Bmw 5 Touring, road test of the 520d. Here's what the diesel wagon looks and feels like

The sixth generation of BMW's largest station wagon begins its career with the full range and, like the 5 Series saloon, also starts with two full-electric offerings, making the new 5 Touring the first family car from the German manufacturer to offer a zero-emission option. In addition, for the first time in history there is no 520i version in the range, instead present in the saloon in a 48 V mild hybrid configuration. Technology that the 5 Touring also offers with the four- and six-cylinder turbodiesel engines that are its battering ram to break into the fleet world.

The 5 Touring inherits much from the saloon from which it differs in practice only in the definition of the rear bodywork. In fact, it too rests on the larger multi-energy BMW platform and is larger than its predecessor, since the 5 Touring is also 5.06 metres long, 1.90 metres wide, 1.51 metres high and has a wheelbase of almost 3 metres. With dimensions that are typical of flagship cars, the new station wagon contrasts the sleek lines of the 5 saloon up to the middle of the side with a stylistic definition of the rear that does not alter the monolithic balance of the appearance and also goes to great lengths to optimise aerodynamics, even going so far as to give the 5 Touring a sleek silhouette. A characteristic that is not lost on the road depending on what is concealed inside the bonnet, since with the sole exclusion of the most powerful version of all, which is the electric finished according to the dictates of the M(otorsport department) only a few small details make it possible to distinguish one version from another.  

The dimensions and layout of the architecture are reflected in the interior of the 5 Touring, creating a very spacious environment. The large passenger compartment, where only the transmission tunnel makes life more difficult for those who have to sit in the middle back, is furnished in a mirror-image to that of the saloon and in a refined manner, harmoniously integrating the on-board technologies and dominated by the curved widescreen in front of the passengers' eyes that flanks the 12.3-inch instrumentation display with the 14.9-inch infotainment display. The system is responsive, exploits the 8.5 version of BMW's Linux-based operating system, offers shortcuts to quickly reach the desired functionality and many apps, including those for watching movies or playing video games while the car is stationary to kill time while charging a plug-in hybrid or electric 5 Touring. It also projects augmented reality into the instrumentation and changes graphics according to the driving mode set: Personal, Sport, Relax, Efficiency and Expression. The space available to passengers does not affect that of the load area which, regardless of the engine, thanks to the rationality of the multi-energy architecture, has a capacity ranging from 570 to 1,700 litres, which is even greater than that offered by the previous 5 Touring. The luggage compartment can be accessed easily thanks also to the threshold that is not too high from the ground, but there is no longer the practical rear window that opens separately from the tailgate, which will certainly be missed by 5 Touring loyalists.  

The multi-energy architecture on which all 5 Series models are based supports the presence of the 2-litre 48V mild-hybrid four-cylinder engine with 197 horsepower of the 520d available with rear-wheel drive sDrive and all-wheel drive xDrive, the 3-litre six-cylinder turbodiesel with 266 horsepower and 303 horsepower of the 540d xDrive, the plug-in hybrid system based on a 2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 299 horsepower of the 530e offered with rear-wheel or all-wheel drive promising electric ranges of up to 100 kilometres and, finally, the electric powertrains of the i5. That is, the single-engine eDrive40 rear-wheel drive with 340 horsepower and the twin-engine, four-wheel drive i5M60 with 601 horsepower powered by an 81.2 kWh battery promising up to 560 kilometres of electric range, rechargeable in DC up to 205 kW from 10 to 80 per cent in half an hour by simply plugging the car into a charging station. So, without having to fiddle with apps and cards from the various electricity suppliers. The eDrive40 can also be recharged with 11 kW alternating current completely in eight and a half hours and the M60 also with 22 kW, in this case in four and a half hours. The technical equipment of the 5 Series also includes technologies that optimise dynamism such as all-wheel steering and four suspension options, including one with pneumatic elements on the rear axle to level out the set-up of the plug-in hybrid and electric versions.  

We got acquainted with the new Bavarian station wagon by driving one of the versions that will be among the most popular in our part of the world: the 520d xDrive equipped with the optional adaptive suspension combined with rear steering. In spite of its size and mass bordering on 1,900 kg, the 520d moves through bends with the precision and agility of a less rugged car, always offering remarkable comfort in terms of both road roughness absorption and acoustics. The drivability is therefore pleasant and instinctive, thanks also to the support of the prompt and linear delivery of the turbo-diesel engine that, when necessary, also unleashes a nice verve with which it pushes this 520d Touring to 218 mph and 100 km/h in 7.5 seconds. As for actual consumption at the end of the test, which also took place on a long stretch of mountain roads, the on-board computer displayed an average of 8 l/100 kilometres, or 12.5 kilometres to the gallon.