New BMW 5 Series wagon to bring all-electric option.
BMW has revealed the new BMW 5 Series Touring, which will arrive with plug-in hybrid and all-electric i5 Touring forms only. Other markets will also have the option of mild-hybrid petrol and diesel versions. Sales of the electric i5 will precede the plug-in hybrid 530e, commencing later in 2024.
This all-new generation BMW 5 Series Touring model draws most of its tech and features from the new 5 Series sedan but packages them into a more practical two-box estate bodystyle. Boot space is rated at 570 litres with the rear seats in place and up to 1700 litres with them folded down, making the carrying capacity marginally smaller than in a rival Mercedes E-Class Estate, which offers 615 litres and 1830 litres, respectively.
The BMW i5 Touring is available with two powertrain options starting with the single-motor eDrive40 that pairs a 250kW rear-mounted electric motor with an 81.2kWh battery pack. BMW is claiming between 483 and 559 kilometres are possible from a charge, with a reasonable 0-100 km/h time of 6.1 seconds.
Above this will sit the high-performance M60 model that adds in a second electric motor and ups power to a far more substantial 441kW on overboost. This reduces the 0-100 km/h time to just 3.9 seconds but also cuts the claimed range to between 445 and 505 kilometres.
Coming later in 2024 will be the 530e plug-in hybrid that shares its 220kW system with the sedan. In this case, BMW pairs a 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor that’s capable of running on battery power for between 84 and 97 kilometres on a full charge. This is comparable to a Mercedes E300e Estate, which shares a 80-odd kilometre EV range.
Alongside the new bodystyle, BMW is launching a new Sport Edition for both sedan and estate i5 models that will provide a less expensive entry-point for the range. These will still include generous standard equipment lists but feature a non M Sport body and 19-inch wheels.