2017 BMW 5 Series G30 Drifts During Nurburgring Testing

Nonsense! There's always been something special about the 5 Series, and BMW is only going to offer more of it when the next generation arrives. We know that because of this little piece of spy video footage from the Nurburgring.

Knowing full well that there are dozens of people filming on the side of the track, the driver of this G30 5 Series test prototype did something unthinkable: he let the tail out.

Sometimes during a high-speed corner, a vehicle can accidently slide. But this is not that; it's the throttle stuff we want to see from BMW.

The guy who filmed the car seems to have done a little background check on the license plate and says this is a 550i with a twin-turbo V8 delivering 450 horsepower. That might not be more than most current cars of this type, but the G30 should be lighter, stiffer.

The weight is rumored to go down by as much as 100 kilograms, but that sounds a bit too ambitious. If you exclude the downsized engines and optional smaller fuel tanks, most 5er models will only be about 50 kg lighter.

As far as the styling is concerned, the 2017 5 Series prototype looks like a smaller version of the new 7 Series with hints of the latest BMW design language. Maybe it's just us, but since the debut of the E-Class, everything has started looking the same.

Also like the new E-Class, this G30 model will feature BMW's best technology, outclassing even a flagship model. Rumor has an augmented reality system will project useful information directly on the windshield. So there will be no more of that 'at the roundabout, take the fifth exit" kind of stuff.

If BMW is indeed sticking with the 4.4-liter engine for the 550i, then the rumors about the M5 are also true. Which rumors? Well, apparently, the hardcore model will go all-wheel drive to keep as much as 620 horsepower in check.