F11 Touring revealed

Come September 18 the freshly-launched F10 5 Series Saloon will be joined by its Touring counterpart in the shape of the F11. For those of you who are keenly anticipating the arrival of the new 5 Series load-lugger it will no doubt seem like a long wait but having seen the F11 in the metal, albeit in pre-production form, we can safely say it will be well worth it.

In the UK the Saloon is still the bigger seller but it’s an important model for BMW and the UK is the Touring’s third largest market, with a total of 20,600 E61s sold during the car’s six years in UK showrooms. Where the majority of Saloon buyers tick the M Sport box, only 33 per cent of E61 Touring owners opted for the M Sport pack but 89 per cent of Tourings sold were diesel-powered. Somewhat surprisingly the average age of 5 Series Touring customers is 47 while Saloon drivers are 52, with the Touring seen as more of a lifestyle car hence the slightly lower customer age, though female customers account for just five per cent of sales in both cases.

Fascinating facts aside, let’s have a look at what you can expect from the new F11 Touring. First of all, in terms of looks we reckon BMW has got it absolutely spot on first time round because as far as we’re concerned the F11 is arguably the sexiest Touring yet and even in SE trim it looks exceptionally sporty and dynamic. The F11 shares the Saloon’s front end and features the same short overhangs, long wheelbase and long bonnet as the F10 while the tailgate is far more rakish than that of previous Tourings, giving the F11 a far more sporty and dynamic appearance.

The focus with the F11 is very much on practicality, though not at the expense of performance or ability. Load space is suitably impressive, with 560 litres of luggage capacity with the seats up, 60 litres up on the E61, and a whopping 1670 litres with the seats folded flat and the load area filled to the roof. Many of the F11’s features have come about from customer feedback and through observing option trends.

A lot of customers were opting for the through-load option so BMW has given the F11 an immensely practical 40:20:40 split rear seat, allowing you to lower the central section separately to accommodate long, thin items.

You can lower the seats in the traditional way from inside the rear passenger compartment or you can use the boot-located levers to drop the seats in a 60:40 configuration, meaning you can load the car up and drop the seats in one fell swoop.

If you opt for the Extended Storage package not only do you get lashing rails, storage nets and straps but you also get a ‘cargo’ function for the rear seats. This allows you to move the backrests in stages, with a completely upright position possible, which generates an additional 30-litres of storage capacity, allowing you to make use of all available boot space and push boxes right up against the rear seats.

Perhaps most exciting of all is the rear load cover, which raises when you open the tailgate as it did on the E61 but now it also descends of its own accord when you close the boot again – simple but brilliant, meaning no more having to open the tailgate again to lower the cover having forgotten to do it first time round.

It will also raise and lower if you’re just using the tailgate glass and if you retract it manually with the tailgate open and then pull it closed again without shutting the tailgate, it will raise automatically again. Clever stuff and exactly what you want if you’ve bought a Touring with the intention of using it for the purpose it was designed for.

And, even when you’ve got a boot full of luggage, the driving experience won’t be compromised thanks to the Touring’s standard self-levelling rear air suspension.

It’s not just your luggage that will enjoy its time in the F11 Touring, because human cargo is equally well catered for. The new 5 Series Touring boasts the longest wheelbase in its class, at 2968mm, which means 13mm of additional knee room for rear seat passengers when compared with the E61.

The dash layout and design mirrors that of the F01 7 Series and 5 Series GT, with Black Panel technology, the return of the driver-centric dash and a multifunction steering wheel that groups function keys together on one side and infotainment controls on the other, making it far more intuitive to use.

This is BMW’s best interior to date in terms of quality and design, combining traditional BMW elements with cutting edge technology and it looks and feels expensive and extremely solid.

There will be four engines available when the F11 goes on sale in September, two petrols and two diesels, and it’s the 520d that is expected to be the biggest seller in the UK. The familiar two-litre, four-cylinder engine with direct injection and variable turbine geometry produces 184hp at 4000rpm with 280lb ft of torque, which is available from just 1900rpm.

These figures might not blow anyone away but it’s easy to forget that when the E39 530d was launched it had the same amount of power and just eight lb ft of torque more from two additional cylinders and one more litre.

The 530d was a little faster, with the manual 520d hitting 62 in a respectable 8.3 seconds with a top speed of 138mph, but where the 530d could only manage 39mpg on the combined cycle, the 520d returns an astonishing 54.3mpg with a CO2 rating of just 137g/km.

This makes the 520d Touring the most efficient car in the executive estate segment and it also boats class leading performance and economy across the entire line up.

The other diesel option is the 530d, which boasts 245hp at 4000rpm and 398lb ft of torque from 1750rpm, making it the engine of choice for those looking for the perfect blend of performance and economy.

