The G31 BMW 5 Series Touring has finally made its spyshot debut with these photographs of a heavily-masked prototype undergoing tests in Germany. While the sedan variant, the G30 BMW 5 Series, is slated to make its global debut next year before hitting the market soon after, its more practical Touring twin will arrive a fair bit later - a reveal at the tail end of 2016 or even 2017 has been pegged down by various sources.
So while the world speculates on when the G31 will premiere, let's have a look at the car itself. Initially, not much can be gathered thanks to the copious amounts of camouflage but look closer and one will be able to note the subtle cues carried over from the current F10-generation BMW 5 Series including the rather soft-edged front end - the overall effect is more evolutionary than revolutionary, we reckon.
New-ish details will likely see the inner edge of the headlights meld into the trademark kidney grille, along with more pronounced front and rear bumpers for added visual drama. At the rear, the tailgate appears to feature a steeper-angled rear window for a squatter, sportier appearance.
While matters on the surface remain under discussion, it's under the sheetmetal where the new G31 BMW 5 Series Touring (and G30 sedan) will shine from the looks of it. Firstly, the new wagon will ride atop the marque's CLAR (Cluster Architecture) platform, formerly known as 35up. Said platform will enable the seventh-generation wagon to weigh almost 100 kg less than the outgoing model despite a larger footprint.
First employed on the G11/G12 BMW 7 Series, the platform utilises a construction that primarily consists of aluminium, high-strength steel, magnesium and carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP). Motivation will most definitely arrive courtesy of a range of petrol and diesel engines plus a plug-in hybrid model - the latter could employ the same setup as seen on the BMW X5 xDrive40e.
On the inside, the next-gen BMW 5 Series Touring will arrive with a more upmarket cabin - the inclusion of an array of toys and tech aboard are obvious enough. Prime examples will include gesture controls for certain functions as well as Apple's CarPlay and Android Auto platforms. Also, word on the vine is that the new car will debut a form of augmented reality driving feature while autonomous tech is almost certain to be featured.
GALLERY: G30 BMW 5 Series plug-in hybrid spyshots
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