The Audi A6, BMW 5-Series and Mercedes E-Class have always been showcases for their respective marques because they are perfectly sized to encompass the latest technologies in a saloon or estate car that suits families and business executives alike.

The G61 is the 8^th Generation 5-Series, and its edgy design disguises the fact that this is a significantly bigger car than its predecessor. The 5,060mm length is 97mm longer, the 1,900mm width 32mm wider and the 1,515mm height 17mm taller. The styling changes for the Touring over the saloon start from the B-pillar backwards, with different rear doors, an extended glasshouse, a longer roof and an angled tailgate with a pronounced spoiler to aid aerodynamics around the stiffer body structure.

Powerhaus

As with the saloon the Touring offers a wide range of powertrain choices from turbo-diesel to pure electric. As a PHEV Plug-in Hybrid, our 550e xDrive test car was an amalgamation of these choices. With many who prefer estate cars to SUVs to accommodate family leisure activities we opted to test the Touring, which offers a generous 570-litres of boot space, expanding to 1,700 litres with the rear seats folded flat.

BMW 550e xDrive Touring with Harman Kardon Review

BMW’s highly acclaimed 2,998cc twinscroll-turbo straight-six provides the primary power here, making 313hp from 5,000 to 6.500rpm with 450NM of torque from 1,750 to 4,750rpm. The e-motor delivers an additional 197hp and 280Nm of torque for a total system output of 489hp with 700Nm of torque, delivered through an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Tipping the scales at 2,285kg the 550e xDrive Touring is no lightweight, and is literally as heavy as the previous generation V12-engined 7-Series LWB. Nonetheless its Hybrid drivetrain gives it significant punch, and its 0-100km/h time of 4.4 sec makes it as rapid as the F10 generation M5 between stoplights. Overall top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h, and in pure electric mode the car has a top speed of 140km/h. Of course, if you choose to use it then the claimed e-mode range of 50-55km will be drastically reduced.

Inside Story

From the driver’s seat the Touring is identical to the saloon, and its dashboard is dominated by a pair of huge screens. The 12.3-inch driver display sits alongside a 14.9-inch one for infotainment, both sitting under the same piece of curved glass to give the illusion of one large seamless display.

The driver’s display is particularly good. Although you don’t get anything approaching a traditional twin-dial dashboard the options available are clear, and you also get a head-up display as part of the optional Technology pack.

The large and clear infotainment screen is easy to use, though it has so many functions that you occasionally find yourself scrolling through seemingly endless menus. But helping here is a physical scroll wheel in the centre console, so you don’t need to reach out to touch the screen, which is both distracting and tricky on the move. That said, it would be nice to have quick access buttons for the climate control settings.

On the downside, the long and narrow air vent strip across the dashboard is needlessly fiddly because you can’t actually see which way they’re pointing. A triumph of design over practically, it stands out as yet another example of stylists trying to reinvent the wheel.

As in the 7-Series a touch-sensitive back-lit ‘Interactive Bar’ featuring colour-adaptive functionality can be optioned. As standard, the cabin comes decked out in vegan leather upholstery; and the lower console now has only a small toggle for a gear selector.

Two adults can fit very comfortably in the back, but three might be difficult because of the high centre transmission tunnel. Most of the materials feel quite nice, but this generation of 5 Series doesn’t quite feel as rock-solid in terms of build quality as its predecessor.

Space Craft

The 570-litre capacity (50-litres more than the saloon) is the same as that of the previous model, but a 20mm longer wheelbase has allowed the designers to make this a more versatile space. It’s accessed via a wider tailgate opening and a cubby beneath the boot floor has been added, which can take charging leads, the boot partition net and the cargo blind when they aren’t in use. Fold the 40:20:40-split rear bench and up to 1,700-litres is available.

Take Me Home Country Roads

Early Sunday mornings are always good for relatively empty roads in the country, and I was able to explore the BMW’s handling prowess on the twisty hill roads between my hotel at Schloß Wittgenstein in Bad Laasphe and the spectacular Loh Collection Museum.

Each succeeding generation of 5-Series has become larger and heavier than its predecessor due to increasing technological density, and the 550e xDrive PHEV variant is no exception. But the strong inherent torque of the lusty twinscroll-turbo straight-six augmented by the e-motor makes you appreciate BMW’s xDrive system and the balance endowed by its rear-biased power distribution.

The ride quality is very good in normal mode, the suspension effortlessly soaking up irregularities at urban speeds. Selecting Sport mode on the open road tightens up body control nicely and sets the car up for spirited driving. When I put the BMW through its paces in the hills, I was able to really lean on its handling and grip in a sequence of corners that featured some surface undulations. Pushed hard into bends it holds its line tenaciously, but you do feel the weight of this 2,285kg car when you ask it to change direction.

The 5-Series has always had an enviable reputation as the most enjoyable large executive car to drive, but the latest model isn’t quite as good as the outgoing G60 model. The electric power steering is a bit numb and not as full of feedback as the previous model, let alone the hydraulic system on the late ‘90s E39 5-Series I once owned. This reflects the increasing isolation from the road that is a hallmark of most modern cars, so while the steering ratio is spot on for the chassis response you do not actually receive much tactile feedback about the grip level you have at the front tyres.

