The snow-covered roads and frozen lakes in northern Sweden, featuring expansive ice surfaces, offered an optimal environment to assess the interactions among chassis components, steering and braking systems, and driving dynamic and stability systems in extreme outdoor conditions.

The focus during this phase was on continual refinement of the car's chassis technology and acoustic properties across multiple conditions.

A deliberate part of the development involved testing during colder months on icy and snowy roads in the Alpine foothills.

In the winter of 2022, BMW i5 prototypes, featuring reduced camouflage and near-production headlights, were regularly deployed for testing to verify the functionality and reliability of the powertrain and chassis control systems under extremely challenging road and weather conditions.

[9][10] The 5 Series began production on 21 July 2023 at the Dingolfing plant, followed by its battery electric counterpart four days later.

[13] In Europe, six 5 Series trims were available for its September 2023 arrival, including the petrol 520i, and the plug-in hybrid 530e, and the 550e xDrive.

It is the same structure that underpins all BMW models featuring either a longitudinally mounted combustion engine or electric drivetrain.

Lightweight “air performance” wheels with inserts also help incrementally reduce emissions and enhance range.

[22][23] The surfacing along the rest of the car is neater than before, with flush-fitting door handles, a sloping boot lid and a closed-off underbody.

[20] The BMW Interaction Bar, which debuted in the G70 7 Series, is an optional feature on the base models and standard on the i5.

That treatment, which includes Alcantara-wrapped seats and steering wheel, is also available on models with the more aggressive M Sport pack equipped.

[28] This system, which still requires the driver to hold the steering wheel as it "drives" the 5 Series, comes with Active Lane Change Assistant.

The system makes suggestion on how to change lanes to move around slower traffic, but won't act until the driver's eye looks at the corresponding mirror.

Plug-in hybrid models feature a permanent-magnet synchronous motor, paired with an 19.4 kWh lithium-ion battery.

[25] An in-house developed electric motor paired with an 84.3 kWh battery pack makes for 250 kW (340 PS; 335 hp) and 400 N⋅m (295 lb⋅ft) (or 430 N⋅m (317 lb⋅ft) when Sport Boost or Launch Control is active) sent to the rear wheels of the i5 eDrive40,[25] while the addition of an extra electric motor up front on the i5 M60 xDrive allows for 442 kW (601 PS; 593 hp) and 795 N⋅m (586 lb⋅ft) sent to all four wheels (or up to 820 N⋅m (605 lb⋅ft) with Sport Boost or M Launch Control activated).

[28] This electric motor is part of BMW’s fifth-generation e-drive kit, utilizing a current-excited synchronous machine that eliminates the need for permanent magnets and rare earth.

The M60 also gets standard adaptive suspension, a 7.62 mm (0.300 in) lower ride height than the base model, and upgraded brakes.

[47] Customers can store up to five individual Plug & Charge-enabled accounts from different providers in BMW’s iDrive system.