Debuting alongside this first-ever all-electric BMW long-roof is to be a brace of combustion engine options.
As is tradition with every 5-Series thus far, not long after the launch of the sedan will inevitably come its long-roofed counterpart. Though with this latest sixth-generation of BMW’s mid-sized offering, what is nevertheless new is for the appearance of an all-electric variant in the i5 Touring.
Just before touching on what drives the wheels of these wagons though, it is perhaps worth discussing about what actually sets this long-roof apart from its sedan sibling. And to that end, it might therefore be perhaps interesting to note then that this new Touring still retains the boot capacity same as the previous car’s at 570 litres, which then to 1700 litres when the rear seats are folded down.
This bit of information will be particularly perplexing when considering that this new model is 97 mm longer, 32 mm wider and 17 mm taller than its predecessor, with its wheelbase having also grown by 20 mm over the intervening generations too. Though perhaps thanks to the wider (automatic) tailgate opening and a new compartment underneath the boot floor, BMW is still claiming for this new 5-er Touring to be offering greater versatility and accommodation than any of its previous estates.
Moving swiftly on to the subject of style meanwhile, the aesthetic changes made by BMW in creating a long-roof out of its new 5 sedan expectedly are all to be concentrated aft from its B-pillars. The predictably lengthened roof angled ends with a tailgate featuring a pronounced rear spoiler and slender LED taillights, which is further complemented other aero-optimised design touches round its rump to help smooth airflow around the rear window.
Now reverting back to the topic of this new i5 Touring, this first-ever all-electric estate from BMW can be had in two flavours. The more sedate drivers is catered for by the milder eDrive40 variant, which packs a rear-mounted motor that develops 340 PS and 430 Nm of torque. Paired with an 81.2 kWh battery pack, this particular long-roof will hit the century sprint in a more-than-reasonable 6.1 seconds and travel up to 560 km under the WLTP testing regiment.
Those whose pants are constantly on fire on the other hand can instead opt for the i5 M60 xDrive Touring, with has a dual-motor drivetrain outputting an M-car-rivalling combined horsepower and torque figure of 601 PS and 820 Nm respectively. BMW currently claims for this spec of long-roof to romp to the 100 km/h mark in a 911-matching 3.9 seconds and onto an electronically-limited top speed of 230 km/h, with its similarly-sized battery pack still managing to eke out 506 km of range too (when presumably not being hooned around that is).
As for those who prefer some reciprocating pistons up front, BMW will also be offering its new 5-er long-roof with a brace of petrol and diesel turbocharged four-pot options. All of which will incidentally be electrified in some form, by way of either a mild-hybrid or the plug-in variety.
Much like its sedan sibling, the new 5-er Touring will expectedly feature BMW’s Curved Display within, which consists of a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.9-inch infotainment system. Interestingly though for this more practical alter-ego, the automaker has hinted for it to come equipped with sport seats as standard, and a new steering wheel that apparently features a flatter bottom.
In any case, further finer details regarding this upcoming BMW estate will be known closer to when it actually officially goes on sale in July. It should also be around that time too for the much hinted at M5 Touring to make its debut, which will certainly give Audi’s RS6 Avant a run for its money.
Unfortunately for Malaysians however, the possibility of this BMW long-roof landing locally is about as small as the grille on it is big. The petrol-powered sedan version though should be arriving on our shores sometime soon, following on from the debut of its EV counterpart late last year.
