BMW Adds 5 Series to Security List

For those who don’t quite trust their business partners, or neighbours for that matter, BMW has released another high security vehicle range to add to the X5 Security. The 5 Series Security now comes with armoured plating for 530i and 550i. This added peace of mind has a weight penalty of some 250kg, which BMW says is quite negligible but is not exactly quite so, especially if you consider that this is the combined weight of three average, full-sized men. That’s an extra trio in your interior trying to dodge whatever threat it is you may be running from, all at the same time with the same engines. According to its makers the 5 Series Security models can withstand force from something like a .44 Magnum – useful if you are in a Clint Eastwood film as well – and the use of Aramid mats on the roof and floor as well as the doors strengthens the car, while steel plates further ensure an intrusion-free cabin. The mats material is similar to that used in bulletproof vests and also provides resistance to heat, fire and even acid if it’s your mad chief engineer you’ve pissed off. Windows are fitted in 22mm glass-and-plastic material and there is no room for a projectile, shrapnel or shattered glass to invade the inside.

The 530i and 550i Security versions respectively keep their 3.0-litre straight six and 4.8-litre V8 naturally aspirated engines. These produce 200kW and 315Nm for the 530i and 270kW (490Nm) in the 550i.