BMW 5 Series Touring
You would have to be blind not to have noticed how fashionable SUVs have become. However, that’s the thing with “fashion” it sort of goes in and out of well, fashion – and estate cars are about to make a big comeback!
This is the new BMW 5 Series Touring and it’s always been one of the best estate cars money can buy. The Touring has somehow managed to become less ostentatious than the 5 Series saloon and the extra space it offers means that this is a car that appeals as much to fashionistas as it does to pragmatists. At first glance the latest model looks very similar to its predecessor but this is just when you look at the exterior. On the inside, it’s totally new. The first thing you notice when you sit inside the Touring is the immense amount of quality that surrounds you. Absolutely everything inside feels exemplary, both the plastics and the leather feel incredibly top-notch. The second thing you notice is the design. Ok, it’s typically BMW but for the first time in a long time in a 5 Series it actually feels as though it’s been specifically designed for purpose. Everything just looks really nice and everything is really nice to touch as well.
Naturally, all BMW cars come with their iDrive system which is probably the best on the market at present. Elsewhere, there’s some really good storage under the armrest, under the central console and you’ve also got really large doorbins to put your big bottles of water in. There is however one tiny bugbear inside this car and it’s somewhat of a chink in the BMW armour. Although everything feels exquisitely well-made there’s a slight exception with the cubby holder located on the right side of the steering wheel. It just seems to be made of a really cheap plastic which wouldn’t even be acceptable on a £10k supermini let alone a £40k BMW estate!
Entry level SE cars come with 17 or 18 inch alloys depending on which engine you pick along with digital dashboard dials, ambient lighting, LED headlights, sat nav, leather seats and all round parking sensors. Upgrade to the M Sport and you’re essentially paying for a body-kit and larger alloy wheels. Although you do get a chunkier steering wheel and some upgrades pieces of interior trim. Most of the high-tech goodies lie in the options list. It’s here that you’ll find things like the panoramic sunroof and adaptive dampers both of which we’d recommend.
In the back it’s just as sublime as it is in the front mainly because there’s lots and lots of space. If you’re of an average height then you’ll find that you’ll have lots and lots of knee room and even with the panoramic glass roof you’ll have plenty of head room too. You can just about fit three people along the back seats. Once the middle passenger manages to lift their leg over the transmission hump then they’ll be ok for a short journeys. Long journeys might be more of a task as for them as the middle seat itself is a bit flat and uncomfortable. There are iSOFix points on both outer seats which are easily reachable for practicality. Overall, it does feel quite light and spacious at the back and a generally nice place to be.
Around at the back and it’s here where the BMW 5 Series estate’s star attraction really lies. The first thing to mention is that this car’s got a split tailgate which is totally unique for a car in this class. It actually allows you to load items in without having to lift up the whole tailgate. All you have to do is press a little button and the glass lifts up and the parcel shelf neatly rolls back which allows you to put your light items in. if you need to lift up the whole thing then it’s relatively straight forward. Just press another button and you’ll find that the entire thing raises up quite quickly. Once the tailgate is up then it reveals a boot that’s of a very good size and shape. The size of the boot is about 570 litres which is similar to the Jaguar XF Sportbrake but about 10% smaller than the gargantuan Mercedes E Class estate. However, this boot is actually larger than the Volvo V90 so the 5 Series really does have the best of both worlds. You’ll find some neat little touches in the boot as well such as the fact that the parcel shelf can fold away under the boot floor. There’s also some underfloor storage which is always useful to have. The rear seats also fold completely flat not only giving you even more room but enabling you to push your items all the way through really easily.
BMW offers the Touring with two petrol options and three diesels. The 530i is a 2.0 litre 4 cylinder petrol and the 540i is a 3.0 litre straight six. It will be the diesels that most buyers will gravitate towards. Of these diesels most buyers will be going for the 520d with its 187 break horse power (BHP) 2.0 litre 4 cylinder engine. We say “most” buyers because it offers a decent amount of power for most people. 0-60 takes just under 8 seconds and if you put your foot to the floor at around 60mph you’ll find that there’s a decent amount of pick-up. BMW also say that this version will do 65 miles to the gallon (mpg) which we think it a little unrealistic – expect more like 45-55 mpg which is still ok. You can have this engine with two-wheel drive or BMW’s xDrive four-wheel drive. However, the four-wheel drive models have a negative impact in terms of fuel economy and company car tax. Therefore, unless you live out in the sticks then we would suggest you stick with the two-wheel drive models. If you really want some extra oomph and are happy to pay for it at your local dealership then the 525d diesel won’t really make you pay for it at the pumps as it returns an economy in the low 60s. The 520d is in the mid 50s while the 530i and 540i petrol will manage around 45 and 35 mpg respectively. Whichever engine you go for, adding four-wheel drive will negatively affect fuel consumption by approximately 10%.
It’s not just the motorway that the 5 Series Touring feels really good. The other place is the typical British B-road. The whole car just feels really nimble and agile. The Touring only weighs 35kg more than the saloon and this really is negligible but both cars feel really fun to drive. If we look at the negatives then we’d have to say that the steering isn’t as good as you’d want it to be. It’s far more responsive than the types you find on the Mercedes E Class and the Volvo V90 but the Jaguar XF has a far crisper setup. Another thing we don’t particularly like about this car is some of the technology. For example, the BMW iKey is very clever. It’s really clever if you have the self-parking feature but if you don’t go for self-parking then we can’t really see the point of it because the information that it does show is no different from the information you get on your smartphone. It’s also very big and cumbersome, it’s expensive and you always have to remember to put it in the wireless charging bay otherwise it will just lose battery – fast!
When you’ve got a car that’s fundamentally sound, overwhelmingly appealing then any option you add is pretty much garnish. It would be far better to keep things simple and just enjoy the fact that the BMW 5 Series Touring is one of the best estate cars available. If the new 5 Series Turing is a little out of your budget then take a look at some of our used BMW 5 Series cars for sale.
