• Plenty of space for five passengers
• Not the largest boot in the class
• Very high safety standards

How much space is there?

There’s no denying the BMW 5 Series Touring is a big vehicle, but its size does create a very spacious interior. All five seats can accommodate an adult and none of our testers had any complaints about the head, leg and shoulder room available in any of the four main seats. Though larger drivers might feel hemmed in by the tall centre console.

Inevitably, the middle back seat is rather narrow which relegates it to short journey use for adults – a child should be happy enough in it for a long haul. And there isn’t as much space to spread out in the back as in the Volvo V90 and Skoda Superb.

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Boot space and storage

Boot space in the 5 Series Touring varies depending on exactly which model you’re looking at. The plug-in hybrid only has 430 litres of capacity, and the maximum is 570 litres. That’s a smidge bigger than the Audi A6 Avant and Volvo V90, but some way off the Mercedes E-Class and Skoda Superb estates – the latter has a whopping 690 litres.

The Touring’s boot is very thoughtfully designed, though. The tailgate is powered, the load cover automatically slides out of the way, and the back window can be opened separately. There are all sorts of hooks and tie-downs to secure loads and various load retention systems could be picked from the options list – always make sure used cars come with all their original accessories.

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The back seats fold down in a 40:20:40 split, opening up 1,700 litres of space. It’s a wide, square, almost flat space with a low loading lip, so you easily slide big, heavy objects in. On which point, the car’s payload is a considerable 730kg and self-levelling rear air suspension is fitted to all models. Towing capacity ranges from 1,700kg to 2,000kg.

Is it easy to park?

This BMW 5 Series Touring is a very big car, measuring only a couple of inches less than five metres long and two metres wide. Finding a parking space big enough can by a challenge in small streets and car parks, fortunately visibility all-round is pretty good there’s plenty of steering lock. All models have front and rear parking sensors, some have a reversing camera and surround-view system.

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Safety

• Five-star Euro NCAP rating
• Lots of driver assistance features fitted
• A very safe car overall

Car safety experts Euro NCAP awarded the seventh-generation 5 Series range a full five-star rating when it was assessed in 2017. That rating has now expired after NCAP updated its procedures, so the safety of more recent cars can’t be directly compared. However, this 5 Series remains a very safe car that provides good protection in a crash. And vast array of driver assistance systems are fitted as standard or options, including:

• Autonomous emergency braking
• Adaptive cruise control
• Lane departure warning
• Lane keeping assist
• Blind spot monitoring
• Cross traffic alert
• Road sign recognition
• Isofix child seat mounts on the outer rear seats

WATCH: BMW 5 Series Saloon Euro NCAP crash test: