1993 BMW 525i Touring Tested: BMW's First Wagon in America

From the archive: Handy for heists, Willie would've loved it. Larry Griffin|Car and DriverFrom the November 1992 issue of Car and Driver. Sixty year ago, somebody asked the bank robber Willie "The Actor" Sutton why he robbed banks. Willie replied, "That's where the money is." For those who go through life a prisoner to the idea that you can take it with you—all of it, even if it's bulky and belongs to somebody else—BMW now trots out a station wagon. The 525i Touring brings with it a base price of $39,873, which may require dipping into Sutton Savings and Getaway, a.k.a. the OPM (Other People's Money) Plan. Touring wagens from BMW began belting around Europe as three-door hatchbacks in 1971. Based on the great 1600/2002 four-cylinder sedanlets, they went out of production in 1974, but led in 1987 to another small Euro model. Still in production, it's a five-door based on the 3-series. But for the sizable North American station-wagon market, which goes for bigger boxes, BMW has built a Touring based on its mid-size 5-series sedan. It arrives fancy through and through, yet on the surface it is as no-ostentation stalton wagon. Like the six-cylinder five-doors from such outfits as Mercedes and Volvo, the BMW proves less than a Mayflower Mover in carrying capacity but promises to be a practical profiler. See all results for used 1993 BMW 5-series for sale near h3h 0a1 Reworked to accommodate its glassy tail, the 525i Touring wears reshaped rear doors and windows, large wraparound taillights for visibility, a top spoiler to reduce lift (despite a minor gain in overall drag), and a subtly raised roof with integrated rails for a trick rack system, which is old separately. The unique two-panel (hey, two-acre) sunroof powers open to provide several choices: front only, rear only, half-and-half, or tipped for ventilation. With the extra height added to the roof, this nest of sunroofs cuts into headroom no more than a conventional panel. See all results for used 1993 BMW 5-series for sale near h3h 0a1 The tailgate window flips up for loading small, light, or long cargo. If Willie asks to throw in small safes or large ingots, swing up the tailgate from the bumper—made easy by a pair of hydraulic struts, though near full extension, they sometimes lose enthusiasm for bench-pressing their load. A wiper/washer cleans the rear glass, and BMW keeps the spare spotless by fitting it inside, under the cargo floor, where it will be the devil to reach when cargo is crammed all the way to the roof. Because Murphy's Law guarantees that any need for tinkering will befall you when the load and the road are at their fullest, BMW mounts its trademark flip-down toolkit in the tailgate for easy access. For easy acceleration, BMW mounts its free-revving 189-hp, 24-valve, 2.5-liter inline six in the 525i's nose. But the results fall short of those produced by the engine in smaller BMWs. Sporting a standard five-speed gearbox, the 325i weighs about 700 pounds less than the 3787-pound Touring and knocks off 0-to-60s in under seven seconds; the hefty wagen takes ten seconds, sacrificing power both to the weight and to the relatively lax BMW four-speed automatic transmission. Mandatory in the wagon but less astute than many automatics, it's not well attuned to the smallish engine. Sport and Manual shift modes supplement the normal Economy setting, but this four-speed rarely catches the engine's high spirits like BMW's manual shifters. It did surprise us by contributing to an average fuel economy of 19 mpg. Like all Bimmers sold in America, the Touring puts power to the rear wheels. Its all-independent suspension delivers good, sporty handling. Sometimes too sporty, probably because the wagon's extra 200 pounds are on the rear wheels. An electronic/hydraulic leveling system supports this additional weight, but, even with a light load, backing off during hard cornering (which the wagon encourages) can swing its tail out as sharply as in BMWs of yesteryear. Oversize Pirelli P600s carve out a satisfactory 0.78-g cornering limit but do better with the brakes, topping from 70 mph in only 178 feet. Our favorite practical feature: doggie nets that deploy from the rear seatbacks to hook into ceiling fittings, keeping canines at bay in their own picture-window playpen. What more could wise Willie have asked for in a $41,919 getaway wagon? Free gas, maybe. 1993 BMW 525i TouringVehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon ENGINEDOHC 24-valve inline-6, iron block and aluminum head, port fuel injection Displacement: 152 in3, 2494 cm3 Power: 189 hp @ 5900 rpm DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 108.7 in Length: 185.8 inCurb Weight: 3787 lb C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 10.0 sec 1/4-Mile: 17.8 sec @ 82 mph100 mph: 27.6 sec Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 10.2 sec Top Speed: 127 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 178 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.78 g 2001 Topless Toys: Chevy vs. the Germans 1993 Volvo 850GLT Test: Could It Be the One? 19

1993 BMW 525i Touring Tested: BMW's First Wagon in America

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