► Latest BMW 5 Series Touring tested
► Petrol and plug-in hybrid, no diesel
► Electric option in i5
Plenty has been said about the new BMW 5 Series, including the estate car Touring version: too bloated, too heavy, too bloody wide. Frankly, it’s all true. My fears were realised when I ran aground along a narrowing street towards the centre of Charlbury. I’m usually pretty good at keeping my nose clean, but the sheer girth of the 5 against a set of high curbs saw me lay a poor front right diamond-cut to waste. Embarrassing.
Beautiful old stone houses on a charming Cotswold street under the woozy haze of a young spring morning. The kind of pastoral heaven you read about in a Thomas Hardy novel, totally ruined by the hysterical invective of a young motoring journalist and his scraped BMW wheel. I’m not sure what the Barbour-clad locals were more horrified by – my cries, the gargantuan satin-black 5 Touring now blocking the road or my crispy-white Nikes/West Ham top combo. Probably all three.
It’s a shame, as otherwise the new 5 Series Touring is one of the best machines I’ve ever driven. It’s been the disputed king of its division for years, but the 5’s perennial opponents have recently upped their game. After a minor identity crisis, the Audi A6 Avant is back with an engine while the Mercedes E-Class Estate brochure now boasts one of the creamiest diesel six-pot options on the market.
Size aside, how does BMW’s chief elongated load-lugger fair in this complicated modern world we now live in? Read on for the full review from CAR, or head over to our how we test cars page to find out how I reached my verdict.
At a glance
Pros: Comfortable ride, tasteful cabin, proper road presence
Cons: Some cheap bits, poor rear leg room, not suitable for tight villages
What’s new?
Everything. This is an all-new generation of BMW 5 Series, with a bigger footprint, a new interior and new engines. The latest car is longer, taller and wider than the outgoing G31 model, the sum of which gives it a far more imposing stance to our eyes.
The engine line up has also been revised, as now only petrol and a plug-in hybrid power train options are available – no diesel 5 Touring in the UK. Inside, you’ll find BMW’s latest infotainment software on its now ubiquitous 14.9-inch curved display.
What are the specs?
The regular BMW 5 Series Touring is available with three engines: a petrol and two plug-in hybrids. If you’ve deep pockets and a fancy for proper unadulterated adrenaline thrills then I might suggest checking out the BMW M5 Touring. If you’d rather emit zero emissions, the BMW i5 Touring. See below for a spec break down of the regular engine line up:
520i petrol – Four-cylinder twin turbo 205bhp, 243ft lbs of torque. 0-62 mph 7.8 seconds, top speed 138 mph. Average fuel economy 42.8–46.3mpg. 1850kg.
530e plug-in hybrid – 2.0-litre four-cylinder twin turbo 294bhp, 331ft lbs of torque. 0-62 mph 6.4 seconds, top speed 137 mph. Average fuel economy 313.9–403.5mpg, 37.7–40.4 with a dead battery. 54–60-mile official electric range (WLTP). 2,140kg.
550e plug-in hybrid – 3.0-litre six-cylinder twin turbo 482bhp, 516ft lbs of torque. 0-62 mph 4.4 seconds, top speed 155 mph. Average fuel economy 256.8–313.9mpg, 33.2–36.2 with a dead battery. 50–55-mile official electric range (WLTP). 2,285kg
What’s it like to drive?
All very civilised. The 530e I had was incredibly comfortable on the road, with a well-engineered degree of float that ironed out most road bumps, but not enough to induce seasickness like the air suspension in the Mercedes E450d. The 5 Touring’s steering is ghostly light as slow speeds and devoid of most feel, but it helped to negotiate the enormous car around tighter village roads. It was welcome, believe me…
But out on the open road, the steering weighted up nicely. The 5’S handling was all very neat and tidy, with a more ambitious front end than I was expecting, though ultimately the clever suspension could only do so much to mask the overall size and weight of the car. Pushing hard began to feel a little inappropriate, as though out of the 5 Touring’s comfort zone, even if the doomy interior lighting display in Sport mode suggested some mean latent dynamic capability.
The 530e felt perfectly fast enough without straying into the realms of exhilarating. The electrical drive assistance played its part well in helping the enormous car to get going – 0-62mph takes 6.4 seconds, which is 1.4-seconds quicker than in the 520i. The surge of power I received by planting my foot into the accelerator was smooth and linear. It felt like a distinguished and well-refined push, which aligned with this version’s unofficial title as the sensible option in the range. Go for the 550e to chase minor thrills. The M5 Touring for mega ones.
What’s the interior like?
Quality in the BMW 5 Touring is generally very good. Class-leading, in fact.
Some elements of the Mercedes E Class’ interior are a bit flimsy, while the latest Audi dashboard design with its excessive use of piano black plastic appears, to my eyes at least, a bit clumsy. In contrast, I think the Bimmer’s dash is smart, well designed and loaded with quality materials. Pretty much all the touch-points felt sturdy and properly assembled, complementing the ultra-modern, near-frameless curved infotainment well.
The software layout itself is a bit of a mess, with myriad tiny widget buttons that are almost a bit of a hazard to try and reach while on the go, but my only real gripe lies with some of the cut spec corners. For example, though they were comfortable, our M Sport test car’s front seats were manually adjustable forward and back.
They were electrically adjustable in other directions, but I had to reach all the way down pull a release leaver beneath the seat, just so I could slide closer to the steering wheel. I know, what a revoltingly strenuous labour… but again I must remind you of the £60k-plus price tag. I don’t loath manually adjusting seats as much as I do poor value for money.
With a 570-litre boot, the BMW 5 Series Touring offers considerably more luggage room than the latest Audi A6 Avant (503 litres), but can’t quite match the 615 litres available in the E Class Estate. Also worth noting that despite the car’s enormous length, there isn’t a wealth of rear-seat leg room.
I’m six-foot-two, and behind my own driving position my knees were cramped while my feet had no room to slip under the seat at all. Bit of a shame – what was I sailing this so inconveniently enormous barge around for if not to accommodate my rear-seat passengers in total luxury?
Before you buy
The BMW 5 Series line up starts from £54,445 for a 520i in M Sport trim. It feels plush for the base-spec option, but then you’d hope it would with a price tag above £50k. Trims are split between M Sport and M Sport Pro for the combustion engine lineup, the M Sport Pro introducing additional aesthetic features including a black kidney grille and bigger wheels. A top-spec M Sport Pro 550e will set up back over £81,000, so prepare to dig deep if you want the extra power.
Verdict
The 5 Series Touring is an institution and the latest model feels as imperious as ever. Any one in search of a big, comfortable estate car with an excellent engine should look no further than the G61 5 Series Touring. It’s better than its rivals and a pleasure to drive, though you have to be careful where you take it.
BMW’s executive estate seems to have outgrown the quaint countryside villages where many of its owners have historically lived. I’m not sure I’d have the patience to run a car of this size unless I had ample room to park it and ample road width to drive it on every day. I think on UK roads I’d be more inclined to run a 3 Series Touring just for the peace of mind, but that’s just me.