BMW 5 Series Touring Review 2022

The BMW 5 Series Touring is one of the mainstays of the BMW range as well as the premium estate car sector, alongside key rivals like the Audi A6 Avant, Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate and the Jaguar XF Sportbrake. It sticks to the BMW formula too, with rakish, sporty looks, an emphasis on driving pleasure and lots of tech. It’s also helped by a good engine range, and if you choose wisely it need not cost a fortune to run. Ultimately it’s not the best in class in terms of practicality, but it is strong in a range of areas which means it has broad appeal.

If you're after a big premium estate, you've never had it so good. The quality of models from the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and Audi mean there are really no bad choices. Whatever you choose, you're unlikely to be disappointed. In fact there are such fine margins between them, heralding one as the 'best in class' is nigh on impossible.

But this generation of the BMW 5 Series Touring makes a very good case for itself. It's every inch the upmarket estate it presents itself as, with a beautifully finished interior, excellent refinement and a huge load area. It’s not that the outgoing version was a bad car, but the latest generation 5 Series manages to improve in all the key areas.

Longer than before and with a bigger wheelbase, rear space has improved while the boot is a little larger too. The 5 Series Touring is also incredibly refined and the 520d - which is the most common model - is powered by one of the best 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engines around. Diesel may still be off the menu for some buyers, but the combination of performance, economy and low emissions is hard to ignore.

Seriously, this thing is excellent. It's punchy, eager yet quiet and smooth too. It's also economical to run with claimed economy of more than 65mpg. There's no need to look at this as the 'poor relation' in the range, if anything it suits the BMW to a tee. Say it quietly, but unless you just feel the need to spend a heap more money the 520d should be more than capable enough for everyone.

That said, the top diesel is immense. The 530d is available with xDrive four-wheel drive but at close to £50k it's not cheap. However, it's all the car you'll ever need - quick, capable and comfortable.

Even if you go for an M Sport model, the 5 Series Touring rides exceptionally well, helped in no small part by the automatic self-levelling rear suspension which comes as standard on all models. Also standard fit is an eight-speed automatic gearbox - you'll no longer find a manual transmission on a 5 Series Touring. You can also tow up to 2000kg depending on which engine you go for.

While the steering may lack the weight of the the previous 5 Series, this generation actually handles better with the reworked suspension giving it an agility that belies its size. It's speciality may be covering motorway miles in comfort, but the 5 Series Touring's forte is to be found in tight corners. 

Most people won't struggle for space and thanks to a wide opening tailgate and vertical sides, you can pack plenty in for a day out with the kids. If you do want to drop the seats, they fold 40/20/40 giving you extra flexibility if you want to carry something longer but still need space for someone in the back.

The back seats fold down flat via a button in the boot, although unlike a Land Rover Discovery, you have to manually lift them back up afterwards - but it's little hardship. One very neat feature is the fact you can stow the luggage cover and net away in a dedicated space under the boot floor. Drop all the seats and you've got a huge load space of 1700 litres.

Like the previous 5 Series, this one also features the handy separate opening window in the tailgate, which is really useful if you're parked close up to a wall and need to get something out of the boot.

You get leather as standard and can opt for a higher quality leather too, but even the standard plastics and textures are appealing. It also feels well put together, with a reassuring solidity to the controls and switches. There may be the occasionally element of cheap-feeling plastic, but they are pretty well hidden.

BMW has updated its multimedia system with better graphics and nicer looking menus, although anyone familiar with the old system will find the new one very similar. It has the same rotary control dial by the gear lever but the main display is now also a touchscreen and even includes gesture control.

That’s of limited use, but the reality is that the i-Drive system has been so well-honed over the years that it is now very intuitive to use. Particularly on the move it is far easier to use the i-Drive controller rather than the touchscreen, while the graphical display and menus are easy to read and to navigate.

It’s no surprise that the 5 Series Touring is on sale as a new car given its popularity and that the current version was only introduced in 2017. Prices start at £41,165 for the 520i SE, while the 520d SE is just a few pounds more at £41,860.

That compares to £43,510 for the Audi A6 Avant in Sport 40 TDI form and £41,055 for the Mercedes-Benz E 220d Estate, illustrating that the 5 Series is on a par with the key competitors in terms of price. It’s worth noting that SE trim goes all the way up to £53,560 for the 540i xDrive model, with two petrol and three diesel engine options.

M Sport trim starts at £44,665 for the 520i model rising to £57,060 for the top petrol 540i xDrive, while the highest-specification M Sport Edition goes from £48,165 for the 520i rising to £60,560 for the 540i xDrive, with diesel models on both of those trims falling between the two extremes.

If a new 5 Series Touring is a bit out of budget, the good news is that there are plenty of used examples on the market; it’s one of BMW’s most popular models and regular sales means lots of used examples to choose from.

