BMW 5er Touring Review: The Family Wagon That Secretly Wants to Be a Business Jet

You know that moment when your life outgrows your car? The stroller jams diagonally into the trunk, the dog rides shotgun, the kids are fighting over legroom, and your elegant sedan suddenly feels more like a cramped rideshare than a premium space you actually enjoy being in.

That's the point where most people surrender to a bulky SUV. Higher, heavier, thirstier, and somehow less fun. But what if you could have space, comfort, and proper driving pleasure—without giving up that low, planted, grand-touring feel?

Enter the BMW 5er Touring, BMW’s latest 5 Series wagon. It’s the quiet revolution in a world obsessed with crossovers: a long-roof luxury car built for real life, not Instagram, and engineered to turn every commute, airport run, and holiday road trip into something that feels…effortless.

Why the BMW 5er Touring Feels Like the Real-World Fix

The BMW 5er Touring (BMW 5 Series Touring) takes the core of the new G60 5 Series sedan and stretches it into a sleek wagon body with serious practicality. On BMW’s own site, the latest 5er Touring (G61, launched 2024) is positioned as the all-rounder: business class up front, cargo bay in the back, with options ranging from diesel and plug-in hybrid to the fully electric BMW i5 Touring.

Where SUVs give you height, the 5er Touring gives you balance. Long wheelbase, low center of gravity, and that classic BMW rear-biased feel. You’re not towering over traffic—you’re cutting through it.

According to early test drives from European outlets and owner discussions on forums and Reddit, the big themes keep repeating: refinement, space, and an almost eerie sense of calm at speed. Owners praise the ride quality, hushed cabin, and the tech suite that finally feels properly modern, not bolted-on.

Why this specific model?

There are plenty of premium wagons and crossovers on the market, but the BMW 5er Touring sits in a very specific sweet spot: executive car comfort with wagon practicality and genuine driver appeal.

• Space that actually works: The 5er Touring offers a flat, wide cargo area that easily swallows luggage, sports gear, or family gear. With the rear seats folded, you’re basically in small-van territory—without the van.
• Powertrains for how you really drive: Depending on the market, you get efficient diesels, smooth gasoline engines, plug-in hybrids, and the all-electric i5 Touring. That means you can tailor the car to long-distance commuting, urban plug-in use, or full EV life.
• Electric without range panic: The i5 Touring variants (like the eDrive40 and M60 in many markets) bring impressive real-world range and fast-charging speeds comparable to the i5 sedan, making this one of the first truly credible electric family wagons.
• Tech that’s finally cohesive: BMW’s Curved Display with iDrive 8.5 (and rolling updates) pulls together navigation, media, driver assistance, and EV tools in a more intuitive UI than older BMW systems. Over-the-air updates mean the car actually improves over time.
• Comfort that doesn’t kill the fun: Adaptive suspension, optional air suspension at the rear on some variants, and refined noise insulation make the 5er Touring a superb long-distance car, while still delivering that BMW steering precision that enthusiasts look for.

In other words, this isn’t just a sedan with a longer roof. It’s a car designed around how people actually use space—families, business travelers, dog owners, weekend cyclists—and how they want to feel behind the wheel.

At a Glance: The Facts

Feature	User Benefit
Large wagon cargo area (rear seats up/down)	Room for families, luggage, sports gear, or dogs without needing a bulky SUV; fold seats for near-van utility on road trips or Ikea runs.
Multiple powertrains incl. diesel, plug-in hybrid, and fully electric i5 Touring	Choose what fits your lifestyle: long-range diesel for highway warriors, PHEV for city commuters, or EV for quiet, zero-emission cruising.
BMW Curved Display with iDrive 8.5	Large, high-res screens and a modern interface bring navigation, media, and vehicle controls into a clean, driver-focused cockpit.
Advanced driver assistance (adaptive cruise, lane keeping, parking aids)	Reduces fatigue on long drives, helps in traffic jams, and makes parking a big wagon in tight city spots far less stressful.
Refined chassis with adaptive suspension options	Comfortable, composed ride for family trips, yet still responsive and confidence-inspiring on twisty roads or fast autobahn stretches.
Premium interior materials and acoustic insulation	Quiet cabin that feels like business class, making even daily commutes or late-night drives noticeably less tiring.
Digital services and over-the-air software updates	Car stays up to date with new features and improvements over time, improving navigation, charging, and connectivity without dealer visits.

