BMW 5 Series Touring 2019 Review

Wagons have been on the wane ever since Australia fell in love with SUVs, but there are still a few new offerings on the automotive landscape such as this BMW 530i Touring. Of course, BMW's 5 Series has been around for decades, as has a wagon variant of same, but today the 530i Touring provides a distinct point of difference to the SUV masses, having a long and low stance and sedan-like handling, along with comparable luggage capacity.

We recently grabbed a BMW 530i Touring Luxury Line, as opposed to its M Sport sibling, the only other 5 Series wagon variant in this powertrain specification. The Luxury Line features comfort front seats with ventilation, a sports leather steering wheel, four-zone climate control, 19-inch alloys, Ambient Air package, exterior chrome trim and interior Nappa leather trim. It's a no-cost alternative to the M Sport package, which has sports seats and a variety of different cosmetic enhancements.

This latest G31 generation of wagon builds upon previous iterations that date back over 25 years, and BMW says it's lighter, roomier, cleaner and more efficient than its predecessor, also benefitting from a raft of new technology ushered in along with the appearance of the new 5 Series sedan in mid-2017.

Of course, as a wagon this model has family touring firmly in its sights, and it was in this frame of reference that we loaded the kids and luggage for an interstate run from Melbourne to Sydney and back.

The BMW 530i Touring Luxury Line is priced from $109,990 plus on-roads, with the factory options included in this test vehicle pushing the price to $119,713 plus on-roads. Those options include the Panorama sunroof ($3100), inductive smartphone charging ($200), Apple CarPlay ($623) and prestige paint (Imperial Blue Brilliant Effect, $2000), among others.

The model comes with a three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and three years of complimentary roadside assistance, matching that of fellow German rivals Mercedes-Benz and Audi. While BMW Australia doesn't have a traditional capped-price servicing scheme, it does offer a BMW Service Inclusive plan, which in its most basic form costs $1695 for 5 Series models, and covers standard servicing for five years or 80,000 kilometres, whichever comes first.

One area where BMW 530i Touring buyers will benefit is fuel. While the 530i does require a minimum of 95RON petrol, it is impressively frugal when it comes to consumption – especially given its healthy performance.

BMW quotes a combined-cycle figure of 6.8L/100km for the 530i Touring, and while that falls short of the 7.6L/100km average we achieved over the course of this test, it's worth noting that for highway cruising the consumption fell to as low as 6.2L/100km. That's great going for a roomy vehicle like this, and indeed one that covers 0-100km/h in a claimed 6.4 seconds.

Why buy a wagon like the BMW 530i Touring over an SUV? It's been a topic of debate for prospective buyers since the SUV invasion began. And while many wagons have fallen by the wayside in the years since, the Europeans still love a good 'estate' – and so here in Antipodes we still have options from the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volkswagen and Skoda, et al.

Once upon a time, high-riding SUVs were dynamically inferior to sedans thanks to their extra weight and higher centre of gravity, but the category has made great strides and a number of today's SUVs can offer a well-balanced, dare we say even sporty drive.

Wagons don't offer the same forward vision as their higher SUV stablemates and they do require a little more effort to hop in or out, but that lower stance does generally offer a more dynamic driving experience and better economy, because wagons are invariably pushing a lower frontal profile through the air.

The lower line of sight is paired with somewhat restricted blind-spot vision in the 530i Touring thanks to a fairly broad B-pillar – although this is countered by an effective blind-spot monitoring system and a phalanx of external cameras – but many may appreciate the lower load bay and its lack of a tailgate lip, which aids loading and unloading.

SUVs generally offer a bit more headroom in the second row than a typical wagon, which is relevant to families with older teens, although rear passengers in the 530i Touring are far from cramped, enjoying adequate head and legroom.

The second-row seating is a split 40:20:40 arrangement that provides plenty of flexibility for loading longer items, and we like the integrated cargo net, the load rails with sliding tie-down points, and the automatic cargo blind.

In essence, the BMW 530i Touring represents a middle ground between sedans and SUVs, with classic, almost predatory lines and all the luxury appointments you could expect of a German vehicle at this price point.

For buyers seeking style and driving pleasure in addition to all the practicalities required of family motoring, the BMW 530i Touring has much to offer. With 570 litres of boot space increasing to 1700 litres with the seats down, and no spare wheel thanks to its run-flat tyres, the wagon can swallow a heap of gear – and not much less than many equivalent SUVs. By way of comparison, BMW's X5 offers 650/1870 litres of luggage capacity.

