Reflecting on all new BMW models which arrived in our country this year—and that I had the chance to experience locally in 2025—I can confidently say it has been quite an enjoyable year. However, has the best been saved for last in the form of the eagerly awaited and much hyped wagon variant of the ballistic M5 Sedan?
On paper, it should be, and while the argument that wagons are so much cooler and more practical than Sedan counterparts is still incredibly strong, especially with this writer, there have mixed views on how this new G99 BMW M5 Touring stacks up in the pantheon of M-division greats. Time to sort out if this more practical “ultimate driving machine” is just that.
In music terms, a third album needs to be attention grabbing and have plenty of catchy tracks which will do the rounds on mainstream radio or top the charts on streaming platforms. This M5 Touring is BMW’s third go at an M5 wagon and on this basis, they certainly haven’t skimped on grabbing people’s attention, particularly when it comes to the numbers.
Like the Sedan, the Touring is equipped with a 4.4L “TwinPower” twin-turbo V8 petrol engine paired with plug-in M Hybrid technology. This gives you the additive of an 18.6kWh hybrid battery and a 145kW/280Nm electric motor. This setup enables up to 67 kilometres of electric-only driving and altogether, combined power and torque figures sit at 535kW and a monumental 1000Nm of torque.
The Touring channels this epic grunt via BMW’s eight-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels via BMW’s xDrive system. Zero to 100km/h sits at a claimed 3.6 seconds, which is brisk in anyone’s language and the Touring will top out a 305km/h. Not too shabby either.
The M5 Touring is a big car, and a menacing one at that. At 5,069mm long and 1,970mm wide, it’s a statement to say the least, especially with all the haunches, scoops, carbon bits and ducts you find from nose to tail. The menace is only amplified by the colour which BMW call “Sophisto Grey Brilliant Effect Metallic” which is “Metallic Grey” to you and I. It does look good, especially with the blacked out 20/21 inch M-light double spoke alloy wheels, but my pick colour wise would have to be BMW’s “Isle of Man Green.”
It’s a beast to look at which ever colour you choose though. My favourite angle would probably be from the rear. With those blasting quad exhaust tips, sharp angles and protruding rear wheel arches, it’s obvious BMW haven’t skimped on the stylistic steroids when putting the G99 M5 Touring from paper to pavement.
Talking of the rear, just how much can you store away thanks to those large wagon proportions. Well, 500L as it happens which makes it more generous than many mid-sized urban SUVs, especially as it weighs just as much if not more so. Also, if you drop the second row, this swells to a heft 1620L of space, which incidentally is roughly 100L more than the current M3 Touring, though standard space remains the same. Because the M5 Touring sits so low, you can load and unload a whole range of items with considerable ease.
Naturally the cabin is identical to the M5 Sedan coupled with all the fruit you would expect from a car with a base price of $248,900. While that is rather steep, for your quarter of a million dollars you do get a delightful blend of M-Division sporty feel with an air of refinement and quality. BMW do good chunky sporting leather wrapped steering wheels, and the M5 Touring is no exception, coupled with the high transmission tunnel and svelte gluteus hugging heated and ventilated M-sport seats and the M5 Touring sort of wraps itself around you nicely.
The driving position is also pretty much perfect, and the result is you are left feeling snug, ready to focus on the drive ahead. Rear seat passengers will also experience that snug feeling as the rear seats are just as plush and supportive.
Much like the Sedan, the M5 Touring defaults to hybrid mode on start up which allows you slink silently away. This means those who have early starts should have little to no fear of waking the neighbours. While partaking in electric silent running, BMW have also incorporated BMW IconicSounds Electric which takes away the lack of sound and provide a stand-in sporty-esque fabricated soundtrack.
Around town you notice the M5 Touring’s girth more at slow speed, though have a tonne of sensors and cameras all around to help with this. Active rear wheel steering also aids in a decent turning circle, given the car’s girth. With more than 60kms of electric range on tap, trips to your local or even the odd motorway jaunt can be as relaxed and restrained as you want. That said even if you turn all the suspension, brakes and basically everything else to its most comfortable setting, you still feel the bumps.
Battery regeneration can be achieved in typical PHEV fashion by throttling off and letting the deacceleration take over and recharge the 18.6kWh battery. You can set this to either minimum, middle or maximum levels of regeneration. As I found myself snaking down the hillside road to Barry’s Bay somewhat stuck behind a slow-moving caravan, I decided to set the regen to max and lo and behold, managed to gain a few extra kilometres of electric range, all while seldom ever needing to touch the brakes.
Basically, could easily daily this M5 Touring and seldom ever need to awaken the beast within, but I think you are probably waiting to find out what happens if you do. Like its Sedan counterpart, it’s not neck-snapping hyper EV quick from a standing start but close. Plant your right shoe and it will re-arrange your fillings in quick succession with some gut-wrenching forward momentum. Immensely fast though it is, make no mistake, it’s that 2478kg weight which becomes noticeable when you get a move on. Pub fact. The extra body work necessary for the Touring is around 40 kg.
Adaptive M-Suspension means there is never a moment when you can’t corner flat and planted. However, while it can devour just about every left or right hander you would care to imagine at considerable speed, you do notice it does feel somewhat heavier in the nose. That said, if it weren’t for the 4WD reigning things in, the Touring’s back end would certainly come out to play.
In fact, you can disable the 4WD system altogether and revert to good ol fashioned RWD, something which also disables all driver aids and given the roads I was devouring, this probably wasn’t the best course of action given the traffic on the road during the drive. Best leave it to the track I think.
With the V8 bellowing echoing throughout banks peninsula and the sensation of a torrent of grip and go ever present, It’s a practical performance car seriously capable of turning every trip into an adrenaline fuelled thrill ride. However, if all you want is the go-fast M-powered wagon experience, you can have all this and more in the M3 Touring, which is also significantly less expensive and, in my view, feels a tad more lithe and agile.
That said, despite the weight gain and the bigger price tag, the latest BMW M5 Touring is without doubt the ultimate expression of what a super-fast and immensely capable everyday performance car can be. This is largely down to ludicrous power, tight and taught handling characteristics which have been honed and refined to the level you would only expect from BMW, and real world practically to boot. Also, given the choice between the M5 Touring or the M5 Sedan, I would pick the Touring every single time.
Those who only aim for the summit of the climb up practical M-Sport mountain will be utterly enthralled by this wagon road warrior.
RATING: 8.5/10