Details of 5 Series Touring announced ahead of 2024 launch.
Readers familiar with this writer would know that I prefer wagons or estates to sedans. And so, writing with great glee, I'm thrilled to share with you that there will be a wagon version of the BMW 5 Series for this generation.
This is the sixth BMW 5 Series Touring, born out of the eighth-generation 5 Series. Code-named G61, as opposed to the G60 sedan version, the official launch in Germany, many other European countries and Japan will begin in May 2024. Other markets are set to follow in June 2024.
Compared to its predecessor, the new G61 is 97mm longer at 5,060mm, 32mm wider at 1,900mm and 17mm taller at 1,515mm. This 5'er Touring has the longest wheelbase in its class, increasing by 20 millimetres to 2,995 millimetres.
For the first time, the 5'er Touring will be available as a battery electric vehicle (EV or BEV), and headlining the EV segment is the i5 M60 xDrive Touring.
Two electric motors powering all four wheels put down a searing 517hp in standard mode and a scorching 601hp in My Mode SPORT.
The century sprint is done and dusted in just 3.9 seconds, and top speed is a claimed 230km/h. WLTP range is said to be 445-506km, and the battery pack can be charged at up to 205kW at a suitable DC fast charger.
If that's too much excitement for you, the i5 in eDrive40 Touring guise sports just a single electric motor driving the rear wheels, and puts down 313hp in standard mode and 340hp in My Mode SPORT.
0-100km/h is dispatched in a claimed 6.1 seconds and the i5 eDrive40 Touring will run all the way up to 193km/h. WLTP range is said to be between 483-560km. Again, the battery pack can be charged at up to 205kW at a suitable DC fast charger.
If a full EV is not your cuppa just yet, there's also a plug-in hybrid 530e Touring, which will be available with rear-wheel drive or xDrive all-wheel drive.
A two-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine producing 190hp and 310Nm of torque is paired with an electric motor that produces 184hp and 250Nm of torque. This then totals 299hp and 450Nm overall, and no, it's not a straightforward addition of numbers.
0-100km/h comes and goes in 6.4 seconds. On electric power alone, one can drive at up to 140km/h with a claimed WLTP range of 84-96km for the rear-wheel drive variant and 79-89km for the xDrive version.
Finally, there's the 520d Touring in both rear-wheel drive and xDrive all-wheel drive guises. With 197hp and 400Nm of torque from its two-litre inline four-cylinder turbodiesel engine, 0-100km/h is dispatched in just 7.5 seconds.
Both variants also feature 48-volt mild hybrid technology, and WLTP fuel economy is claimed to be 5.3–5.9-litres/100 km for the rear-wheel drive variant and 5.7-6.2-litres/100 km for the xDrive version.
No details yet on a 520i petrol-powered 5 Series Touring, which would be applicable to Singapore's market, but we'll bring you more once the local launch happens. If it happens, we expect it to be the same two-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder putting out 190hp and 310Nm of torque as found in the G60 5 Series sedan.
On the inside, the first item of note is the BMW Curved Display. Its 12.3-inch Information Display and the Control Display with a screen diagonal of 14.9 inches form a fully digital display network. BMW Operating System 8.5 makes its appearance in the 5'er Touring.
Clockwise from top-left: i5 M60 xDrive Touring, i5 eDrive40 Touring, 520d Touring, 530e Touring
New sports seats are fitted as standard. The steering wheel is now flatter at the bottom. There's also an optional BMW Interaction Bar.
The 5'er Touring has a completely vegan interior as standard. The seat surfaces in the Veganza version are also optionally available with a decorative quilting. Further optional equipment includes BMW Individual Merino leather upholstery in several bi-colour variants.
Other highlights of the optional equipment programme include the panoramic glass roof and the Bowers & Wilkins Surround Sound System with up to 18 loudspeakers.
This new 5'er Touring offers more space and noticeably more leg, shoulder and elbow room, especially in the rear, as well as optimised acoustic comfort. Good for those family road trips up north, and I don't just mean to KL. Think further afield, to the land of tom yum.
A wider luggage compartment opening combined with a low sill makes it easy to stow large items of luggage. This is why I love wagons. They ride lower like sedans, and have lots of practicality similar to SUVs.
With the rear seatbacks up, 570-litres of boot space is available.
Remotely unlock the 40:20:40 split rear seatbacks from the luggage compartment, drop them all and 1,700-litres of Giant- and Ikea-swallowing capaciousness opens up.
Storage compartments under the load compartment floor provide space for the luggage compartment partition net, luggage compartment cover and charging cable for the all-electric and plug-in hybrid models.
Being a BMW, expect technology up the wazoo, such as the optional Driving Assistant Professional including Steering and Lane Control Assist and Distance Control with Stop & Go function.
Park Assistant is standard, while the optional Parking Assistant Professional enables automated parking and manoeuvring up to 200 metres that's controlled from outside the car using a smartphone.
That's just the tip of the iceberg, folks. More to come, stay tuned.
Photo Credits: BMW