Safety is a priority, and on this front the 530i Touring doesn't disappoint. All the usual modern safety systems are there, plus adaptive cruise control, autonomous braking, dynamic lane-keeping, cross traffic alert, attention assist, head-up display, adaptive (auto) LED headlights, auto wipers, parking assist – the list goes on. The array of external cameras gives a sharp and very useful birds-eye view when negotiating tight parking spaces.

Of course, at 120k as tested this is a premium vehicle and it presents with a level of luxury, comfort and convenience features befitting its price. Our test vehicle's Nappa Ivory White leather upholstery isn't perhaps the most practical choice for those with younger families but it should at least prove reasonably easy to clean, and the driver's and front passenger's 'comfort' seats offer a wide range of electric adjustment including lumbar support, memory function, and seat heating and ventilation.

On that last point, the ventilation feature in our test vehicle was barely discernible, and certainly had less impact than we were expecting for a feature that, on its own, commands a $1500 premium...

The high-end feel is accentuated by the wood trim and 'pearl chrome' cabin highlights, along with the LED mood lighting found throughout the cabin – customizable to any of a range of different hues, of course.

Very little wind or engine noise intrudes upon the serenity of the cabin, although some road noise is evident on coarse-chip surfaces – due for the most part to our test-vehicle's 19-inch wheels and low-profile Michelin Primacy 3 tyres rather than anything else, we suspect.

For the same reason, the 530i Touring's otherwise beautifully composed ride felt slightly brittle at lower speeds over sharper road imperfections.

Gadget fans will surely revel in the 530i Touring's smart electronics, which range from a large and crisp 10.25-inch multimedia display to integrated satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay, and an array of web-enabled BMW ConnectedDrive features including news headlines, weather and more.

Via the companion BMW smartphone app, it's possible to dial up the vehicle's location, its fuel level, and range. You can pre-set the climate control remotely, lock or unlock the doors, send the car's navigation system a destination, even view the vehicle's immediate surrounds. It's clever stuff; BMW is thoroughly 'on point' in this regard.

BMW's 5 Series family slots in towards the larger end of the marque's range, and serves a wagon alternative to the X5 family of SUVs (priced from $93,990 to $188,730 plus on-roads).

Choices in the 5 Series Touring family are fairly limited in Australia, comprising either the 520d Touring, with 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, or the 530i Touring, with 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol.

The 520d Touring kicks the range off from $92,990 plus on-roads, while the better-equipped 530i Touring is $109,990 plus on-roads, and both the diesel and the petrol wagons are available in either M Sport or Luxury Line packages.

In wagon-loving Europe the range also encompasses xDrive all-wheel-drive variants and six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, but those models aren't available Down Under – it's rear-drive and the four-pot engines only for us. In this respect, with rivals from Audi, Benz and Volvo taking more of a cross-over path, the 5 Series Touring is all on its own for road-going prestige wagon goodness.

The BMW 530i Touring Luxury Line is a comfortable, classy and very-well-equipped alternative to the proverbial sea of SUVs on today's automotive landscape.

The 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol, with its claimed 185kW and 350Nm, delivers healthy performance from around 2000rpm all the way to its 7000rpm indicated redline, and the slick eight-speed transmission is a sweetie, affording intelligent, rapid shifts when left to its own devices or via the steering wheel's paddle shifters.

There are three basic drive modes to choose from, essentially sport, comfort and eco, which alter response accordingly to suit your mood and the prevailing conditions.

Handling is superb, the 530i Touring's active damping and low lines equating to tenacious grip on a winding road and a magic-carpet like ride on the highway, while the entire plot is devoid of any unseemly vibration.

Add in the 530i Touring's all-round practicality, economy and refinement and, if the six-figure price tag doesn't deter, it seems there's plenty of life left yet in the wagon format. The 530i Touring Luxury Line certainly took the sting out of the monotony of the Hume Highway, carting a family of four and all its gear with consummate ease.

How much does the 2019 BMW 530i Touring Luxury Line wagon cost?
Price: $109,990 (plus ORCs); $119,713 (as tested, plus ORCs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 185kW/350Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.8L/100km (ADR Combined); 7.6L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 159g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP (2017)