BMW 5 Series diesel wagon on way

It won’t come until four months later in October, but it will bring a bonus diesel for the first time.   The BMW mid-sized wagon will be offered in a 520d turbodiesel alongside the 535i twin-turbo six-cylinder petrol model.

The German car maker has detailed a number of features in the new car to reduce fuel use and emissions but the stop-start function - which the company has featured on its Mini Cooper D turbodiesel - is absent from the debutante diesel 520d Touring features list.  BMW spokesman Tim James says the stop-start system is currently available only with a manual transmission.

"We won't be bringing in the manual transmission on the 520d, we will test the market with the auto but if there's any demand we'll consider it,” James says.  "The system doesn't work with current automatics, the updated M3 DCT double-clutch gearbox will get the system, in due course it will make its way into automatics but the technology isn't there for it yet," he says.

Pricing

The price premium is likely to remain similar to the step between the current-model 530i sedan and wagon - a $6000 price premium is currently paid for the 530i Touring at $123,179.  James says they don't have any firm pricing on the new model but expect the diesel to make up the majority of sales.

"The 520d in the E60 sedan has been a success for us, so we're tipping on that being the volume model with the new wagon, the 535i because of its attributes of power and efficiency, which follows the path of the 530i but the next step up.   We can expand the line-up if demand requires it, depending on what moves through the new sedan range as well, other opportunities may open up," he says.

The Touring is available in Europe as a 150kW/270Nm 523i petrol and the 180kW/540Nm 530d twin-turbo diesel model, the latter using a powerplant seen in several passenger and SUV models here.  The 520d decision was based on the volume based on the E60 as well as creating a lower entry point in terms of price for the prospective Touring customer," he says.

Body and styling

The new 5 Series wagon shares its wheelbase with the sedan - at 2968mm BMW says it's the longest in class - and the design staff have followed styling cues from the sedan to provide buyers with a rear end that is less like wagons of old.  "The design is quite sleek and sporty, it's lost some of the bulkier looks of the typical wagon, but in line with the new sedan - it shares the same dimensions with the 5 Series sedan and a slighter shorter version of the 7 Series backbone," Mr James says.

Drivetrains

The 520d Touring is powered by a two-litre four-cylinder diesel engine with a variable geometry turbocharger and common-rail direct-injection similar to the current 320d sedan.  Peak power is 135kW at 4000 pm and torque of 380Nm is available from 1750 to 2750rpm.

BMW says the average fuel consumption is 5.3 litres per 100km, emits 139g/km, hit 100km/h in 8.3 seconds on the way to a 220km/h top speed.  The 535i Touring has the now-familiar three-litre twin-turbo straight six petrol engine with 225kW and 400Nm between 1200 and 5000rpm, claiming 8.5 litres per 100km, 197g/km, 0 to 100km/h in 6.1 seconds and a top speed of 250km/h.

Equipment

The equipment list is expected to be extensive, including Parking Assistant, Surround View, a collision warning system in conjunction with Active Cruise Control, Lane Change Warning, Lane Departure Warning, High-beam Assistant, Night Vision and a Head-up Display.

The safety features will include dual front, side and curtain airbags, tyre pressure and defect monitoring, bi-xenon adaptive headlights and cornering lights.  BMW Australia says the ConnectDrive infotainment system will be in the 5 Series Touring but minus the internet access.

"That we won't have, we don't take it because when it was trialled on the E65 7 Series for a short time because the uptake was very low and the expense was quite high - the infrastructure isn't here to support it yet,” James says.

As for the performance buyer, an M5 is not on the horizon yet.  "It's not in our planning in this stage, that's not to say it's been discounted - we haven't had an M5 Touring confirmed yet, there's plenty of speculation around the sedan but not the wagon," James says.