At the newer end of the scale there are plenty of examples that are still only wearing their delivery mileage. A search of the classified ads turned up  several 2019 examples in a variety of specifications - a 520d M Sport with less than 10 miles on the clock was up for £32,000, almost £10,000 off list price.

As for older cars, the earliest 2017 examples are only just coming out of the manufacturer warranty period and so are good value. We found a 2017 520d SE with under 40,000 miles for £19,000.

The 520d offers a claimed 52.3mpg combined, which should mean that 40mpg-plus is attainable with ease - opt for the xDrive version and this drops to 49.6mpg combined. The big 530d isn’t far behind at 46.3mpg either.

Of the petrol options, the 520i declares an official combined figure of 40.4mpg, behind both diesel alternatives, which will mean regularly dipping into the 30s in normal use. Finally the most powerful 540i claims 34.9mpg combined, so you may have to face the horror of regularly getting under 30mpg.

Insurance costs are less avoidable, as you’re paying significant money for a desirable brand.

A 520d SE is your cheapest option, falling into group 30, while the same engine in M Sport trim moves that up to group 31. A 520i falls into group 30 too, whereas the same engine but with additional power in the 530i is group 35. The 540i is in group 40, and the 530d is group 41, so with groups only going up to 50, it would be worth getting some quotes before taking the plunge.

It's further aided by the fact the body of this 5 Series Touring is not only stiffer than before but around 100kg lighter. That hefty weight loss has other advantages - namely fuel economy and handling. True, the steering no longer has the nice weight it did before, but that's the only real criticism here.

Because, while the 5 Series Touring weighs less than before, at around 1800kg it's not exactly a lightweight - this is still a big car. Yet get it onto a nice quiet country lane and you'll see where your money goes. It's agile and surprisingly lithe through corners, with huge reserves of grip and impressive traction. Go for an xDrive model and it feels even more reassuring when accelerating away from a slow corner.

Yet the 5 Series Touring manages to blend this with that excellent ride quality, and it feels incredibly stable at high speeds. This is, after all, a car designed for the Autobahn.

The 2.0-litre diesel is a great fit for the 5 Series Touring, with plenty of in-gear pace and low down pulling power, meaning you'll rarely be wanting for performance. It's quiet too (from in the cabin at least) and works well with the eight-speed automatic which is now standard on all 5 Series Touring models.

But diesel needn't be the default here. Indeed, if you're not covering long distances or do lots of shorter journeys, a petrol will be a far better bet - and will work out cheaper to buy. Plus you'll have no issues with DPFs.

The 520i is, according to BMW, a 'new-generation' four-cylinder petrol engine. Like its predecessor it produces 184PS but has more torque with 290Nm.

However, the big change is an improvement in official fuel economy, up from 42.2mpg in the previous model to more than 52mpg. It's also a bit quicker from 0-62mph if that's your thing.

The 530i rather confusingly uses the same 2.0-litre petrol engine - it's no longer a six-cylinder engine - but it does have plenty of power with 252PS. If you do want a six-cylinder petrol, the 540i is the model for you. It's immensely quick with 340PS and sounds great, but economy is as low as you'd expect - just 38mpg officially and considerably less in real life.

Euro NCAP tested the 5 Series in 2017 and it achieved the full five stars. It achieved a very impressive 91 per cent for adult protection, and 85 per cent for child protection. It also scored well for pedestrian mitigation at 81 per cent, although the safety assist score of 59 per cent is less impressive.

There is also a large offering of optional safety equipment including lane departure warning, adaptive LED headlights, high-beam assistant, front and rear parking sensors and/or camera amongst others.

Choose the Technology Plus package and you get a bundle that includes lane departure warning, cross traffic alert, active cruise control and traffic light recognition plus a host of technology features - it’s not cheap at almost £5,000 but adds everything you could possibly need.

As you would expect for a large estate car, the BMW 5 Series Touring is a capable towing machine. All versions can manage 750kg unbraked, while the braked capacity varies between 1800kg and 2000kg depending on the engine and transmission. xDrive models do not have any additional towing capacity but do offer improved traction in difficult conditions.

Even if you’ve decided the Touring is the car for you, you still need to make some crucial decisions. With a sensible head on, the 520d is all most people will ever need.

It’s surprisingly quick but also the most economical. If it has to be petrol, the 540i is lovely to drive but thirsty - we’d hang on for the plug-in hybrid version. You can have most models in xDrive four-wheel-drive form too, but for most people there’s no need, as it just adds expense and weight.

The two trims available are SE and M Sport, with the latter adding bigger wheels and appealing cosmetic add-ons. The SE is the most sensible, but if you go for the more appealing M Sport we’d suggest specifying either the standard suspension or the upgraded adaptive suspension option; the sports suspension that’s standard on M Sports hurts the ride too much.