The new 5-series is as cutting edge as any BMW mainstream car has been.

The luxury carmaker has taken a much more daring approach to its designs of late. The larger 7-series is an example of more invention in what has traditionally been a conservative area. Now it adopts a similar approach to the new Five.

No doubt its success in sculpting such visual delights as the Z4 have emboldened it to be that bit more daring.

The 5-series will be unveiled here on October 1, and with its curves and edges carving out a memorable profile, I think it will make an impact on the tarmac.

But, as any Beemer owner will tell you, they don’t necessarily buy the visuals (though that little blue and white logo is a major statement in itself).

They buy the ‘drive’ which they believe a Beemer, and especially a 5-series can deliver better than anything else.

So they will be looking to some other revolutions.

And they will find them in the engines, suspensions (aluminium), and a whole series of technological advances (Active Front Steering). Unseen they may be but, on my preview test drive, they were not unnoticed.

The major serious complaint about the old 5series was the limited amount of room for rear seat passengers.

They’ve taken it to heart and, in a much bigger cabin, ladled out far more room for those behind.

I still think the old adversary and main competitor Mercedes E-Class has an edge in this department.

However, I found that with the driver's seat set to accommodate a six-foot-plus frame, there was abundant room for a similar-sized passenger to sit immediately behind.

The crucial thing as far as BMW were concerned was making more room without losing the tautness of chassis and sprightliness of drive which earned its predecessor several best-in-the-world plaudits.

After a couple of reasonably lively drives on the preview test, I believe it is fair to say there are few to match this on that front. Indeed, there are all sorts of additional advances which make it, in my opinion, unrivalled in terms of handing and ride, though the Merc shades it on overall space and cabin deportment.

However, there was such an assured, dynamic feel to this on the road that other considerations had to take a back seat. It is exceptional - thanks in part to wider track, longer wheelbase, the IV design rear axle, brilliant load distribution, six-speed gearbox and (optional) Active Steering.

Use of aluminium also significantly aids agility as the car is 75kgs lighter.

We were blessed to have both the 3-litre petrol and 3-litre commonrail turbodiesel (2,993cc, 218bhp) to extract the sort of dynamism few cars of this genre can deliver. The petrol (2,979cc, 231bhp) had a sharpness and top end punch about it but the diesel was awesome in its delivery of power and pull.

Photos of the car do not it justice. The front and rear have several distinctive nuances that do not come across. Maybe the one area where there is a weakness in the design is in the profile of the rear third. The boot is deep and high, giving the car a strong wedge shape (and four-golf-bag boot room), but the rear wheels look disproportionately small as a result.

The cabin has more than room. It has clean lines, an uncluttered dash and a thankfully simplified iDrive system to control all main functions.

Innovations include Active Front Steering, which gives a more direct feel at all speeds and reduces the number of wheel turns for parking.

Their Head-Up display is an aviation practice now being introduced to the 5-series. It allows most of the instrument information to be projected at
eye level `on' the end of the bonnet without distracting your attention. Runflat tyres are also offered as an option.

But forget the extras. The real ones come as standard.

The initial engine lineup for Ireland will comprise all straight-six powerplants: the 530i, 530d and the 520i (2,171cc, 170bhp).

Prices and equipment have yet to be worked out for here but they're about 5pc higher for Germany.

The price of progress.