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While the 520i sedan is a crucial volume seller in BMW’s Singapore lineup, it’s not exactly the sort of car that sets hearts on fire. Sensible? Yes. Important? Absolutely. But exciting? Maybe not quite.
Which is why BMW Asia, in a move I suspect is entirely deliberate, handed us something far more effective at tugging at an enthusiast’s emotions: the new 520i Touring, a bodystyle that instantly raises eyebrows, pulses, and camera shutters.
And in Singapore, where wagons are already unicorns, this one might as well have descended from a rarified motoring dimension. It helps, too, that this particular unit wears the M Sport exterior package, giving the long roofline a sharper, more athletic stance that photographs effortlessly well from almost any angle. There’s a quiet swagger to it, less showy than an SUV but far more characterful than the sedan.
Under the bonnet is BMW’s familiar 2.0-litre mild-hybrid four-cylinder, producing 188 hp and 310 Nm, the official figures listed for the Singapore-market 520i Touring. On paper, it doesn’t look dramatic, but on the road, the engine is smoother and more responsive than the numbers suggest.
Paired with the excellent 8-speed ZF8 transmission, the Touring gets from 0–100 km/h in the low-8-second range, which is perfectly adequate for daily driving and highway cruising. It’s not quick in a traditional sense, but it never feels strained, even with passengers or a full boot. The mild-hybrid system fills in low-end torque nicely and keeps the car feeling more muscular than the badge might imply.
It’s a calm, confident kind of performance, fitting for a wagon, and completely aligned with the car’s quiet, composed personality.
Inside, the Touring offers the same clean, modern cockpit we’ve come to expect from BMW’s latest generation: curved displays, crisp graphics, and an overall sense of understated polish, lovely materials and beautiful finish with a hint of flash with its illuminated panels. But beyond that, there is something which became increasingly hard to ignore once on the move.
At this price point, the equipment list feels… somewhat leaner than you might expect.
Not in a bad-product sense, the fundamentals are excellent, but rather in the context of value. The Touring commands a significant premium over its sedan sibling, yet doesn’t quite bring the level of included features you’d expect for that jump. Adaptive cruise control, for instance, is available, but still optional, something that feels increasingly outdated in 2025, especially when mainstream crossovers include it as standard. When you’re paying Touring-money, you hope not to have to explain why certain features aren’t standard.
This is all the more significant because, in Singapore, the 520i Touring essentially occupies a class of one. Both Audi and Mercedes have stepped away from offering wagons here, leaving BMW as the sole mainstream premium player still flying the long-roof flag. And that makes the 520i Touring both more special and more vulnerable: there’s nothing else like it, but there’s also little competition forcing BMW to push more kit into the car.
Still, it’s impossible to deny the Touring’s appeal. It feels more soulful, more charming, and quietly more desirable than the sedan. It’s the sort of car that reviewers, photographers, and frankly anyone with even a drop of enthusiast DNA gravitates toward. You don’t choose a Touring because you must, you choose it because you want to.
Yet as I wrapped up my time with the car, my thoughts circled back to where they began. While the 520i sedan may be the sensible, foundational pillar of BMW’s 5 Series lineup, the Touring is the one that tugs at your heart. But heartstrings alone don’t sign purchase agreements, price and equipment do. And it’s there, in the gap between emotional appeal and practical value, where the Touring asks buyers to think carefully.
For the right person, the 520i Touring will feel like the car Singapore shouldn’t have, but is incredibly lucky to get. A rare and genuinely likeable machine in a market that has otherwise moved on from wagons. But it also comes with a premium, not just in dollars, but in expectations, and some of those expectations aren’t quite met in the standard equipment list.
In other words: BMW may have tempted us by handing over the cooler, more charismatic sibling, but they’ve also reminded us that even the most desirable choices come with fine print. And that, in a way, brings the story full circle. The Touring wins your heart first, but your head might want to read the spec sheet twice.
