IT'S the ultimate Q-car - restrained and elegant despite the well-muscled flanks, and within it's opulent and commodious.

Yet beneath the fluted bonnet there's a near-300bhp twin turbo diesel engine that delivers genuine thump-in-the-rump power.

The BMW 535d Touring is far less flashy than some of its Munich brethren but no less sporty even though it sets its stall at family motorists with all the inevitable demands of practicality, space and, of course, decent economy.

Somehow it manages to satisfy the full quota of requirements, almost without compromise. The bad news is that for most of us, with a price tag of a tenner under £50,000 it's going to be out of reach.

That's the price of the 535d M Sport - ultimate Touring, but the range kicks off at a few pounds over the £30,000 mark with the 520d SE.

Back to the 535s, though, and a few bare facts.

Top speed is limited at 155mph as part of the gentleman's agreement between industry chiefs and government and acceleration to 62mph takes a mere 5.7 seconds, which puts it in the same league as Porsche Boxster, Mercedes CLS and Maserati Coupe.

Despite the performance, the BMW chalks up meagre emissions of 165g/km which translates as an official 44.8 combined average.

Setting aside the ridiculous official figures, even in real-life terms most drivers would better my average of 35mpg achieved over 700 hard miles on UK and French roads.

The beefy six cylinder diesel is mated to an eight-speed automatic sport gearbox complete with paddle change and it works a treat, squeezing the most out of all 295 horses. 

With a huge 443lb/ft of torque you've always got massive reserves of power available at a squeeze of the accelerator pedal.

The car was fitted with head-up display which reflects your speed on the windscreen directly in front of the driver - it's a £980 extra, but one that I would recommend because it's a good reminder of your escalating mph... and might help you retain your licence!

The system also indicates sat-nav directions on the screen, another useful aid.

The latest Touring has much improved luggage and passenger space.

There's now 560 litres of cargo room before you fold down the rear seats, putting it on a par with most other estate cars. By folding away the back seats, space is increased to 1,670 litres.

The current 5-Series cabin is more lavish and less utilitarian than BMW's of old. High on quality and big on style without sacrificing function, the fascia and switchgear can be regarded as a market leader alongside Audi.

When it comes to handling, the 5-Series has always been ahead of the game and the latest version maintains the ability to be comfortable and composed yet every inch the sports car.

At times, the ride can err on the harsh side, though. Plenty of steering feedback together with high levels of adhesion via those big, low profile tyres mean that the Touring does a good job at ‘coverting' itself into a hot hatch.

Bags of space, bags of power and frugal too, the newest flagship Touring manages to be all things to all people... who can afford it.