand-up hood ornament. All three get dark-finished wheels, and the GLS further adds dark anodized power running boards.Additionally, trendy rose gold makes the jump from iPhone cases to automobiles with the Night Series cars. It appears in the headlights of all three models and on the key fob. Mercedes-BenzAll three also can be had with an exclusive black-and-silver two-tone paint treatment, as well as single-tone black, white, and for the S-class sedans, gray. Inside, the Night Series models feature Exclusive nappa leather. Mercedes-BenzThe S-class offers the hides in black pearl and deep white or black pearl with golden-gray piping. The SUVs offer black pearl or black pearl with crystal white. The SUVs also include natural grain herringbone-pattern wood trim with aluminum accents. Ambient lighting is specific to the Night Series models as is the startup animation that plays across the dashboard screen.Mercedes-BenzNight Series versions of the Mercedes-Maybach S-class and the EQS SUV will start appearing on the streets of the proverbial West Egg later this year, with the GLS SUV joining in early 2024.Deputy Editor, Reviews and FeaturesJoe Lorio has been obsessed with cars since his Matchbox days, and he got his first subscription to Car and Driver at age 11. Joe started his career at Automobile Magazine under David E. Davis Jr., and his work has also appeared on websites including Amazon Autos, Autoblog, AutoTrader, Hagerty, Hemmings, KBB, and TrueCar. More

Despite a previous death sentence, AM radio will live to see another day on all 2024 Ford and Lincoln models. That’s according to FoMoCo CEO Jim Farley, who today tweeted the company’s decision to not nix AM radio in its new vehicles after all.The demise of AM radio is something other automakers such as Audi, BMW, Volvo, and Tesla have already started to do, specifically on their electric vehicles. However, this has led to backlash from lawmakers and many others who claim AM radio is vital because it’s accessible, free, and important for public safety. Just last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation to mandate that automakers offer AM radio in new cars, per a Reuters report.With Ford already removing AM radio from new F-150 Lightnings and Mustang Mach-Es, the next step was to remove it from the rest of the 2024 model lines. However, Farley’s tweet says the company is changing course “after speaking with policy leaders about the importance of AM broadcast radio as part of the emergency alert system.”This content is imported from twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.After speaking with policy leaders about the importance of AM broadcast radio as a part of the emergency alert system, we’ve decided to include it on all 2024 @Ford & @LincolnMotorCo vehicles. For any owners of Ford EVs without AM broadcast capability, we’ll offer a software…— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) May 23, 2023Farley also mentioned that Lightning and Mach-E models without AM radio will be able to have it restored via an over-the-air software update. Whether or not other automakers who have dropped AM radio will do the same remains to be seen. From the sounds of it, that decision could possibly be made by Congress.Lightning and Mach-E ReviewsThis content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Senior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More

