New BMW 5 Series Touring

If you could bolt-on 4 wheels to your office, you could end up with something surprisingly similar to the new BMW 5 Series G30 Touring. The impressive amount of electronics which characterize the new luxurious flagship from München are no different from the kind of apps you could download on your smartphone. The joy of driving has become an electronic store filled with convenience equipment, which will make the experience of riding in it, easier than ever but definitely sterile. I am not going to lie about it: all these microchips and video-cameras do come in handy, especially when blasting down the highway. The lights and good looking graphics of the dashboard and infotainment make the life onboard a pleasant experience, which will indeed make your commute between point-A-to-point-B definitely more enjoyable. Mind you, the driving experience is quite good indeed, with great comfort and effortless high-speed cruising. The driver’s feedback is quite consistent and crisp, even if it is (predictably) a little numb in the feel.
The 520d version we tested was equipped with the new 2.0-liter L4 diesel engine, with 190hp available through the 8 speed “Steptronic” gearbox. Predictably, we’ll be going to see plenty on the highways in Europe: given the 5-Series ability to devour kms with ease and the effortless cruising at high speeds, it’s no mystery why it has had such a great sales success. The engine pulls strongly right from 1.000 rpm close to 4.000 rpm, where it seems to be losing all its torque. There’s no need to floor this battleship to the redline, as the last 1.000 rpm are pretty much useless. Nevertheless, the 5 series it is not a slow car by any means and it is the perfect choice for going on a very long journey. In typical fashion from a classic Autobahn-destroyer, it excels in reducing fatigue from driving many hours and kms.
So, for the final verdict: sure, we enthusiasts would still love to see the old school E34 with a manual shifter and that glorious straight 6 gasoline engine, but the new G30 5 Series is definitely a great working tool. And it ain’t bad looking either.

Many Thanks to our friend Nanni Nember