BMW’s latest 5 Series Touring is a fine estate over its competition, but there’s just one thing missing.
What’s new?
After launching the all-new 5 Series in saloon form last year, BMW Thailand has introduced a new body style in the guise of the Touring model.
As estates don’t sell as well as traditional four-door cars in this country, the 5 Series Touring is being imported on a completely built-up basis rather than being finished alongside its saloon sibling in Rayong.
The only other competitors in this particular corner of the luxury car market are the Mercedes-Benz E220d Estate and Volvo V90 D4. Although the Thai BMW office once sold the previous generation of the 5 Series Touring in diesel form, the focus has now been shifted to petrol power.
The so-badged 530i Touring comes with 250hp 2.0-litre petrol-turbo engine, against the 190hp or so 2.0-litre diesel-turbo motors of its two rivals. The BMW costs 4.539 million baht, some 200k less than the Merc and 500k more than what the Volvo asks for.
That said, can the 530i Touring be the luxury estate to be had at the moment, and can its saving of 200k over the 630d Gran Turismo really be worth it?
What’s new?
If you compare the 5 Series Touring against the E-Class Estate and V90 without going into figures, it’s just as practical as the other two load-carriers by featuring a well-shaped boot coupled with all the details inherent in modern-day estates like mesh partition, compartment cover and underfloor trays.
Sure, the 5 Series Touring won’t have that big cabin of the bigger 6 Series GT, but it still has enough space for all passengers. By the way, the fifth occupant will find a more comfortable perch in the 5 Series Touring.
As the four-door 5 Series is already doing a good job in delivering the handling and ride balance it needs to lead the Thai executive car class, estate fans can expect the same with its Touring cousin.
And when you think of the soft driving manners of the 6 Series GT, the 5 Series Touring feels much better to drive by having a lower height for better road-holding, more agility and tauter ride that’s still comfy enough.
Performance-wise, the 530i Touring is rarely short on power and provides plenty of revs to play around with in the typical petrol fashion.
What’s not?
Conceptually speaking, estates are prone to work which is why a diesel engine is usually a better alternative. Of course, punters of 4 million baht vehicles may not give a hoot about fuel consumption, but the diesel’s merit of superior mid-range punch is something to like.
And while the 530i Touring looks as fine value against the E220d, it’s considerably dearer than the spec-laden V90. At least, the 530i Touring comes in M Sport trim featuring nice-looking alloys and interior trim, as well as tan leather as seen this test car.
Buy or bye?
To cut to the chase, the 5 Series Touring would have easily been the outright choice in Thai large estate car market if it came with diesel power. And if it was the four-pot variation, there would also have been a good chance of seeing its retail price being lower than the 530i spec.
But from another perspective, the 250hp-plus petrol engine adds up to driving fun. With such a well-tailored chassis and competitive estate package, the 530i Touring drives a touch better than the E220d and a whole deal more than the V90 D4, the only front-driver here.
Because of that, it’s very easy to separate the 530i Touring from the 630d GT. The former is for true driving fans and the latter appealing to people prioritising comfort instead. These two should be able to co-exist in showrooms desperately attempting to fend off the SUV craze.
