Monterey Car Week 2024: BMW M5 Touring Unveiled

BMW M5 Touring, the station wagon version of the brand’s sports sedan, has returned after a long gap! The last generation of the M5 to get a station wagon version was the E61 generation which was in production until 2010. The new BMW M5 Touring gets the same powerplant as the sedan version that debuted a couple of months ago. 

The new M5 Touring produces the same 717 bhp and 1,000 Nm (combined) as the sedan. It gets the same 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine churning out 577 bhp and 750 Nm, while the electric motor develops 194 bhp and 280 Nm. Power is sent to all four wheels using the 8-speed automatic transmission. 

Because of the added weight due to it being a station wagon, the M5 Touring does 0-100 kmph in a claimed 3.6 seconds (0.1 seconds slower than the sedan). Like the sedan, the top speed is limited to 250 kmph but can be increased to 305 kmph with the optional M Driver’s package. 

Furthermore, like the M5 sedan, the Touring also has multiple drive modes which allow the driver to select rear-wheel drive with stability control switched off. It also has Comfort, Sport, Sport Plus, Electric and Track driving modes. 

The M5 Touring packs an 18.6 kWh battery pack that gives it a claimed range of up to 67 km, 2 km less than the sedan. The Touring can be driven in electric-only mode up to 140 kmph. Being a plug-in hybrid, the M5 Touring supports up to 11 kW AC charging. 

It also gets adaptive M suspension with electronically controlled dampers and rear-wheel steering. BMW says the drivers will have the ability to adjust each individual damper individually. The M5 Touring gets Carbon Ceramic brakes as an option and it gets staggered size for the alloy wheels (20-inch at the front, 21-inch at the back).

Cosmetically, at least till the B-pillar, the M5 Touring looks very similar to the M5 sedan. It gets the same bumper, front splitter, diffuser, grille, headlamps and even alloy wheels. Even the charging port for the battery is placed on the front left fender. It is after the B Pillar that the differences between the two start. The beltline still extends upwards and extends towards the D-pillar. At the back, the bumper gets the same design as the M5 sedan and a roof-mounted twin-pod spoiler along with a rear wiper and washer. 

Inside, the M5 Touring gets the same layout as the M5 sedan. It has a 12.3-inch digital instrument, a 14.9-inch infotainment touchscreen and a head-up display with M-specific graphics. It also gets ambient lighting, four-zone climate control, Bowers & Wilkins audio system, a wireless charger, ADAS and more. 

It remains to be seen if the M5 Touring would come to India but the M5 sedan is expected to come to our shores sometime next year. The sixth-generation BMW M5 was priced in India at ₹1.73 crore (ex-showroom, India) but the new model could cross the ₹2 crore mark when launched.