BMW V5

Text: Dan Strong / Photos: Stefan Baldauf

01st October 2007

Forget 4x4s. BMW’s latest target is the MPV market – and Auto Express has the pictures to prove it.

These are the first images of the company’s all-new V5 people carrier, which our spies caught undergoing testing on roads in Germany.

Although BMW has officially said that the car has no direct rivals, one source told us that the greatest competition is likely to come from Ford’s excellent S-MAX seven-seater. Unlike the slow-selling Mercedes R-Class, the V5 will aim to make the most of its more compact dimensions, and also avoid conflict with BMW’s recently revealed X6 off-road coupé.

Dubbed the ‘Space Functional Concept’ by insiders at the firm, the newcomer is set to be the first in a series of V-badged cars, with a V3 and pos­sibly a V7 likely to follow. All these models will combine impressive practicality with decent handling, and take power from the manufacturer’s line-up of ultra-efficient engines.

The cabin is set to offer driver and passengers a variety of seating configurations, from two rows of three seats – giving the V5 the capacity to carry up to six people – to a more luxurious two-by-two layout, similar to that in the new X6.

The arrangement of the cabin is also tipped to be extremely versatile, which means owners will be able to fold and stow individual chairs to suit a variety of different needs.

Production of the V5 will take place alongside the X5 off-roader at BMW’s Spartanburg plant in South Carolina, US. It’s due in dealers here in 2009, and will be priced slightly higher than the equivalent 5-Series saloon.

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