BMW has revealed the new 5 Series Touring, an estate version of the 5 Series saloon launched just last year. Promising greater practicality than the four-door model, but the same range of petrol, hybrid and electric powertrain options, the newcomer is available to order in Ireland now.
Space race
The new 5 Series Touring looks exactly as expected, with the same nose as the saloon and a sleek rear end design that's in keeping with the car's modern, chunky aesthetic. The long roofline and sloping rear window are intended to keep some of the car's sportiness, but it remains a practical shape.
Compared with the old 5 Series Touring, the new one is a slightly larger car, measuring 97mm longer and 32mm wider, as well as 17mm taller, with an extra 20mm between the two axles. That means it has the longest wheelbase in its class, allowing BMW to squeeze extra legroom into the rear seats, while elbow- and shoulder-room in the front and rear have been improved. The boot aperture is wider than before, too.
But in terms of outright cargo capacity, the difference is minimal. Like the old 5 Series Touring, the new model has a 570-litre boot that grows to 1,700 litres when the rear seats are folded. However, BMW has changed the packaging of the car, so every variant - whether electric, petrol or hybrid - will have the same luggage space. That wasn't true of the old model, so the plug-in 5 Series Touring effectively gets a sizeable uplift in carrying capacity.
Tech spec
Like the 5 Series saloon, the Touring is fitted with bags of technology, including BMW's Curved Display housing the digital instrument display and the German brand's latest-generation touchscreen in one curved unit.
The two screens include most of the vehicle functions, including climate control, which leaves plenty of space on the dash for the BMW Interaction Bar - a plastic light bar with integrated touch-sensitive controls for the air vents and hazard lights. As well as housing that switchgear, though, the system also includes ambient lighting features including dynamic light animation to highlight open doors or incoming phone calls.
As with the saloon, the 5 Series Touring is expected to be available with an optional gaming system built into the touchscreen. Using smartphones as controllers, the system allows occupants to play arcade-style games head-to-head.
Naturally, that isn't the only technology in there. The 5 Series Touring will get the same iDrive rotary controller as the saloon, allowing drivers who know their way around the system to navigate almost by touch, while voice assistant technology will also feature.
Electric from launch
Infotainment technology isn't the only kind of tech in the 5 Series Touring, because BMW has promised to launch the new model in electric 'i5' form. Two different versions will be available - the eDrive40 and the M60 xDrive - and both will come with the same 81.2kWh battery pack.
The single-motor, rear-wheel-drive eDrive40 will be the base option, offering 340hp for a 6.1-second 0-100km/h time, while also offering a range of 483-560km on a single charge. That means it's slightly slower than the 5 Series saloon and marginally less efficient, but the differences are very small.
The M60 xDrive, meanwhile, comes with two motors, giving it all-wheel drive and 601hp, meaning a blistering 0-100km/h time of 3.9 seconds, but cutting the range somewhat to 445-506km.
Both cars will be available with 205kW DC charging capability, which will in theory allow the eDrive40 to gain 149km of range in 10 minutes at maximum charging speed. As ever, that will depend on whether you can find a charger powerful enough to feed the battery that quickly.
Petrol power
Following on from the i5 models, the 5 Series Touring will eventually be available in combustion- and hybrid-powered forms. The 530e plug-in hybrid will be available from the summer, combining a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor integrated into the gearbox, while a rechargeable battery will provide the ability to travel up to 96km without troubling the engine. When both the engine and motor are used together, the car will send 299hp to its rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Diesel versions of the 5 Series will also be built by BMW in Germany, but they aren't expected to be available in Ireland, while pure petrol versions are expected at a later date, most likely the 520i. A high-performance 'M' petrol version of the 5 Series Touring may also arrive in 2025, but BMW has not confirmed if or when it will come to Ireland.
On the subject of the Irish market, BMW Ireland has confirmed that the i5 eDrive40 Touring will start at €92,880, while the i5 M60 Touring is priced from €121,980.