Only for the third time in the model’s 40-year history, a new BMW M5 Touring has appeared in this, the M5’s new-for-2024 seventh-generation. Predictably it looks absolutely fabulous – wagon love is no surprise from us – is stupendously powerful thanks to hybridisation and,, like the saloon, is packing a fair bit of timber on its bones as a penalty. Let’s break down everything you need to know about the new BMW M5 Touring.
The big numbers are known, aren’t they? This is the first hybrid M5, with a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 that’s augmented by an electric motor. With 727PS (535kW) and 1,000Nm (737lb ft) total system output, delivered via all four wheels, it’ll get up and go in ways the last M5 Touring, with its peaky 5.0-litre V10, could only dream of. The M5 Touring will get from 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds, on the way to a limited 155mph top speed, or 189mph if you spec the M Driver’s Package.
The biggest number, however, is the weight. The saloon skirts the fringes of a 2,500kg kerb weight. Predictably, with more bodywork, the M5 Touring is a touch heavier even than that, at 2,550kg. What is a 450kg bump over the previous M5 has come courtesy of that hybrid system. As well as the electric motor, it features an 18.6kWh battery that allows for 38-42 miles of WLTP-rated electric-only driving range.
Of course, this is BMW M, so you can bet your bottom dollar that they’ve thrown everything at this car to make sure it drives how it should. Both the saloon and Touring have endured thousands of test miles and plenty of Nürburgring laps, to make sure the adaptive M suspension, rear-steering and Active M differential can deliver the dynamics we expect of an M5. By all accounts, the M5 saloon is spectacularly capable, so this Touring should be no different.
We know what to expect from the cabin of an M5. BMW OS 8.5 is used via the giant curved driver’s and infotainment screen. Meanwhile the M steering wheel features configurable ‘M’ buttons, so you can save your specific setup. Useful given how vastly configurable the M5 is.
Pop that rear hatch and a relatively cavernous 500 litres of boot space will be revealed, though you’re not getting any more space for your money than an M3 Touring. That’s because there’s a lot more going on under the skin that intrudes into the M5’s larger footprint, including rear-steering. Drop the rear seats and you’ll get 1,630 litres. For reference, an Audi RS 6 sports 565 litres with the seats up and 1,680 litres with the seats down.
The BMW M5 Touring is set to go into production in Q4 2024, with a market launch in November and you can place your order now. In terms of price, the Touring body doesn’t jump too aggressively from the saloon. Starting from £112,500, it’s just £1,095 more than the saloon. As pricey as they are portly, all the same.
So, what do you think of the new BMW M5 Touring? It’s certainly wonderful to see BMW M returning to the estate space, between the M3 Touring and this. It looks great, too – a lot more handsome in a classically ‘BMW’ way than the saloon.
The weight does come as a shock, we’ll grant you but if BMW M and indeed, performance car engineers across the industry, have proven anything these past few years, it’s that they can make a good fist of engineering their way around mass. It might weigh as much as a luxury SUV but we’ll eat our shoes if it handles like one.
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