It’s easy enough to be won over by the M5 Touring as a concept. Much like the smaller M3, in fact, we just sort of assumed it would never happen - even with two officially in the back catalogue. But with the last M5 wagon feeling like ancient history and M’s relentless SUV drive (from X2 M35i to XM) there didn’t seem to be either the space or inclination to resurrect the idea. So it’s to BMW’s credit, whatever you make of this 727hp G99, that it did. This is a very expensive and seriously niche estate car; there’ll never be very many of them, the i4 M50 will continue to be the best-selling M car (probably), and Europe will likely still prefer an X5 M. Comparative exclusivity will find it an audience, though mainly this feels like it’s been done because it’s a cool idea - and because BMW can. Thank heavens for that.
As with the M5 four-door and the M3 Touring equivalent, this is a fairly unapologetic fast estate to look at. There’s no chance of debadging it and opting for a demure colour with the intention of blending in. Not with an illuminated grille surround that looks like a naff Christmas decoration (as it does when every car maker does it - please stop), exhaust pipes that could sit above a steam locomotive and a front end fit for Mr Plow. The new M5 wagon will get you noticed, be that on the M40, at rugby training, or in the hotel car park. Whether you want the attention or not.
That being said, there are some really nice elements to the Touring’s design. In profile it’s fantastic, your attention always drawn to a powerful, taut rear end. Indeed, those aspects that look a tad OTT on the saloon (the arches, mainly) sit more comfortably here. The spoiler is smartly integrated and conveys the right sort of intent. And if the carbon diffuser treatment looks a little strange, it means that a towbar can still be fitted under the reverse light. And what a tow car this promises to be. We’ll just gloss over what this probably weighs against an E30 track car and trailer combo…
We don’t need to discuss the inside too much, as we've already got to grips with the new M5 interior: opulent, high-tech, special, and just about user-friendly enough, it remains. What is notable is the boot space - or rather, the relative lack of it. Because of how much has to be packed into the rear axle area (don’t forget the rear steer) there are only 500 litres available. It isn’t impacted quite like a C63 is by electrification, and it’s hardly a Clio V6 back there, though neither is it huge. Indeed, seats up, it’s to-the-litre identical to an M3 Touring, despite the car around it being so much larger and more expensive. There’s an advantage once the seats are down (1,630 litres v 1,510 litres) for however regularly that happens. The M5 is large then without being truly cavernous - an RS6 has 565 litres seats up, the old E63 a whopping 640 litres. Best have a look into roofboxes for family trips to Chamonix.
Where the M5 can claim a meaningful advantage over the 3 is in speed. Because the weight is comparable to the saloon (2,475kg plays 2,435kg; you won’t tell the difference), there’s that similar feeling of indefatigable, almighty, all-consuming performance. It never feels light, though equally it always feels like there’s a surfeit of performance to deal with it. Once up and running (is anyone likely to use launch control on an M5 Touring?), this picks up from the base of the rev range strongly, electrification aiding forced induction to give the impression of a torque plateau lasting for about 5,000rpm. It revs out willingly, it piles on speed fast enough to make a three-lane autobahn feel almost insubstantial, and the augmented V8 sound is about as convincing as the augmented straight-six sound in the M3. Which is to say just about good enough. If maybe not the perfect car for a ski trip, an M5 Touring should make ideal transport for something like an N24 weekend. You’ll be there in three hours from Calais.
Arguably it doesn’t matter too much how the Touring drives. Or not to the same extent as much as the saloon, the icon with its unbroken, seven-generation legacy. That must be the standard bearer for its segment; the Touring it was assumed would never happen so it doesn’t have quite the same expectation resting on its broad shoulders. And for now it exists without many rivals, the world lacking an E63 wagon for the moment and with the last exclusively petrol-powered RS6s being made. The Panamera Sport Turismo is dead as well. Nevertheless, it is good (quelle surprise). So much so that only a Taycan Turbo S - for another £50,000, don't forget - is going to be faster and handle better.
Much like Porsche's EV, a car of this size and weight has right to corner, ride and slow down like the M5 Touring does. Particularly one with a huge V8 up front. Don’t forget, either, that it wasn’t very long ago that M cars could be a bit too lairy for their own good, the suspension running out of ideas at the least opportune moment. There seems little danger of that happening this time around, the Touring ruthless in its body control and yet rarely sacrificing the agreeable, amenable edge to its ride quality. Formidable pace can therefore be carried, even with the same caveat here as with the saloon of a test route that was very far from taxing.
While retaining so much of the saloon’s talent is laudable, it does mean that the same gripes carryover too. You never feel entirely at ease with the four-wheel steer, its response still a tad out of kilter with the rest of the car (neither mode for the steering really helps). Grip and traction are predictably monstrous, albeit with little incentive to nudge up against them. On the one hand, maybe a family-friendly estate this large and luxurious doesn’t need to offer peerless driver engagement; on the other, it’s still an M5, and, assuming its buyers have paid the premium precisely for that reason, it seems a tad disappointing that there’s not the encouragement from the controls to push just a little bit. The engineering effort has been expended on the hardware; it’d be nice just to get a better feel for what it’s doing.
Maybe that’ll come with more miles on familiar roads. Probably we should just be satisfied that the Touring exists at all, that it romps along with a turbo V8, and that it can tackle any challenge presented to it with aplomb. Nevertheless, where the M3 Touring offers up sufficient excitement to make the long way home seem essential, that same feeling never materialises in the M5. Or not so far. For now, we can just say it's very fast and (broadly speaking) very good. Just not immediately very fun. And based on what the M3 offers for less money, including (but not limited to) that identical boot size, some might reasonably pause for thought.
Still, for those markets that don’t get the smaller M Touring, it’s hard to lodge any substantial complaints against it - for not much more money than the saloon, this M5 is better to look at, no less ballistic, and equally adept. Which does rather make it the pick of the range. Perhaps like the old F10 back in the day, it will take some time to warm to a model that represents such a significant technological shift. Arriving anywhere in an M5 Touring will guarantee some attention for the next year or so, that's for certain. But from our perspective, this doesn’t offer anything more as an M wagon experience than the M3 does. A bit less, in fact.
Bigger isn’t always better, even when it comes to BMW wagons.
SPECIFICATION | BMW M5 TOURING (G99)
Engine: 4,395cc, twin-turbo V8, plus 18.6kWh battery and permanently excited synchronous motor
Transmission: 8-speed auto (electric motor incorporated), all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 727 (system output; engine 585@5,600-6,500rpm, motor 197@6,000rpm)
Torque (lb ft): 738 (system output; engine 553@1,800-5,400rpm, motor ‘effective torque resulting from pre-gearing' 332)
0-62mph: 3.6 seconds
Top speed: 155mph (189mph possible with M Driver’s Pack)
Weight: 2,475kg (DIN)
MPG: 141.2-166.2 (with battery charged; 25.9 with discharged)
CO2: 39-45g/km (37-41 miles WLTP electric running)
Price: £113,905
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