BMW 5 Series Touring Review & Prices

The BMW 5 Series Touring is a posh estate car with a plug-in hybrid engine that makes it ideal as a practical family car, or for company car drivers looking for something comfortable to rack up miles in. It’s a bit like a Burberry backpack, because it’s posh and practical in equal measure.

SUVs might be the on-trend choice, but there are plenty of estate alternatives to consider if you prefer to sit lower in the car. Other posh estates include the Audi A6 Avant and Mercedes E-Class Estate, or you could opt for a well-specced Volkswagen Passat.

The 5 Series Touring isn’t the best-looking car, with odd angular lines in the bodywork that never feel quite as cohesive as more elegantly styled generations of old.

Things get better inside, though, with a clean design for the most part. You get a smart piece of trim splitting the dashboard widthways and a pair of screens above this. BMW’s infotainment tech is some of the best in the business, with crisp displays and intuitive menu navigation.

Boot space is up on the BMW 5 Series Saloon, increasing from that car’s 520 litres to 570 litres. Not a huge leap, but the more boxy shape should make it easier to load large items. It’s worth noting the Mercedes E-Class Estate has a roomier boot than this and the Audi A6 Avant, with the BMW’s boot the smallest of the trio.

At launch, there’s just the one plug-in hybrid engine option. Called 530e, it combines a 2.0-litre petrol engine with an electric motor to make 184hp, while the battery provides a range of nearly 60 miles. This will be particularly appealing to company car drivers because of the favourable Benefit-in-Kind rate, though for the same reason the all-electric i5 Touring is also worth a look. Another plug-in hybrid, as well as a regular petrol engine, will join the line-up later.

Although we’ve not been behind the wheel of this new model just yet, it’s likely to drive very much like the 5 Series Saloon. As such, you can expect a refined and comfortable car that’s at its best at motorway speeds, though perhaps not as much fun on a twisty road as its predecessors.

If you’re interested in this car, find out how much you could save with Carwow’s BMW 5 Series Touring deals. You can also get a great price on a used 5 Series Touring, as well as other used BMW models. When it’s time to sell your current car, Carwow can help with that, too.

To begin with, the BMW 5 Series Touring is only available in M Sport or M Sport Pro trim with a plug-in hybrid engine. Prices start at less than £62,000, but add a couple of equipment packs and that can rise to more than £72,000.

That means its starting price is currently higher than alternatives, but it’s less than the entry price of a Mercedes E-Class Estate hybrid (about £67,000) and only a bit more than the Audi A6 Avant hybrid (circa £61,000).