Meet the new BMW 5 Series Touring, yours from £69,040

Calling all suits! BMW has revealed its sixth-generation 5 Series Touring, which arrives this summer and brings with it the first-ever all-electric ‘i5’ variant. Several trim grades will be available from launch, including ‘Sport Edition’, ‘M Sport’, and ‘M Sport Pro’.

These can then be applied to three models. The entry-level ‘530e’ (299bhp, 332lb ft) is the plug-in hybrid which will arrive later in the year, providing at least 52 miles of zero-emission driving. Pricing is yet to be confirmed.

The first of the two launch models is the i5 eDrive40 (340bhp, 295lb ft), which starts at £69,040 and offers between 300 and 348 miles of range. An adaptive suspension and heat pump technology also reside across the entire range.

The alternative is the i5 M60 (601bhp, 584lb ft) for another 30-odd grand. It can complete the sprint to 60 in under four seconds, though does compromise with a lower estimated range of between 277 and 314 miles from the same 81kWh battery pack.

Design-wise it’s… a stretched version of the current 5 Series, so no real surprises here. LED headlights sit on either side of the big-but-not-bigger-than-the-M3’s grille, with the fancy contour lighting applied to its edges in M Sport Pro guise and above. 

The rear has a bit less going on, with a flat window and L-shaped chrome LED tail lights adding to the diplomatic look. It’s quite easy to imagine mid-to-upper-level Important Business Executives looking completely at home here. You also get between 19 and 21in alloys depending on the trim level chosen.

Let’s move into the interior, where the new 5 Series Touring’s increased dimensions over its predecessor means the maximum cargo load has also inflated to 1,700 litres. Though, no mention of a pull-out boardroom, so your business meeting revolution will need to wait.

Ahead of the driver sits a Veganza two-spoke steering wheel and a stretched ‘Interaction Bar’, acting as both the head-up display and the infotainment unit. This will work in tandem with the 18-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system to mean you’ll likely never want to visit Odeon again.

You’ll be perched comfortably atop the Veganza seat upholstery - made entirely of vegan-friendly material - and likely resting your arm along the clutter-free centre console. The glass dials don’t look half bad, do they? Nice work, Bimmer.

Said glass dials will be used to toggle the various safety systems, which are partially made up of Parking Assist, Trailer Assist, and Reverse Assist, while automated parking can be done from up to 200 metres away using your smartphone. Wait, what? Yep, the Bavarians say it can even park itself.

The order books for the sixth-generation 5 Series Touring are now open, with deliveries expected to commence from May onward. Next up, the new M5 Touring...