BMW announces new 5 Series estate

Just before the new 5-Series saloon hits UK showrooms, BMW has released the first photographs of the estate derivative which will go on sale here on 18 September.

At first, there will be two diesel variants, the 520d and the 530d, and two petrol-powered versions, a 523i and a 535i. Gearboxes are a six-speed manual and a new eight-speed automatic that has already been seen on the latest 7-Series and the 5-Series GT. The quickest version is the 535i (an artificially limited 155mph) while the most economical is the 520d (54.3 mpg on the combined cycle).

As in the case of the latest 5-Series saloon, the new estate is a rather conservative design compared with its predecessor.