What Users Are Saying

Scroll through owner reports, forums, and Reddit threads about the latest 5 Series and i5 Touring and a pattern emerges.

The big pros:

• Ride & refinement: Owners praise how quiet and composed the car feels at highway speeds, especially in the electrified versions. Wind and road noise are impressively suppressed.
• Interior quality: Materials feel premium, with a clean, modern layout. The ambient lighting and trim options give it a more lounge-like vibe than previous generations.
• Tech & screens: The Curved Display earns strong marks for clarity and responsiveness. Apple CarPlay/Android Auto integration is smooth, and EV owners especially like the charging and range visualization.
• Driving feel: Despite the move toward more comfort and electrification, people still describe the 5er Touring as precise and confidence-inspiring, especially compared to softer crossovers.

The common cons:

• Weight and size: Particularly in the electric i5 Touring and high-spec variants, some enthusiasts note that the car feels heavy. It’s very stable, but not as playful as older, lighter 5 Series wagons.
• Touch-first controls: While the tech is modern, some users miss physical buttons for climate and frequently-used functions, finding the reliance on screens and touch surfaces a bit distracting.
• Price: This is a premium wagon, and fully loaded configurations—especially EV models—are expensive. Many users love the car but admit the value equation depends heavily on local incentives and company-car tax rules.

Overall sentiment, though, is strongly positive: a car that feels like a genuine step forward in comfort, tech, and usability—without totally abandoning the BMW DNA.

Behind the 5er Touring is BMW AG, the German automotive giant listed under ISIN: DE0005190003, which continues to push this blend of electrification, digitalization, and traditional driving dynamics across its lineup.

Alternatives vs. BMW 5er Touring

If you’re looking at the BMW 5er Touring, you’re probably also considering a few key rivals and some obvious SUV options.

• Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate: Traditionally the go-to luxury wagon, the E-Class Estate leans even harder into comfort and elegance. Its cabin design is stunning, and the ride is plush, but BMW tends to edge it out for driving engagement and, in electric form, the i5 Touring is ahead on the EV-wagon front.
• Audi A6 Avant: The A6 Avant delivers a beautifully built interior and rock-solid highway manners. However, its infotainment can feel more menu-heavy, and Audi doesn’t yet offer a direct equivalent to the fully electric i5 Touring with the same mix of range and practicality.
• Premium SUVs (BMW X5, Audi Q5/Q7, Mercedes GLE): These offer more height and a more commanding view of the road, plus easier ingress/egress. But they’re taller, less efficient at speed, and generally less satisfying dynamically. If you value a sporty, planted drive and still want family-ready practicality, the 5er Touring is a smarter, more efficient shape.

In essence, the 5er Touring is the connoisseur’s choice: less showy than an SUV, more engaging than many rivals, and uniquely compelling in its electric guise.

Final Verdict

The BMW 5er Touring is what happens when a brand famous for driving pleasure takes everyday reality seriously. Kids, dogs, Costco runs, airport pickups, 500-mile business trips—it’s all baked into the design, but so is the feeling that you’re in something special every time you close the door and pull away.

If you want height, image, and a towering driving position, the SUV world is waiting. But if you’d rather have a car that slices through the air, sits you low and relaxed, and turns long journeys into something almost meditative, this wagon is the better answer.

For families who refuse to give up driving enjoyment, for professionals who live on the highway, and for early EV adopters who need real space without going full crossover, the BMW 5er Touring—and especially the i5 Touring—feels like the future of practical luxury.

It’s not the loudest choice. It’s just the one you’ll quietly appreciate every single day.