BMW’s latest 5 Series Touring has fully embraced electrification. There’s just one version powered by an internal combustion engine alone; all the others are either fully electric or plug-in hybrids. I’ve been driving the less powerful of the two plug-in hybrid cars.

What am I looking for?

How well does the new 5 Series tow? Is the plug-in hybrid fuel efficient, even when the battery is running low?

Towing ability of the BMW 530e M Sport Pro Touring

For many years, the 5 Series has been one of our favourite caravan tow cars. Diesel estates in particular have towed very well indeed.

There’s no diesel in today’s range. The most affordable versions are powered by a 208bhp petrol engine. There’s also a 340bhp electric model, and plug-in hybrids with 299bhp or 489bhp and four-wheel drive.

I’ve been towing with the less powerful plug-in hybrid tow car. The weight of the petrol-electric hybrid system contributes to the hefty kerbweight of 2140kg. The towing capacity is 1800kg.

When it came to the car/caravan matching for my test, I towed a Swift Challenger 650 Grande with a Mass in Running Order (MiRO) of 1570kg, borrowed from Couplands Caravans in Louth.

The BMW from the rear
Long wheelbase of an estate helps when towing and the 5 Series is still a head turner when used as an everyday car

I started the journey with a part-charged battery. For the first few miles the car largely relied on the electric motor, with assistance from the petrol engine when accelerating hard. It was impressive to see how well it performed with little input from the petrol engine.

With both sources of power working hard, the 5 Series quickly towed up to 60mph. As the battery’s state of charge declined, the petrol engine did more of the work, but there was no obvious change in the rate of acceleration – just a little more noise.

With a kerbweight of over two tonnes and firm suspension, the 5 Series is very stable at speed. I had no issues with the caravan pulling at the back of the caravan, even in breezy weather. Whether on the motorway or a winding country road, the BMW felt fully in charge of the caravan.

The boot in the BMW
The 5 Series has always had a decent size boot, but it’s not as big as some

Although this 5 Series is rear-wheel drive, not four-wheel drive, there was no difficulty pulling away on a slope. The more powerful of the two plug-in hybrid models uses BMW’s xDrive four-wheel-drive system, but it costs an extra £17,000.

On arrival at your destination, the 5 Series is easy to manoeuvre, although if you want to improve your confidence with carrying these out, it could always be worth looking into caravan towing courses. Parking Assistant Plus, which is included in the £2000 Technology Pack, gives a 360-degree camera system which is very useful, especially if hitching and unhitching without someone to help.

The towbar drops down and retracts at the push of a button to one side of the tailgate. The cost of the towbar and 13-pin electrics is £1200 (see what we have to say about towing electrics if you want to find out more about this).

Solo driving in the BMW 530e M Sport Pro Touring

From generation to generation, the BMW 5 Series has set the ride and handling benchmark for other executive cars. For instance, the 2017 BMW 5 Series Touring got 4.5 stars from me when I put it to the test.

The latest model drives very well, although the M Sport suspension is quite firm. In the past, I’ve found BMW’s adaptive suspension systems to be worth paying for, although it costs an extra £2400.

Although it weighs over two tonnes, the 5 Series corners very well. Carrying all that weight closer to the ground gives the BMW poise that even sporty SUVs struggle to match, and
the steering allows the driver to place the car with precision.

The spec of the BMW
Add the weight of batteries to the petrol engine and it’s a heavy car

That said, there’s no getting away from the huge weight. My favourite 5 Series from the past weighed around 300kg less and was keener to change direction as a result. Today’s car, though very impressive, is a little less involving than older generations.

The BMW is exceptionally quiet when driven on electricity alone. At least, it is once you have turned off the irritating artificial noises which the car makes while running as an EV. BMW calls the system ‘Iconic Sounds’. The intention is to add some excitement and personality, but I preferred to drive without the sci-fi sound effects.

Space and practicality

The 5 Series Touring is a roomy, luxurious and practical car.

Even very tall drivers should have room to spare in the front, and I found the position to be comfortable throughout a long day behind the wheel. The head-up display, part of the Technology Pack, projects important information directly into the driver’s line of sight.

The cab in the BMW
The touch screen works well but it’s not the easiest system to live with

That’s just one of many high-tech features in the 5 Series. Others aren’t so easy to use, such as the infotainment system with its myriad functions. BMW used to lead the way with easy-to-use infotainment, but this system feels overly complicated; although controlling it with your voice rather than the rotary controller or screen helps.

There’s enough room for adults to stretch out in the back, with air vents between the front seats and USB-C ports.

The rear travel seats
Rear seat passengers travel in style and can charge devices back here, too

BMW has cleverly packaged the car so that the plug-in hybrid model has the same boot space as the petrol model. There are 570 litres with the seats upright and 1700 litres folded. That’s plenty for most needs, although some less expensive estates do offer more luggage room.

Buying and owning a BMW 530e M Sport Pro Touring

The latest 5 Series is an expensive car, although it’s not as pricey as the equivalent Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

The M Sport Pro model comes with artificial leather upholstery, sports suspension, a surround-sound audio system, wireless phone charging, 20-inch alloys and more.

In official tests, the car can travel up to 59 miles on electricity alone. While towing, I saw 54.5mpg initially, which dropped to 22.2mpg with no electric range remaining.

Alternatives to consider

See what I made of the petrol Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TSI 265PS R-Line 4Motion when I put it to the test. I thought it was a fine tow car, offering stability and proving easy to manoeuvre.

Or maybe you’d rather try an electric vehicle instead? If that’s the case, see what I thought when I put the Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD to the test, a vehicle which impressed me with its improved range and towing capacity.

If you’d like to consider a pre-owned version instead, see what we have to say about buying a used BMW 5 Series Touring car, too.

The technical specification of the BMW 530e M Sport Pro Touring

  • Price: £64,905
  • Retained value after three years: NA
  • Kerbweight: 2140kg
  • 85% of kerbweight: Above max tow
  • Gross vehicle weight: 2740kg
  • Max towing limit: 1800kg
  • Gross train weight: 4540kg
  • Towball limit: 100kg
  • Price of tow ball: £1200
  • Boot size: 570-1700 litres
  • Payload: 600kg
  • Test conditions: Dry
  • Engine size: 1998cc
  • Power(bhp)/rpm: 299bhp/NA
  • Torque (lb ft)/rpm: 332/NA
  • Official fuel economy: 313.9-403.5mpg
  • Towing economy: 54.5/22.2mpg
  • CO2 emissions: 17-20g/km
  • First year car tax: £110
  • Second year car tax: £620
  • Insurance group: 40
  • Euro NCAP rating: 5/5

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