A 0-62 time of 6.4 seconds means it matches the E61 535d in terms of acceleration but blows it out of the water as far as fuel economy and emissions are concerned: it will return 44.8mpg on the combined cycle and the auto emits jut 165g/km of CO2.

If you’re still not a diesel convert then BMW has plenty to keep you interested in the shape of the inaccurately badged 523i and 535i, continuing another long standing BMW tradition.

The 523i is powered by a naturally aspirated straight-six that generates 204hp at 6100rpm with 199lb ft of torque, available all the way from 1500-4250rpm. 0-62 comes up in 8.2 seconds with a top speed limited to 155mph but it still manages 36.2mpg on the combined cycle with emissions of 183g/km.

The 535i badge may be familiar but the engine is not because you’ll now find the single turbo, three-litre engine under the bonnet in place of the old twin-turbo unit. Despite the loss of one turbo there is no loss of performance and it still produces 306hp along with 295lb ft of torque, available from 1200-5000rpm.

The benchmark sprint takes six seconds dead while top speed is, of course, limited to 155mph while in auto from the average fuel economy is a very impressive 33.2mpg with CO2 emissions of 197g/km.

All F11 Tourings come bristling with EfficientDynamics technology as standard and the manual 520d is the first 5 Series to feature Auto Start-Stop while all manual models come with the Optimal Gearshift Indicator.

Brake Energy Regeneration, Active Aerodynamics, low rolling resistance tyres, electric power steering feature across the board while both petrol models receive high-precision direct fuel injection.

All models come with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard which has been optimised for greater efficiency while a redesigned gearshift lever and enhanced internal packaging have helped to create a smoother, sportier gearshift. The excellent eight-speed automatic transmission is available as an option, and despite weighing the same as the old six-speed unit it is six per cent more fuel efficient. You can also opt for the Sport auto, which adds wheel mounted gearshift paddles for those of you who enjoy a more hands on driving experience.

The new 5 Series has the highest standard spec of any 5 Series to date and all models get Dakota leather, dual-zone auto air conditioning, matt aluminium roof rails, Chromeline exterior window surrounds, front and rear PDC and BlueTooth phone preparation all come as standard while six-cylinder models also get a USB audio interface and ambient lighting.

To give you an idea of what you’re getting, the F11 520d is just £300 more expensive than its E61 predecessor but it comes with £2280 worth of equipment as standard compared to the E61.

The options list is both extensive and expensive and as well as the usual suspects such as xenons, sat nav and bigger wheels there’s Park Assist, which will park your Touring for you, Four-wheel Integral Active Steering, Surround View, Variable Damper Control, Night Vision and Lane Departure Warning to name but a few.

In the UK there will also be four equipment packages: BMW Business Advanced Media and BMW Professional Multimedia packages include sat nav – Business and Professional respectively – BMW ConnectedDrive Assist and Online and voice control; the Dynamic package adds 19-inch alloys, Sport seats, anthracite headlining, a Sport steering wheel and High-gloss exterior trim while the Visibility package includes Adaptive headlights, xenons, high-beam assist and headlight wash.

When the F11 Touring hits the showrooms in September prices will start from £30,380 for the 520d, rising to £39,650 for the 535i, £2255 more than the equivalent Saloon models.

Keep an eye out for a full road test in BMW Car magazine in the near future.

Specifications:
520d SE
Engine: four-cylinder, 16-valve, turbocharger
Capacity: 1995cc
Max power: 184hp @ 4000rpm
Max torque: 280lb ft @ 1750-2750rpm
0-62mph: 8.3 seconds
Top speed: 138mph (137)
Economy: 54.3mpg (53.3)
Emissions: 137g/km (139)
Price (OTR): £30,380

530d SE
Engine: six-cylinder, 24-valve, turbocharger
Capacity: 2993cc
Max power: 245hp @ 4000rpm
Max torque: 280lb ft @ 1750-2750rpm
0-62mph: 6.4 seconds
Top speed: 151mph (150)
Economy: 44.1mpg (44.8)
Emissions: 169g/km (165)
Price (OTR): £39,400

523i SE
Engine: six-cylinder, 24-valve
Capacity: 2996cc
Max power: 204hp @ 6100rpm
Max torque: 199lb ft @ 1500-4250
0-62mph: 8.2 seconds (8.4)
Top speed: 144mph (141)
Economy: 35.8mpg (36.2)
Emissions: 185g/km (182)
Price (OTR): £33,585

535i SE
Engine: six-cylinder, 24-valve, turbocharger
Capacity: 2979cc
Max power: 306hp @ 5800rpm
Max torque: 295lb ft @ 1200-5000rpm
0-62mph: 6.0 seconds (6.1)
Top speed: 155mph (limited)
Economy: 32.8mpg (33.2)
Emissions: 201g/km (197)
Price (OTR): £39,650