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BMW 5 Series Touring estate - Practicality & boot space

The BMW 5 Series Touring is impressively spacious and features lots of neat touches to make family life easier

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Practicality & boot space Rating

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The BMW 5 Series Touring has plenty of space for both front and rear passengers and boot space is improved compared to the old model. SUVs and crossovers are encroaching on the traditional estate’s turf, but the 5 Series Touring remains a very practical, spacious family car.

BMW 5 Series Touring interior space & storage

BMW’s claim that there’s room for three child seats across the rear bench of the 5 Series Touring is a testament to how spacious the back of the car is. While the requisite Isofix mounts may only be installed on the two outer rear seats, legroom and headroom is plentiful for adults and the seats fold in a 40:20:40 configuration.

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The rear window in the tailgate can be opened so you can put items in the boot without fully raising the bootlid.

Boot space

With the rear seats in place, boot capacity stands at 570 litres and folding them flat reveals a maximum of 1,700 litres. This is slightly down on the class-leading E-Class Estate, with its 640/1,820 litres, but it’s still a very large and useful boot regardless. The opening is wide and the boot floor is flat, so loading awkward items is made easier.

The slight increase in space over the old 5 Series Touring has been trumped by the improved load limit, which has gone up from 120kg to 750kg thanks, in part, to the air-suspension at the rear, which comes with a self-levelling feature.

The 5 Series Touring has the increasingly prevalent feature that allows you to waggle your foot under the rear bumper to open the boot if you have the car key in your pocket.

Towing

All models in the BMW 5 Series Touring line-up have a towing capacity of 2,000kg. The 5 Series is an accomplished tow car, with the 520d xDrive model taking top spot in the 2018 Camping and Caravanning Club’s tow car awards. An electronically folding tow bar is available as a £995 option.

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Which Is Best?

Cheapest

  • Name
    520i M Sport 5dr Auto
  • Gearbox type
    Semi-auto
  • RRP
    £53,855

Most Economical

  • Name
    530e M Sport 5dr Auto
  • Gearbox type
    Semi-auto
  • RRP
    £62,295

Fastest

  • Name
    550e xDrive M Sport 5dr Auto
  • Gearbox type
    Semi-auto
  • RRP
    £79,445

Andy is Carbuyer's managing editor, with more than a decade of experience helping consumers find their perfect car. He has an MA in automotive journalism and has tested hundreds of vehicles.

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