BMW 5 Series saloon (2010-2016) - Practicality & boot space
Interior and boot are both very spacious, making the BMW 5 Series an excellent long-distance cruiser or family car
Due to its sheer size, the BMW 5 Series is a fairly practical car, even as a saloon. Examine the numbers, though, and the 5 Series saloon doesn’t score very well against its main rivals in this area.
BMW 5 Series interior space & storage
There's enough room for three adults sitting across the rear bench, with plenty of leg, shoulder and headroom – although the middle passenger gets the short straw and has to straddle the transmission tunnel.
All occupants enjoy a decent amount of storage space around the interior. There are large pockets in the doors and a big cubbyhole between the front seats that's hidden by the armrest.
Boot space
In isolation, the 5 Series’ 520-litre boot is big enough to swallow several large suitcases or sets of golf clubs, but it trails all its key competitors, including the Mercedes E-Class (540 litres), Audi A6 (565 litres), Lexus GS (547 litres) and Jaguar XF (540 litres). Pay BMW another £400 and it'll add a folding rear bench, which frees up some more space, but that should really be a standard feature.
But the curse of saloon cars applies here. While the boot is reasonably big, you'll need to work hard to squeeze bulky items in. That's because saloon cars have a small bootlid, resulting in a small opening to get things through.
If you're looking for something that'll carry larger or bulkier loads with ease, take a look at the BMW 5 Series Touring estate or the BMW 5 Series GT hatchback.
Towing
The 5 Series is a popular and effective tow car with 520d able to pull up to 2,000kg.
