Earlier this month, BMW M CEO Frank Van Meel made gearheads across the USA extremely excited by confirming that the BMW M5 Touring would be coming to our shores. We always knew we’d be getting the new BMW M5 Sedan, as the USA is one of the biggest markets for M’s go-faster models. But the wagon’s introduction looked less likely for two reasons. The average American would much rather spend $120,000 on a performance SUV than a low-slung performance hearse, but the biggest hint was Bimmer’s decision not to sell the stunning M3 Touring in the USA.
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Why did BMW change its mind? The M5 Touring will be much bigger than the M3 Touring, which fits in with America’s love of bigger cars. Secondly, the M5 Touring will be a niche model catering to card-carrying members of the gearhead tribe who all agree that wagons are much cooler than SUVs because they just are. For proof, look at the images below. Historically, Audi is the brand most commonly associated with performance wagons, but Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and even Cadillac have made some epic-looking machines over the years. In anticipation of this new wagon’s arrival, let’s look at everything that’s been confirmed about the new M5 so far.
“The US is one of the biggest markets for BMW M, and combines passions for motorsport, high-performance cars with powerful engines like a V8, and technical innovations. But while the enthusiasm for BMW M vehicles in the US is undeniable, what has been missing until now was a high-performance wagon which fulfills the needs of the market. The calls for such a vehicle have been getting louder and louder over the years. We listened to all of the enthusiasts and responded with the BMW M5 Touring available for the first time in North America.”
– Frank van Meel, BMW M CEO
The Sedan Will Arrive First, The Wagon Will Follow A Few Months Later
The Bimmer Post forum has a user called ynguldyn, famous for accurately sharing insider information about future models, who posted that production of the sedan will start in July 2024, while the Touring will enter production in November. This means the expected top-seller will arrive first to shock and awe the global population, with the wagon entering production a few months later to give the M5 another burst of attention. However, given the wagon has been teased prior to the sedan, and both are currently undergoing testing in Lapland, we expect them to be unveiled simultaneously.
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Interestingly, this is only the third M5 Wagon to ever reach production. The second-generation E34 M5 was available as a wagon from 1992, but BMW dropped the idea when the E39 debuted. BMW brought it back for the E60 generation, but since then, two generations have come and gone without a wagon derivative.
It Will Be The Greenest M5 Ever
In late 2023, Frank van Meel confirmed what many had expected all along. The new M5 will be a plug-in hybrid, using a version of the engine used in the BMW XM. A few months after that, a few key figures leaked, among them the claimed electric range. Thanks to an 18.6 kWh battery, the new M5 has an all-electric range of 43 miles. Now, we don’t expect this to be a big selling point. “What I really like about my M5 is how frugal it is,” said nobody in the history of the world, ever. Still, one of the main characteristics of the M5 is that it has to do everything well, including mundane daily tasks. Using electricity to provide motivation during the week and saving the go-juice for the weekend sounds like a good idea on paper, but we’ll have to see if it works in the real world.
It Will Be Fat, And The Power To Weight Isn’t Looking Good
The M5’s version of the 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8-based plug-in hybrid engine will produce 718 horsepower. The engine will produce 577 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque, while the electric motor housed between the engine and transmission will add 194 hp and 206 lb-ft to the mix. This power output puts the M5 and M5 Touring slot in neatly between the 644-hp base BMW XM and the 738-hp XM Label Red.
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The downside is the added weight. While the new M5 may be 100 hp up on the outgoing F90 M5, it weighs significantly more. The leaked figure is 5,356 pounds, which is just over 1,000 lbs more than the F90 M5. The latter had a power-to-weight ratio of 0.142 hp per pound. If we use the leaked figures, the power-to-weight ratio for the incoming model works out to 0.134 hp per pound. We have to keep the power delivery in mind, however. The S63B44T4 V8 in the F90 M5 was a masterpiece and virtually lag-free, but the S68 plug-in hybrid will use the battery and electric motor for torque-filling duties. Since electric power is instantaneous, there’s a good chance the newer, fatter M5 will be faster to 60 mph. But what about handling…
It Will Be All Things To All Men
We already know the M5 and M5 Touring will hit all the luxurious daily living targets. How do we know this? Because we’ve already driven the standard 5 Series range and it’s exceptional. BMW started with an exceptional donor car, and the M department rarely gets it wrong. The 5 Series interior was plucked from the 7 Series, it has loads of space, and it has a large trunk. As mentioned earlier, the BMW M5 needs to be good at many things, and the fact that the German automaker got the base car right bodes well for the M model.
There Has Never Been A Sucky M5
The main reason we know the new M5 will be good is because there has never been a crappy M5. Sure, we ranked all the existing generations, and the E39 came out on top, but even the most controversial model is an excellent car. The E60 M5, with its V10 engine and automated manual gearbox, could be a deeply infuriating car in the wrong setting, and it does tend to break down and cost a fortune to run, but when you find yourself on a twisty road where you can let that epic engine loose, it’s supercar quick.
This gives us hope that the engineers at BMW M know what they’re doing because history is repeating itself. People were up in arms when the first turbocharged model came along, and again when all-wheel drive was added, but every time, the engineers made it work.
