BMW has revealed the new 5-series Touring in pictures ahead of its debut at the Geneva motor show in March.

The Mercedes-Benz E-class Estate and Audi A6 Avant rival is 36mm longer, 8mm wider and 10mm taller than the outgoing 5-series Touring and sits on a 7mm longer wheelbase. The increase in dimensions means passengers benefit from more head, shoulder and legroom. BMW says the new model has enough space for three child seats to be fitted across the rear bench.

The new 5-series Touring’s boot has a 570-litre capacity with the rear seats up and 1,700 litres with the seats folded. The rear bench has a 40/20/40 split. The car also features a power-operated tailgate as standard, with ‘hands-free’ opening available as an option.

Despite being larger and more spacious, the car is around 100kg lighter than its predecessor.
Set to launch internationally in July, the 5-series Touring will be available with a choice of two diesel engines and two petrol units. A 2.0-litre four-cylinder 520d is capable of producing 191hp, while the 3.0-litre straight-six 530d has 265hp on offer. BMW’s xDrive four-wheel drive is an option on the 530d.

The petrol line-up includes the 530i and 540i xDrive. The former uses a 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit with 251hp and the latter a 340hp straight-six. On the latter, xDrive is offered as standard and is the quickest derivative at launch. According to BMW, it can cover the 0-100kph sprint in 5.1sec.

The 520d comes with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, but an eight-speed Steptronic automatic is optional. All other models get the automatic gearbox.

Air suspension is fitted as standard at the rear axle, and that means the new 5-series Touring can carry loads of up to 730kg – an increase of 120kg over its predecessor’s capability. The car will get the option of dynamic damper control, roll stabilisation and active steering, as well as M Sport suspension on xDrive models.

The cabin will feature the same kit as the 5-series sedan, including an 8.8-inch infotainment touchscreen with BMW’s latest iDrive software. The system can be controlled via touch, gesture or voice commands. An inductive phone charging point, Apple CarPlay and a Wi-Fi hotspot also feature.

Safety kit and driver assist features include collision warning and pedestrian warning with city braking, cross traffic warning, active side-collision protection and lane control assistant, which can maintain the car’s path in a motorway or autobahn lane at speeds of up to 209kph.