As standard, the interior is upholstered in synthetic leather, Alcantara, or depending on the grade Merino leather.

The interior is spacious and relatively simple, with physical controls in the centre console and a pair of large screens headlining the dash.

Standard in the 5 Series is 12.3-inch instrument display and a 14.9-inch multimedia display with BMW's Operating System 8.5, plus a head-up display, ambient lighting, wireless phone charging tray and BMW’s ‘new’ Interaction Bar are included.

Adaptive LED headlights, automatic boot opening, an M design kit with front and rear aprons, side sills, and BMW’s Iconic Glow kidney grille surround are found outside.

The i5 gains over the petrol variant a Merino leather interior, metallic paint, a Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system and aerodynamic 20-inch wheels standard.

The 520i has a turbocharged 2.0-litre four cylinder puts out a modest 153kW and 330Nm, with power and torque sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The mid-spec eDrive40 has a rear-mounted electric motor capable of 250kW/430Nm, while the M60 has front- and rear-mounted motors for all-wheel drive and a total 442kW/820Nm.

The BMW 5 Series has five seats, with the main four seats boasting generous space thanks to the car's long wheelbase and five-metre length.

The central rear seat is comfortable by sedan standards for an adult on a relatively short trip.

The base petrol 520i will hit 100km/h in a claimed 7.5 seconds, while the electric eDrive40 takes less as 6.0 seconds.

The M-tuned i5 M60 xDrive is rather quick though, with a claimed 3.8 seconds.

BMW claims the petrol 520i sips 6.7 litres per 100km from its 60-litre fuel tank, so it has a theoretical range of 896km if it was possible to achieve the claimed fuel consumption figure for the duration of the whole tank.

The i5 variants both use the same 84kWh battery, the eDrive40 using 16.56kWh per 100km, and the M60 using 18kWh.

The eDrive40 has a claimed 550km maximum range, while the M60 has a 506km figure.