The armchair experts are concerned.
They’re worried the new 2025 BMW M5 Touring’s considerable mass has ruined it, and considering this pinnacle of luxury sports machines now hauls around an alarming 500 kg (1,102 lb) more than last year’s M5, it’s a reasonable concern.
But let’s get something straight. That extra weight has not affected what the M5 is and has been all along: a smooth, comfortable, and wickedly fast long-distance hauler.
Honouring Its Heritage
The last wagon version of the M5 came out 20 years ago and tipped the scales at 2,000 kg (4,409 lb), while the beloved third-generation E39 M5 sedan was an 1,800-kg (3,968-lb) car. But then no other M5 has offered the same kind of space, safety, and amenities — nor the electrification — of this new car.
The M5 was never meant to be a hairpin corner carver; that’s what the M2 and M3 are for. Instead, this wagon — and its big sedan sibling — continue to dutifully serve as comfortable continent-crossers, able to depart Munich after lunch and effortlessly whisk four adults the 600 km to Berlin in time for dinner.
The new M5 is no quicker to 100 km/h than the old car, but last year’s M5 was already obscenely quick, scorching the earth on its way to highway speed in only 3.5 seconds. The new M5 sedan matches that time, while the wagon is a tenth of a second slower. Still, this new M5 can harness its electrification for mid-range thrust that makes passing manoeuvres notably swifter than even last year’s M5 CS.
During our road test, the midday autobahn traffic outside Munich varied between sparse and clotted, which meant we had to take full advantage of that astonishing mid-range wallop if we wanted to explore the speedometer’s bigger number. As slower traffic dutifully moved to the right, the M5 Touring was free to rocket forward after the briefest of hesitations required to drop gears and spin the turbos. Between 120 and 240 km/h the numbers on the gauge display flash by too quickly to notice any linear progression. Beyond that speed, a driver needs their full attention on the road and slower traffic that’s being passed as if they were in reverse. Incredibly, our Touring seemed to accelerate faster the higher the numbers climbed past 250 km/h — something only the wildest of machines can do.
As a pint-sized Renault Zoe moved into the left lane ahead of us somewhere near the horizon, we came upon it in a blink. Stand on the brake pedal and the carbon-ceramic brakes can shrug off speed impressively well, but approaching so quickly, greater bite and some more pedal feel would’ve been appreciated. Without that French automotive obstacle, the Touring could’ve continued building speed to its 305 km/h computerized limit. All the test units at this event were equipped with the M driver’s package that unlocks the standard car’s 250-km/h limit.
It's at these speeds that the M5 Touring is at its best, and where its 717 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque make this the most powerful M5 generation by far, easily outmuscling its mass. On the narrow country roads winding between rural Bavarian villages, the wagon’s midsize mass and dimensions become more evident. It’s a big car now, but the combination of sticky Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 tires and the electrically adaptive suspension keep the M5 flat in the corners, clinging to the asphalt with amazing grip. Of course, if you want to ignite those rear Michelins in a hurry, it’s still possible to switch from all-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive.
The M5 also benefits from four-wheel steering that helps smooth lane changes at high speed, but also makes the car carve up corners more deftly than anyone should expect such a big machine to do. Still, all that technology can only bend the rules of physics so much, and the M5 never feels like an M3. Plus, as we’ve seen with all other recent BMWs, the M5’s steering fails to communicate much of the interaction between the rubber and the asphalt. Driving both the sedan and wagon versions, no appreciable performance difference could be felt.
V8 Heart with an Electric Pacemaker
Under the hood, the twin-turbocharged 4.4L V8 is a familiar piece, revving out to 7,200 rpm, bellowing in a most refined and subdued way (electronically augmented in the cabin, of course). On its own, the engine puts out 585 hp, which is detuned compared to last year’s M5, presumably leaving a door open for an easy bump to future Competition or CS variants. There’s a 14.8-kWh battery buried in the M5’s floor that feeds the 145-kW motor nestled between the engine and eight-speed automatic transmission.
It gives BMW the opportunity to add more drive modes to the already dizzying array of factors the driver can modify, now adding an electric vehicle (EV) mode that will keep the engine silent for up to 40 km of electric range, and to speeds up to 140 km/h. When plugged in, the battery can be fully charged in as little as 2.5 hours.
Business Class Cabin
Fans of BMW’s current interior design language will feel right at home in the M5 Touring that utilizes the same twin wide-screen displays dominating much of the dash, along with the unique cut-glass accent bar that runs the width of the cockpit, displaying whatever colourful light show a driver might desire.
The latest iDrive system is sensibly laid out and easy to navigate, but like all contemporary luxury cars, lots of features and functions require user input. And, since most buttons have been ditched in the interest of streamlining the look of the interior, sometimes the need arises to dig deep into menus for what should be fundamental functions.
Similarly, BMW offers an overwhelming array of adjustments that a driver can implement, with the ability to change everything from throttle response to ride quality and the smoothness of the transmission’s shifts. On this last point, it should be noted that in the most relaxed setting, the shifts can be rather lazy, while in the most sporting, they’re shockingly clunky at anything less than full-throttle. The middle setting with quick but smooth shifts, is what we’d pick for all occasions.
The highlight of the new M5’s interior are the front seats with bolstering nearly as supportive as the carbon buckets in other M models for high-speed cornering, but far more comfortable, offering much more adjustability and suppleness. These are the only seats available in the new M5.
The rear bench has belts for three across, but two adults would be more comfortable, each receiving generous head- and legroom. Behind the rear seats, there’s 500 L of space available that can expand to a very substantial 1,630 L with the split-folding rear seat flattened. If you’re wondering, that’s more space than is found in the back of the Audi RS 6.
Polarizing Looks
Like so many of BMW’s current models, the new M5’s styling is polarizing. With its rear track that’s wider than more pedestrian 5 Series models, the wagon looks especially chunky squatting over its rear haunches. But the front end, with its discordant mix of smooth curves and harsh angles, is not exactly pretty. There’s an inelegance across BMW’s entire lineup that seems to be exaggerated in the most sporting models like the M5, with over-the-top intake openings and the oversized twin-kidney grille outlined by LED rim. At least BMW is offering a wealth of fantastic paint shades that range from traditional greys and blacks to sensational yellows, blues, oranges, purples, and reds.
Final Thoughts
BMW made several earlier M5 generations available to drive during this media event, and it was a helpful reminder of what this car is and has always been. The last several generations have been heavy cars, too, and they felt it, but with improvements to tire and suspension technology — not to mention massive leaps in power — the M5’s performance continues to astonish and improve, making the earliest variants feel quaint, archaic and slow.
The 2025 BMW M5 leaps forward with more features and performance, but also greater efficiency, giving it a duality of purpose between supercar performance and emissions-free daily commuting that few other machines can. And with the M5 Touring reaching North America for the first time, it’s a pretty awesome do-it-all piece of automotive engineering.
Unfortunately, in North America, with our oppressive speed limits and miserable traffic, the M5 Touring will be nothing more than a show-off piece for the wealthy. The solution? If you’re going to order an M5 Touring, do the European delivery option and treat the family to experience the new family hauler exactly as it’s meant to be enjoyed: on the autobahn with the scenery a blur.
The 2025 BMW M5 Touring starts at $149,505. It’s available for order now.
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