BMW 5-Series Touring

Weekend breaks with friends, summer camping adventures, long-haul excursions to Europe – our BMW 535d Touring has had to cope with all these family holiday scenarios. However, none has tested its abilities quite as much as the week-long winter skiing trip that it recently undertook.

Why so demanding? Well, first there’s the sheer amount of clobber that needed to be taken: bulky clothing, plus skis, boots, sledges and all the rest of the kit meant a roofbox was essential. Then there’s the actual distance involved – even the closest ski resorts to the UK are still a good 600 miles away once you have made it across the Channel.

And finally, there’s the weather. It was so cold on the drive down that ice built up on the roof bars. Once at the resort, temperatures dropped so low that some diesels had problems simply starting up – and that’s before we tried to drive anywhere on the sheet ice roads.

With all this to consider, I wanted to make sure the car was in fine fettle before we left on our trip. The BMW’s iDrive system counts down the distance left until the next service, and luckily, the date for YH07MYM’s first check-up arrived just four weeks before we were due to go away.

Dick Lovett’s of Hungerford, Berks, was unable to supply me with a courtesy car, but with the maintenance only due to take slightly more than an hour, that hardly mattered – especially since the showroom provides wireless Internet and as much fresh coffee as you can drink.

Best of all, our 535d had managed 18,208 miles and the service bill (we didn’t opt for the Service Inclusive scheme) only came to £239.89. That works out at 1.3 pence per mile – making it one of the cheapest cars to maintain that we’ve ever run. It was transformed, too. The engine was smoother and quieter, with the whole car fresher, more eager and ready for its Alpine adventure.

With a Eurotunnel crossing minimising time and hassle, the 535d was soon demonstrating its awesome autoroute abilities. Firm ride aside, the brilliant seats, almost soundproof cabin and effortless torque ensured the miles virtually flew by.

The twin-turbo diesel was even more impressive nine hours later as the roads became steeper and twistier. The low-slung estate was far more nimble than all the lumbering SUVs we passed, but what surprised us most was how sure-footed the rear-wheel-drive BMW was on snow and ice. Being gentle with the throttle, brakes and steering meant we didn’t have to fit snow chains – which was just as well since the narrow gap between tyre and wheelarch makes this a rather tricky job.

One reason for our successful journey was the Goodyear Eagle NCT5 rubber, which has lasted well and performed admirably in the freezing conditions. But the real star of the show was the car itself. Even after 10 months, the 535d still has the capacity to amaze me with the effortless way it copes with every challenge. Provided you don’t need seats for more than five, you can forget SUVs and people carriers – this really is the ultimate family car.