We’re going to talk about the BMW Touring. Nice right?
The BMW 5 Series Touring was unveiled a few weeks ago. It is a car that everyone was eagerly looking forward to. The 5 Series sedan has a somewhat Toyota Prius-esque rear that design purists have a hard time with. Now we have to say: make sure you see the 5 Series in real life. In a good color with the right wheels, it really is still a Dickschiff.
The Touring just takes it one step further. The version with the long roof is, if possible, even thicker. A long roof works better than a downward sloping trunk lid. What is special is that this Touring is the first BMW station wagon that does not have a separately opening glass panel, as all BMW station wagons had before.
It is also special that an electric 5 Series Touring is now possible for the first time. Partly because of this, we took a quick dive into the history of the BMW station wagon and came up with the following highlights. And yes, it’s not ALL the highlights, so suggestions are welcome in the comments section!
BMW 501 Heidemann KTW
1954
We had to do a lot of digging, but we believe this is the oldest BMW station wagon. This has been transformed into a station wagon by the specialists from Binz (who we know from many Mercedes-Benz conversion projects). In this case the 501 was used as a basis.
Perfect to use it as an ambulance. Thanks to the inline-six engines, the Heidemann (not to be confused with the epic comic car journalist who gets in the way of an Audi A8 D2) went like the fire brigade. I have no idea if this car is still in a shed somewhere.
BMW 2500 Kombi Service Vehicle (E3)
1969
Perhaps one of the coolest station wagons of all time. Around this period, BMW was of course not yet involved in Tourings, hence the name Kombi. The idea was simple, BMW wanted some vehicles for the racing teams to use for transport. Of course, arriving with a Mercedes-Benz or Volkswagen is no big deal.
The solution was a BMW of the E3 generation, a beautiful sedan with a 2.5 or 2.8 inline six. A station wagon variant was built. They had no back seat, but a roll cage. The cars were used for transporting tires and similar parts, but also as a place to sleep!
BMW 2500 3.0 Si Estate (E30)
1972 – 1975
Estate and not Touring. That indicates a British car and that is also the case. This series of BMWs was built by Crayford Engineering. That happened thanks to the car above, the 2500 Kombi.
At BMW dealer Langley motors, Thames Ditton (the honcho of that store) also wanted such a version. The British turned to Crayford Engineering. You could choose from a 2500, 2800 or even the 3.0 Si. It is reported that 10 to 12 copies have been converted.
BMW 7 Series Touring Prototype (E23)
1977
Because there were some conversion projects left and right, BMW even looked at the possibilities for a 7 Series Touring. They even made a prototype of the E23 generation for testing.
It would not come to a production model, unfortunately. Don’t forget that station wagons were real workhorses in the 70s and 80s.
BMW 732i Wolters Stein (E23)
1983
A BMW 7 Series Touring, how cool is that? The idea of ​​a top-class station wagon has been something that has been nagging since the April 1st joke of the Audi A8 Avant from Autoweek. In this case the car was actually there. The BMW 7 Series of the E23 generation was a great car, but it could be even better. Tuners like Alpina and AC Schnitzer had nice parts for it.
At ABC Exclusive from Bonn they made a big splash by making a station wagon variant. Under the hood is the rock-solid M30B32 with approximately 193 hp, which was good on the Autobahn at the time. The idea of ​​a fast station wagon was completely new, so you could really surprise purists in their Porsche 944. It wasn’t just a station wagon rear, you also got a sliding roof, 16-inch wheels and a leather BBS steering wheel.
Schulz Tuning 5 Touring (E28)
1984 – 1987
With the BMW 5 Series, a station wagon version is slightly less far-fetched. The major competitor of the BMW 5 Series, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, was also available as a T-Modell. We don’t know whether BMW has considered a 5er Touring.
But that Schulz Tuning dared to take the plunge. They made a 5 Series Touring before BMW did. It is not clear how many cars they made. Well, there is one in the Netherlands! Car Whiz reader @Frankel has one:
BMW 1602 ‘Touring’ (E6)
1971
The first car to be named Touring was not actually a station wagon. It was an extra practical version of the ’02’ series. It started with a 1602 Touring, later more powerful versions were added.
The car is actually a three-door hatchback, but in spirit a predecessor of the current 3 Series Touring. So a slightly more practical car, but still one with luxury and great driving characteristics.
BMW 325iX Touring (E30)
1987
The BMW 3 Series Touring came very late: in 1988. By then the E30 was already quite old, actually. The model had been around since 1982. That’s because touring was not the intention at all. It is due to the private exploits of Max Reisböck, who converted an E30 into a station wagon at home.
The end result was a great car with a special tailgate. The taillights were very wide, because they were the regular E30 taillights. From the E36 generation onwards, the Touring models received their own rear light units. On Marktplaats they are starting to become more expensive.
BMW M5 Touring (E34)
1992
It’s funny that Audi has become so popular with the fast station wagon, but BMW was simply earlier. The first BMW 5 Series Touring was based on the E34 generation. According to some, perhaps the most beautiful and striking 5 Series ever before the generic Japanese-esque round design was applied to the E39.
This Fünferr has round headlights, a hood that opens forward and very cool: an M5 derivative! This was the last hand-built BMW M5 and therefore also the last hand-built M5 Touring. Initially the car had a 315 hp 3.5 liter six in line, later it became a 3.8 with 340 hp. From the E61 generation came another M5, with that epic V10!
BMW 335d Touring (E91)
2006 – 2013
The BMW 535d was the first REALLY fast diesel station, but we still call it the E91. Because BMW simply spooned the M57D30 with two turbos into the 3 Series! In fact, a slightly more potent variant with 286 hp and 560 Nm. This made the car really fast: 0-100 km/h in less than 6 seconds and a limited top speed of 250 km/h.
You could also tickle them very easily. Also cool: unlike the 330d, the 335d had hydraulic power steering. So a real BMW in everything, but one that could easily drive 1 in 14.
BMW i5 Touring eDrive40 (G61)
2024 –
And so we have arrived at the most recent highlight in the history of the BMW station wagon, the i5 Touring. The BMW i5 is of course just a 5 Series, but electric.
Tip: go for the entry-level car, which already has 340 hp and has premium rear-wheel drive. It also has a larger range. The only disadvantage is the very low top speed of 193 km/h. On the other hand, when do you drive faster than 190 km/h?
Read more? These are all Alpina 3 Series station wagons at a glance!
