BMW unveils first M5 Touring in more than a decade
Say hello to the BMW M5 Touring – a super fast super practical estate car that has been out of production for more than a decade.
With a potent plug-in hybrid drivetrain, it produces 727hp and comes with a 500-litre boot. Here’s everything you need to know.
BMW M5 Touring styling
The M5 Touring is essentially the same car as the M5 Saloon. That means its front end mirrors its less practical sibling, with an imposing bumper and the same huge kidney grille.
The body is wider than the standard 5 and i5 Touring models, which helps give the car real road presence. Flared wheel arches mould neatly in the rear bumper, which also has a huge diffuser and quad tail pipe exits.
A unique M-specific set of alloy wheels are offered, which are 20in at the front and 21in at the rear. This helps give the car a really sporty stance. The most obvious change styling-wise to the saloon is at the rear, where you’ll find an extra window and a practical estate rear end.
BMW M5 Touring interior and tech
The interior mirrors the saloon like for like. That means you get the same dual-screen set-up ahead of the driver, with a 15in infotainment touchscreen and a wide 12.9in digital driver display.
It uses the latest iDrive system and is slick and easy to use. There are a number of obvious M-specific touches, including sports seats with contrasting red material, different door cards, a unique steering wheel and other sportier trim pieces.
But what you really want to know is about space – its estate shape gives it an impressive 500 litres of luggage capacity, while this can expand to up to 1,630 litres of space with all three rear seats folded flat. The rear seats are configurable in a 40:20:40 split, enhancing usability further.
BMW M5 Touring powertrain
The plug-in hybrid system utilises a 585hp 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine and a 197hp electric motor, offering a combined output of 727hp and a whopping 1,000Nm of torque. The result it a large estate that gets from 0-62mph in just 3.6 seconds, while its limited 155mph top speed can be upped to 189mph if you tick the M Driver’s pack option.
The electric motor uses a 18.6kWh battery pack, allowing up to 40 miles of electric-only power – enough to make it a fantastic everyday commuter with tonnes of power in reserve for longer journeys. Other notable tweaks over the standard 5 Touring include the lowered suspension and stiffer chassis, aimed at improving road holding and stability at higher speeds.
BMW M5 Touring release date
The M5 Touring will be revealed in full later this year, and is expected to get a list price of more than £100,000. We’ll bring you further details and of course leasing plans as soon as they’re available.
In the meantime, you can check out 5 and i5 deals available right now by hitting the button below.