From the June 2023 issue of Car and Driver.When Maserati unveiled its handsome second-generation GranTurismo coupe, our initial response was a bit muted, even muddled. “Is that new?” we asked of the lovely but familiar design. This sense of confoundment grew when we discovered that the automaker would offer this exact vehicle—a long-hood, short-deck GT with a conventional profile—in two disparate powertrain configurations. Buyers can tour grandly in a coupe with a twin-turbo V-6 internal-combustion engine or in a battery-electric vehicle, but you might not guess from the outside that the insides are different.Get Your OwnMaserati design head Klaus Busse says a desire to maintain the traditional design and dynamic sensibilities for which the trident brand is known dictated this move. “We can keep the low silhouette of the car because we’re not putting anything under the front seats,” he says of the decision regarding placement of electric components. Unlike many competitors that incorporate a height-raising battery pack in the floor, Maserati’s uniquely shaped pack occupies the engine compartment, the transmission tunnel, and some space behind the rear seats. The arrangement isn’t just for aesthetics. “When you have the batteries underneath the seats all the way outboard, then the car tends to understeer because you have all these gravitational forces of the batteries,” Busse says. “By keeping the batteries central, you avoid these gravitational forces, and you avoid understeer.” Assembly lines are in a time of flux. The future looks electric, but companies are easing the transition by building both internal-combustion machines and EVs.BMWThough the brand plans to go all-electric by 2030 and will eventually introduce BEV-only designs, the dual powertrain offerings will continue through this decade. Maserati will electrify its Grecale SUV in the same fashion.Multiple Powertrains, One Vehicle Maserati isn’t alone in this strategy. After introducing the wildly styled i3 for 2014 and seemingly planning a rollout of separate electric vehicles from its i subbrand, BMW has shifted course. While it still reserves the right to release the occasional one-off dedicated battery-electric model, like the radically styled and bedazzled iX, its core plan is to continue to create vehicles—such as the 4-series Gran Coupe and the 7-series luxury sedan [see “Green Is Good,” page 48]—that can accommodate a battery-electric, a plug-in-hybrid, or an internal-combustion powertrain.”The transformation to electrification, we believe, doesn’t go from one day to the other,” says Domagoj Dukec, BMW’s head of design. The brand wants to be sure customers are satisfied with both ICE and BEV offerings, he adds.”For us, the one promise is that BMW driving character will always be highly dynamic,” Dukec says. “It doesn’t matter if it’s diesel or gas; it doesn’t matter if it’s a plug-in hybrid—it will be dynamic. And if it’s electric, it will also be dynamic.” This flexible strategy allows BMW to respond to shifting market needs and regulations by producing more or fewer of any powertrain according to demand. “The winner will probably be the one who can adapt to this unpredictability,” he says. Mercedes-BenzLand Rover seems to be following a similar path. When it revealed the current-gen Range Rover for 2022, the company announced that this luxurious off-roader—along with five other members of the Land Rover family—would be offered with a traditional combustion engine, as a plug-in hybrid, or with an EV powertrain, though not all the electrified options have appeared in the U.S. yet.Automakers Making Full Shift to ElectricLand Rover stablemate Jaguar, an early adopter of BEV technology with the 2019 I-Pace, is taking a different tack. It plans to transition to a fully electric lineup this decade, introducing a range of all-new electric products, beginning with upscale SUVs.Volvo, too, is going all in. The brand has ceased development of new internal-combustion powertrains and is committed to full electrification by 2030, replacing its existing models with battery-electric versions. This process begins with the electric 2024 EX90, which will eventually replace the XC90. “Volvo has never been a manufacturer known predominantly for engines,” says Owen Ready, the company’s head of strategic and brand design. “This positions us well for this transition.” Perhaps more surprising, Cadillac is also taking this route. It announced that the recently revised Escalade is its last ICE vehicle line—and has just revealed the EV successor, the 2025 Escalade IQ. Moving forward, all future Caddys will be electric, like the just-released Lyriq SUV and Celestiq flagship sedan.VolvoMercedes Following Separate PathsLuxury juggernaut Mercedes is taking a different road during this transitional decade—or rather, two roads. Alongside its extensive range of ICE models, Benz is developing a full lineup of parallel BEVs. The S-class and E-class sedans have electric doppelgängers in the EQS and EQE sedans, but those are built on their own platform. “Purpose architecture deserves a purpose,” says Robert Lesnik, the brand’s head of exterior design, speaking of the differentiation between the traditional three-box configuration of Benz’s traditional cars and the arcing bow shape of its electric ones. “That means from the outside, you’re able to see that this is not just a conventional or known car.”Mass-market brands such as Honda and Kia are following a similar tactic. Honda plans for its electrified mid-size Prologue SUV and small affordable EVs (all jointly developed with GM) to coexist with the Pilot and Civic. Kia introduced the electric two-row EV6 and three-row EV9 alongside the similar Seltos and Telluride. Both brands may continue producing vehicles with tailpipes beyond 2030.For Mercedes, the parallel track will last only through the 2020s, or one vehicle generation, after which the brand plans to shift to an entirely electric lineup. “Like a zipper on your jacket. When you open it up, the two sides spread,” Lesnik explains. “And by the end of the decade—the life cycle of one car—everything will be electric, and the zipper comes together again.”Contributing EditorBrett Berk (he/him) is a former preschool teacher and early childhood center director who spent a decade as a youth and family researcher and now covers the topics of kids and the auto industry for publications including CNN, the New York Times, Popular Mechanics and more. He has published a parenting book, The Gay Uncle’s Guide to Parenting, and since 2008 has driven and reviewed thousands of cars for Car and Driver and Road & Track, where he is contributing editor. He has also written for Architectural Digest, Billboard, ELLE Decor, Esquire, GQ, Travel + Leisure and Vanity Fair.    More

Ford has teased a new electric-three row SUV with 350 miles of range and set to debut in 2025.Despite being likened to the Expedition on stage at a Capital Markets Day event, the upcoming model is more likely the Explorer-sized EV that Ford is planning to build.Ford declined to comment further on the vehicle when reach out to by Car and Driver. Ford continues to tease nuggets of information on an upcoming electric three-row SUV, the most recent of which came on Monday. An Automotive News staffer tweeted two photos from Ford’s Capital Markets Day, along with a report in which Ford’s chief officer of EVs confirms the vehicle will come in 2025 and have 350 miles of range. This content is imported from twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Doug Field sharing some new details on Ford EVs. Says a 3-row family SUV is coming in 2025 with a 350-mile range. He likened it to an Expedition. pic.twitter.com/FixnHKIj2Y— Michael Martinez (@MikeMartinez_AN) May 22, 2023Some confusion emerged from both the event and the tweet as Field reportedly likened the vehicle to the full-sized Expedition SUV, when the vehicle appears to be sized much closer to the mid-size Explorer. Car and Driver reached out to Ford for clarification, but the manufacturer’s spokesperson declined to comment. FordThe addition of an Explorer-sized EV could generate huge sales for the company. It is a massively popular segment for internal-combustion vehicles, with competitors like the Chevrolet Traverse, Toyota Highlander, Kia Telluride, and of course, the Explorer. There is little competition right now in the larger-EV segment, although Kia recently revealed the EV9 SUV, which is to be released for 2024. The expectation of an electric Explorer is not a new one. Ford made an announcement confirming the electric Explorer in 2021. It also lines up with plans for Ford to begin building EVs at the Oakville, Ontario, plant for which it designated $1.5 billion to adapt from ICE production to EV production. More Ford and Lincoln ProductionSpeaking on the decision to go after larger vehicles, Ford CEO Jim Farley, speaking to a Yahoo Finance reporter, described the new seven-passenger SUV as “a personal bullet train.” He explained that Ford’s second-generation EVs are being designed in a completely different way to the first generation of Mach-Es and F-150 Lightnings. As things stand now, there are no firm details on the upcoming vehicle, though specifics such as size, power, range, and pricing are likely to start coming in as a reveal date draws closer. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Associate News EditorJack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf. More