Another day, another piece of wagon-shaped forbidden fruit. BMW’s newest debut is the 5 Series Touring, the longroof version of the eighth-generation midsize sedan. Beyond our general penchant for wagons, what makes this latest 5 Series Touring even more enticing are its lineup of powertrains, which includes a fully electric model for the first time.
The 5 Series Touring will be available with a number of internal combustion motors, including diesels and plug-in-hybrid gas engines. The 520d has a turbodiesel inline-4 with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, and a six-cylinder diesel will come later this year. The 530e PHEV pairs a gas turbo four with an electric motor for 295 horsepower and 60 miles of electric range; choosing all-wheel drive brings that range down by a bit.
But the electric i5 versions are what we’re really interested in. The base i5 eDrive40 has one electric motor at the rear axle that produces 335 hp and 317 pound-feet of torque, with a 6.1-second 0-to-62-mph time and a range of up to 348 miles on the optimistic European WLTP cycle. More exciting is the top-end i5 M60 variant. Like in the sedan, the M60 features a dual-motor powertrain that makes 593 hp and 605 lb-ft and can rocket the wagon to 62 mph in 3.9 seconds, just a tenth off of the sedan’s time. BMW says the M60 has up to 314 miles of range on the WLTP cycle. Both i5 variants have an 81.2-kWh battery pack that can be fast-charged at up to 205 kW.
BMW says the 5 Series Touring has a perfect 50:50 weight distribution, and PHEV and EV models have rear-axle air suspension with automatic self-leveling. The M60 comes standard with adaptive dampers, a sportier suspension setup and bigger brakes, and options include electronically controlled shocks, variable-ratio power steering, “new lateral dynamics management,” and the Adaptive M Chassis Professional that has active anti-roll stabilization.
I’m already a fan of the new 5 Series’ design (controversial, I know), and I think the Touring looks even better. Everything from the B-pillar back is unique to the Touring, and it’s 3.8 inches longer, 1.3 inches wider, 0.7 inches taller and rides on a 0.8-inch-longer wheelbase than the outgoing Touring.The sharply raked rear glass, hatch spoiler and angular Hofmeister kink at the kicked-up D-pillar all give the Touring an athletic silhouette, and the slim taillights flow nicely with the lines of the hatch.
Cargo space is pretty much the same as the outgoing 5 Series Touring, splitting the difference between the Audi A6 Avant and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon, and the PHEV and EV’s battery packs don’t cut into cargo space. Sadly, it seems as if the old 5 Series Touring’s separately opening hatch glass wasn’t retained for the new generation. The Touring’s interior design is identical to the sedan, with a large curved display and BMW’s animated Interaction Bar spanning the dash. The interior comes with vegan upholstery as standard, but leather is still available, and a huge panoramic glass roof is a new option.
As with the past few generations of 5 Series Touring, this new model won’t be coming to the U.S., at least not in these guises. Rumors have been persisting for a while that not only will BMW make an M5 Touring for the first time since the V10-powered E60 generation, the new M5 wagon will actually be sold in America. It will use a version of the V8 PHEV setup that’s found in cars like the XM, with more than 700 hp and an electric range of a few dozen miles. Expect the M5 Touring to be unveiled later this year.
