2006 BMW 530xi Touring Road Test
The most recent iteration of BMW's mid-size line of 5-Series sedans arrived on North American motorways as a 2004 model. Since then the edgy-shaped, sharply sculpted muscular Bimmer has only been available in a 4-door sedan configuration, leaving those needing the services of a wagon to settle for the smaller 3-Series wagon or for something manufactured under a competitor's roof- but 2006 changes all that. BMW has overcome its wagon shortage by morphing the exotic shape of the 5-Series into such without emasculating the car's bold stance and aggressive lines. In the rebirth BMW upped the ante by adding their sophisticated xDrive, intelligent all-wheel-drive (AWD) technology to the sleek wagon- which incidentally is referred to by BMW as a 'Touring' model, or 'T' for short. No self-respecting builder of premium European motorcars would dare have a "wagon" in their fleet, unless of course it is an 'Estate Wagon'. For our purposes though, I will continue to refer to the 530xi as a wagon, much to the chagrin of the Bavarian Motor Works company.