Now that the latest-gen G30 BMW 5 Series sedan is officially out, it’s time for the more practical Touring (estate) model to come into focus. It still won’t be coming to India in a hurry, of course, given we have never warmed up to the estate body style. That said, the Indian market will get the new 5 in sedan form sometime next year. The locally introduced model will come in 520d and 530d guise while the petrol line-up is likely to consist of 520i based trims.
BMW is currently testing the estate model for other markets with lesser camouflage than before. Naturally, the Touring model will have a lot more boot space compared to the sedan. Otherwise, the cabin will be shared with the latter which means the Touring will also get several all-new features such as contact sensors for seat controls, gesture controls, upgraded iDrive and multicolour head-up display.
Underneath the new body shell, the 5 Series Touring will feature an improved, lightweight chassis. In terms of engines, there will be a wide variety of petrol, diesel as well as plug-in hybrid models with four and six cylinder engine configurations. The new 5 Series range will go on sale globally next year and compete with the latest-gen Mercedes E-Class and the Jaguar XF. The Touring, meanwhile, will make its public debut by March next year.