BMW's 5 Series sits more easily on the eye these days and thanks to recent tweaks, more easily in the driveway. Here, we're looking at the Touring estate models, visually most people's approximation of what a post millennial Five Series should be like; sleek, sporting and aggressive.

For most people, this is easily the market's best looking Executive estate and, as you might expect from BMW, it's also easily the best to drive. It says a great deal for the strength of competition in this market however, that these two virtues may not in themselves be enough to keep sales buoyant. Hence the need for a recent series of revisions that have included new engine technology to increase performance yet improve economy by up to 25 per cent.

There have also been interior tweaks, a clever regenerative braking system and class-leading comfort-focused equipment such as a Lane Departure Warning System. For the Touring line-up, which now starts from just under £30,000, there's also the addition of an M5 flagship, its 500bhp V10 delivering supercar-slaying performance.

Measuring 4.48m in length, the Five Series Touring is a good deal longer than previous generation models as well as being marginally wider and higher. There's 3cm more shoulder room and 4.5cms of additional rear passenger knee room as a result with increased headroom for all occupants. What's more, load capacity has been raised to 535 litres with the 60/40 split folding rear seats in place and a hefty 1,650 litres with the seats folded down - an increase of 125 litres over the old car.

Like that estate, the current model features a split bootlid with the rear window opening separately for the easy loading of small items. Customers can also opt for a fully automatic tailgate operation with a press on the key fob opening the hatch and simultaneously retracting the boot load cover. Neat. There's a lockable floor panel that conceals a 35-litre area for the spare wheel and tyre, but if run-flat tyres are chosen, this is converted to additional storage space for valuables.

Across a wide model line-up, various powerplants are available; the 190bhp 523i, the 218bhp 525i, the 272bhp 530i, the 306bhp 540i and the 367bhp 550i, as well as four diesels, the 177bhp 520d, the 197bhp 525d, the improved 235bhp 530d and the 286bhp 535d. All can be ordered in either M Sport or SE guises. All engines in the 5 Series range have been revised to offer better power and economy, while a revised six-speed auto 'box has also been introduced. Buyers of 550i, 540i, 530i, 535d and 530d models can opt for the Automatic Sports Transmission which has wheel-mounted paddles for even sharper changes.

"The best looking executive estate you can buy and the best to drive.."

High Precision Fuel Injection is offered for the first time on all six-cylinder petrol-powered 5 Series models. Piezo crystal injectors that deliver a precise amount of fuel mixture, exactly when required, offer a significant increase in performance and economy. BMW has also introduced a regenerative braking system that uses the engine deceleration under braking to charge the battery. This means that the alternator has less to do in normal driving conditions which, in turn, means a reduction in fuel consumption and emissions of around 7 per cent.

As you'd expect with such a varied model range, cost of ownership is really what you make of it. Nobody buys a 4.8-litre eight-cylinder BMW 550i and expects it to be inexpensive to run but economy has improved across the board with even this 367bhp behemoth averaging 25.9mpg (up by two per cent). Opt for something like a 525d and you're buying a car that knocks on the door of 200bhp, will average over 45mpg and depreciates only marginally slower than gold bullion. The big petrol-engined (non-M) 5 Series models suffer heavier depreciation than the diesels. Try 52 per cent after three years for the 535d versus 39 per cent for the 540i. One thing to watch for is the temptation to blow big money on options, skewing these figures somewhat.

The dynamic appeal of the 5 Series is, however, reflected in the insurance valuations and even a relatively modest 523i gets saddled with a Group 17 rating, two groups higher than a broadly comparable Saab 9-5. Opt for an M5 and you're looking at Group 20 insurance commensurate with its supercar-slaying performance. At 167 pence per mile, the ability to hunt down Ferraris and Lamborghinis while seating five, nevertheless represents rather good value.

Much thought has gone into the way electronic systems blend with good old manual ones. BMW have taken the notion that electronics should aid rather than replace manual systems and the active steering system is a good example. Rather than developing the sort of pure 'drive-by-wire' systems that often isolate the driver from road feedback, BMW has instead developed a system that maintains a link between the front wheels and the steering wheel but which adjusts the power assistance dependent upon speed and yaw rate, promising quick turn-in when you punch the 5 Series into a corner but without the accompanying nervousness at high speed that many such cars demonstrate. This system is networked to an improved '+' version of the Dynamic Stability Control system, reducing the interventions DSC has to make.

The Five Series Touring has been useful for BMW in mopping up those who were possibly a little unsure of the saloon model's styling. A good deal more conventional looking but still something of a looker, the Touring has also been granted the cream of the engine crop. Those with or without an active lifestyle, please form an orderly queue.

TOP 5 5 SERIES DEALS

The results below show the top 5 SERIES deals on buyacar

	BMW 5 Series 523i SE 5dr Touring Estate
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £6,176	Price £24,409
	BMW 5 Series 535d SE 5dr Step Auto Touring Estate
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £4,068	Price £36,892
	BMW 5 Series 530d M Sport 5dr Step Auto Touring Estate
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £4,082	Price £37,013
	BMW 5 Series 530d SE 5dr Step Auto Touring Estate
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £3,745	Price £34,285
	BMW 5 Series 530d SE 5dr Touring Estate
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £3,586	Price £32,999