CGI: 2010 BMW 5 Series Estate

Following the official introduction of the 5 Series sedan in November, the automotive world has already began turning its attention to the estate version (or touring) of the new 5er, expected to hit the market sometime this year.

The CGIs you can see here are an exercise combining the already revealed front end of the "perfect symbiosis of aesthetic design and performance," as BMW calls the 5er, and some imaginative speculation on how the rear of the estate would look like. You be the judge if the exercise was successful or not.

From the engines standpoint, it is unlikely some new units will be developed. The sedan version of the 5er is powered by a range of one eight-cylinder and three six-cylinder petrol engines, as well as by two six-cylinder diesel powerplants, which will find their way into the estate as well.

The novelties which come with the new 5 Series in terms of engineering are the use of the latest generation of straight-six diesels featuring an all-aluminum crankcase and common-rail direct injection, paired with the eight-speed automatic transmission (optional on almost all versions of the sedan) and the use of the latest generation of BMW iDrive controller.

Of course, the estate will benefit from BMW's EfficientDynamics technologies, which include BMW’s automatic transmission, EPS Electric Power Steering, Brake Energy Regeneration, gearshift point indicator, active air flaps control, and on-demand operation of ancillary units including a detachable a/c compressor.

Further details on the 5 Series estate will surface closer to its yet unannounced release date, probably sometimes in March.