BMW takes wraps off M5 Touring at Monterey Car Week

BMW has taken the wraps off the long-awaited M5 Touring, which is essentially the new model with a wagon body style. This is the first M5 wagon in over a decade since the last E61 generation car was sold in 2010. Unveiled at Monterey Car Week in California, the M5 is the third iteration of the super-estate launched in 1992, spawning from the E34 M5.

The BMW M5 Touring, like its sedan counterpart, does a 0-100kph sprint in just 3.6 seconds and has a top speed of more than 304kph. It packs a 727hp, 1000Nm, V8 plug-in hybrid powertrain. This performance doesn't come at the cost of practicality, as the M5 Touring boasts over 1,630 litres of luggage space with the rear seats down.

Like the M5 sedan, the super-estate is heavy, weighing in at some 2.5 tonnes, meaning its pace is matched, and beaten, by less powerful and much lighter rivals, such as the twin-turbocharged 600hp Audi RS6 Avant Performance (3.6sec) and 680hp Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance (3.4sec). Its 18.6kWh does, however, offer a class-leading 68km of electric-only range.

The added weight on the M5 Touring is partly due to the extra bracing and strengthening for the chassis, that was needed due to the new base ‘G90’ M5’s bigger size, adding an extra 450kg, compared to the previous F90. The M5 Touring gets performance upgrades for the chassis, suspension, steering, and structural components, just like the M5 sedan. It is fitted with adaptive suspension, four-wheel steering, and a bespoke M differential as standard.

The raunchy stylings of the M5 Touring, such as its inflated arches and raked roofline, means it also grows on the standard BMW 5 Series Touring by 70mm and length by 36mm. On the inside, the M5 Touring mirrors the M5 sedan's bucket seats, carbon fibre trim, and BMW’s Curved Display, powered by the upgraded iDrive system.

The newly revealed BMW M5 Touring joins the 522hp BMW M3 Touring, which debuted last year, meaning the German brand, for the first time, offers two different super estates. The new BMW M5 is expected to arrive in India at some point in the future, but it remains to be seen if the M5 Touring will also make it to India.