What's all this about?

Not long after launching the new M5 Saloon, BMW has followed it up with an M5 estate, known as a Touring in BMW parlance. Like the four-door M5, the M5 Touring has a massive 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine with plug-in hybrid assistance, but it comes with a bigger boot and a bit more practicality.

How much more practicality?

BMW says the M5 Touring’s boot measures 500 litres, which doesn’t sound like much when the all-electric i5 Touring, which is based on the same bodywork, has 570 litres of capacity. However, the M5’s massive hybrid system clearly impinges on boot space slightly, so the Touring still has 34 litres more luggage space than the M5 Saloon.

Except, of course, it doesn’t. Because that 500-litre figure is only measured to the luggage cover, the M5 Touring really has much more luggage capacity than the Saloon, and it can carry bigger and more awkwardly shaped items more easily. We’re expecting a fraction more rear headroom, too, thanks to the extended roof.

It looks smart...

The M5 Touring’s boot design is more or less taken straight from a standard 5 Series Touring, but with a few sporty accoutrements. The flared wheel arches and aggressive bumpers are more or less pinched from the M5 Saloon, and there are lovely quad exhausts at the rear. There’s a big rear spoiler, too, but the sides of the car are relatively clean, save for the angular sills.

At the front, meanwhile, BMW has continued with the aggression, including a very angular front bumper and a pronounced front grille, although some would-be customers will be pleased to see the ‘kidney’ grille is not quite as bold as that of the M3 Touring.

What about the inside?

For those in the front, the M5 Touring is identical to the M5 Saloon, what with its flat-bottomed steering wheel and Curved Display, which combines the digital instrument cluster and touchscreen in one, erm, curved display… It’s a luxurious place to be, with leather as standard and some clever ambient lighting, as well as some red touches on the steering wheel to mark this out as the pinnacle of the 5 Series range.

So it's just as fast as the M5 Saloon?

Pretty much. It has exactly the same engine, gearbox and hybrid system, so there’s a 4.4-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 under the bonnet, and there’s an eight-speed automatic gearbox with an electric motor built in. Under the floor is an 18.6kWh battery for the electric motor, which produces 197hp on its own. Team that with the petrol engine’s might, however, and there’s a 727hp maximum power output that’s distributed between all four wheels, allowing a 0-62mph time of 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 155mph. Unless, of course, you get the M Driver’s Package, which ups that to 190mph.

Admittedly, that 0-62mph time is a tenth of a second down on the M5 Saloon, which is fractionally lighter, but it’s still pretty ballistic. The bigger issue is that the extra bulk has a slight impact on efficiency. On electric power alone, the M5 Touring will cover up to 42 miles on the official economy test, and that’s a slight downgrade compared with the Saloon.

But it gets all the same handling upgrades, right?

Oh yes. The M5 Touring still comes with its bespoke suspension set-up, as well as all-wheel steering designed to make it turn more tightly at low speeds and feel more stable at high speeds. BMW has also fitted its clever xDrive all-wheel-drive system, which is rear-biased for a more purist driver experience, and can even be turned off for track use, leaving the car solely in rear-drive mode.

Go on, how much does it cost?

Prices start at £112,500, which is a lot of money, but it’s only £2,000 more than you’ll pay for an M5 Saloon, and you get exactly the same standard equipment, including all the luxurious stuff – reversing cameras, heated seats and the like. It’s also less than you’ll pay for an Audi RS 6 Avant Performance…

James Fossdyke - 15 Aug 2024