Bahn Stormer

The 5-Series really excels on the autobahn where high-speed stability is impressive. While you can feel poor road surfaces or bumps, they are never obtrusive. Wind and road noise is well contained too, and the engine is extremely quiet.

With masses of torque on tap from the lusty twin-turbo straight-six augmented by an electric motor, the all-wheel-drive system is a definite plus. On the way back to Germany from Basel on the second day of my journey it rained heavily and I really appreciated the surefooted traction and stability the car had in these conditions.

However, it was dry and sunny for the rest of my 10-day journey, and a good mix of autobahn, country roads and city driving left me with a very comprehensive overview of the 550e xDrive in daily use.

BMW’s assisted driving tech is some of the best around, keeping you steadily in your lane and maintaining a set distance to the car in front with reassuring ease. The only real annoyance is that if you want to adjust your following distance, you have to do it via the touchscreen.

Sounding Off

The Harman Kardon sound system as tested here appears as the HiFi System Professional Logic 7(Code 677)on BMW’s options list as a 1,290 Euro option in Germany. Sitting in the middle, above the standard HiFi system (Code 676) which costs around 650 Euros, and below the 2,100 Euro BMW Individual High End audio system (Code 752), this system will appeal to the majority of non-audiophiles who appreciate good sound.

A four-door saloon has a very different acoustic from an estate car, whose larger cabin volume and one-box shape make a big difference to the sound field. Where the boot of a saloon can be used a speaker cabinet for the sub-woofer, the large open volume of an estate car with its seats up or folded flat creates a unique problem for any sound system. Thus, a self-contained active subwoofer enclosure such as the one used under the front seats in the 5-Series is a more elegant solution for a mass-production car.

Like other car makers BMW has moved from USB-A to USB-C for external inputs in recent years, and our dual format USB A and C thumb-drive loaded with around 200 test tracks from jazz to classical served as the music source.

Listening to music in a stationary car is normal to test resolution, imaging and so on in a quiet environment with no distractions. But living with a car for a week or more while driving it in all conditions is the ultimate test of whether a system can deliver foot tapping enjoyment in real life conditions.

In the old days we had to crank the volume up on a car audio system to overcome engine, road and even wind noise if we were going fast enough. Today’s mid-range models like this BMW 5-Series have a level of refinement that easily equals a 7-Series from 15 years ago. Add in the 550e x-Drive’s ability to run silently on battery for short distances and you have an inherently good platform to enjoy your music.

Space Race

One of the great advantages of DSP sound shaping is the ability to tailor the sound to perfection irrespective of cabin size and shape. As always, I started the audition by setting all the audio controls to neutral level. 12 speakers with 205 W amp and Logic 7. The speaker system uses 26mm aluminium dome tweeters, 100mm mid-range. 217mm subwoofers. The bass modules under the front seats, a significant advantage that the ICE and PHEV models have over the pure EV version for a realistic weight to bass frequencies.

Basic adjustments include Treble, Bass, Balance, Fader, and an “Enhanced Sound” profile, but the Harman Kardon system lacks a dedicated multi-band graphic equalizer or a surround-intensity slider found in the Bowers & Wilkins option.

While not as open and dynamic sounding as the flagship Bowers & Wilkins option the Harman Kardon system is transparent, dynamic and most importantly, musical. Our verdict on any audio system, whether domestic or in-car, is as much subtractive as additive, and the absence of annoying artifacts like boomy bass and aggressive treble is always a good sign.

If anything, our immediate reaction on first firing up this system was of one that competently covers all bases. It sounded balanced and musical on day one, and left us with the same enduring impression when we handed the car back to BMW 10 days later.

Never obtrusive, while never inspiring a “wow” factor, the Harman Kardon audio system reproduced every track on our playlist from Pink Floyd to Pat Metheny to Vivaldi in an enjoyable manner without breaking a sweat. The system was there and yet not there, the music coming across with a relaxed ease we could enjoy without thinking about it. In the overall scheme of things this is as much as anyone can ask for without breaking the bank with a pricey high-end option.

Verdict: BMW 550e xDrive Touring with Harman Kardon

As the middle model in the BMW passenger car range the 5-Series faces strong competition from the Audi A6 and Mercedes E-Class, a long-term battle over many generations. The 550e xDrive PHEV is a very good all-rounder whose balance of all-weather performance and load carrying ability makes it ideal for family and business use. Meanwhile, the musical talent and value-for-money appeal of the Harman Kardon audio upgrade makes ticking that box a no-brainer.

Facts

Price BMW BMW 550e xDrive Touring: from approx. 80.700 euros
Price Harman Kardon Sound System: 1,290 euros
Further information: bmw.com

STEREO GUIDE verdict

89%

89%

A comfortable and versatile all-weather cruiser that can hold its own on twisty roads, the BMW 550e xDrive Touring works well in PHEV form. The Harman Kardon audio system is inexpensive enough to be the default choice.