Overview

Making an estate car equally practical and stylish is no easy task but the 5-Series Touring comes close. While the looks caused some controversy when the model was first introduced, the angled design has aged well but still stands out. It comes with a usefully large luggage area too and folding down the rear seats is fairly straightforward. True other estates like the Mercedes E-Class and Volvo V70 offer more space, but the BMW is unrivalled when it comes to driver appeal and enjoyment.

In 2007 the 5-Series line-up was revised and the firm introduced the Efficient Dynamics technology to the range which brought more efficient engines with increased power – the frugal 520d is able to return an impressive 53mpg.