For 2025, BMW has not only made the M5 a plug-in hybrid for the first time ever, it is also offering the wagon variant, the M5 Touring, to North American consumers for the first time ever. And the good news is that buyers will have to sacrifice very little performance for the added practicality.
Just like the sedan, the M5 Touring’s plug-in hybrid, twin-turbo, V8 powertrain makes an impressive 717 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. That allows the wagon to get to 100 km/h from a standstill in 3.6 seconds, just 0.1 seconds more than the standard model.
Despite the bigger body, the wagon can go just as far as the sedan (40 km) on electric power alone, thanks to the 14.8 kWh battery pack. Meanwhile, the electric motor can propel the car up to a top speed of 140 km/h. With the 4.4L V8 twin-turbocharged engine engaged, the top speed rises considerably to 250 km/h as standard, and 305 km/h when the optional M Driver’s Package is equipped. Power is channelled to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The wagon benefits from all of the same chassis improvements as the M5 sedan, and BMW managed to maintain a near 50:50 weight distribution, despite the added bodywork. To ensure that it handles corners as well as the standard model, the Touring gets added stiffening elements in the luggage compartment and the automaker engineered extra rigidity into the front axle subframe.
Although the wagon is a tiny bit slower than the M5 sedan, it benefits from a lot of additional storage space. BMW’s initial estimates suggest that Touring will be able to hold 1,630 litres of luggage with the 40-20-40 folding rear seats flat. That means that the M5 Touring can hold about 95 per cent of what an X5 SUV can haul.
Farther forward, the wagon is more or less identical to the M5 sedan inside. It gets a multifunction steering wheel with programmable M buttons and a red centre marker at the 12-o’clock position. Behind it, BMW’s curved display offers a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.9-inch touchscreen that runs on the company’s latest operating system. The M5 Touring also comes standard with a Bowers & Wilkins, 18-speaker sound system and Sky Lounge Panoramic Roof that runs from just behind the windshield to the rear of the vehicle in a single, unbroken piece.
Outside, buyers will be able to choose one of 10 paint colours, including the M exclusive Man Green metallic and Marina Bay Blue metallic. The M5 Touring also comes equipped with staggered Style 951M wheels that are 20 inches in front and 21 inches in the rear. As standard, the wheels feature a burnished finish, but buyers can opt for Jet Black wheels or Style 952M wheels instead.
Those rims surround standard M Compound brakes that are 410 mm large at the front, and 398 mm in the rear. Buyers who want a little more braking power can opt for the M Carbon ceramic brakes, which are 420 mm at the front, and cut around 25 kg off the weight of the car. Either way, the discs are clamped on by six-piston fixed callipers at the front and single-piston floating-calliper brakes at the rear. However, buyers who equip the carbon ceramic brakes will get to show off with gold painted callipers.
Set to launch worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2024, the M5 Touring is can currently be reserved by Canadian buyers, and has a starting price of $138,000.
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