Most car buyers still think of wagons as boring mom machines with fake wood paneling. But to automotive enthusiasts, any performance car is cool, and a performance wagon is even better. It offers the practicality of a crossover with the handling of a car. Ideal. If you know, you know.
The 2025 BMW M5 Touring is definitely an IYKYK machine, but its plug-in hybrid powertrain creates compromises. With 717 horsepower, it’s the most powerful M5 yet, but it’s also slower than the last-generation model due to a big weight increase, and it costs appreciably more as well. So, was it worth it for BMW to add a green aspect to its midsize performance machine? That’s a matter of priorities.
Slower or not, the new M5 remains stunningly quick. Its twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 makes 577 horsepower and teams up with a synchronous electric motor in the eight-speed automatic transmission to produce a whopping 738 pound-feet of torque to go with its 717 horsepower. The motor aids acceleration with up to 194 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of its own, and that torque is available from a stop, so there is no noticeable turbo lag.
The engine belts out a deep, rising thrum, especially with the artificial M Sound enabled. It supplies relentless neck-snapping thrust when I dig deep into the throttle. BMW quotes a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds, and it feels every bit as fast as that. However, Car and Driver recorded a 2.6-second 0-60 mph time for the previous generation M5 Competition sedan, which used a 627-horsepower version of the same engine and weighed in at 4,096 pounds. The M5 Touring tips the scales at an astonishing 5,530 pounds.
The powertrain’s behavior can be tailored to the driver’s taste. BMW doesn’t provide drive modes, per se, but the Setup button on the center console lets drivers program the red M1 and M2 toggles on the steering wheel and choose settings for the drivetrain, regenerative braking, transmission, suspension, steering, brakes, all-wheel-drive system, and engine sound.
An M Hybrid button on the center console adjusts the hybrid system, too, offering an Electric mode, balanced hybrid assist for improved fuel economy, or dynamic hybrid assist for extra power. Thanks to a 14.8-kWh battery, Electric mode allows for 25 miles of full electric driving as long as you don’t exceed 87 mph or push the accelerator past a detent at the end of pedal travel.
I recommend using the battery as often as possible for normal commuting to get the most benefit. Otherwise, the M5 Touring returns just 13 mpg in combined city and highway driving, according to the EPA. I’m averaging 13.7 mpg over 141 miles of mixed driving. The M5 mostly charges the battery on its own, either with regenerative braking or with the engine. Owners can also charge it in a few hours on a Level 2, 240-volt outlet via the 11-kW onboard charger.
At 200.6 inches long on a 118.3-inch wheelbase, the M5 Touring is 3.2 inches longer than the last-generation sedan on a wheelbase that’s 0.9 inch longer — another reason it’s gained weight. For perspective, it’s almost two inches longer than the three-row Ford Explorer, and it weighs about as much as a Chevy Tahoe.
But BMW does what it can to mask the weight and provide the track-ready handling M5 buyers expect. The M5 retains a double-wishbone front suspension, a five-link rear suspension, and adaptive dampers, but BMW saves weight by employing aluminum and unique sheet metal construction for the front suspension components. The toe and camber links, and the trailing arms are revised to improve dynamics, and numerous M-specific braces are employed throughout the body to increase longitudinal and torsional stiffness.
This all combines with a near-perfect 50/50 front-to-rear weight balance to help the M5 Touring wear its weight well. On a twisty road, that includes a 180-degree switchback, the M5 stays planted and rotates with neutral balance. The 285/40ZR20 front and 295/35ZR21 rear Pirelli P Zero R tires provide stubborn grip, and the big body barely leans in defiance of the G forces acting upon it. When I get on the throttle a little before the apex, the standard electronically controlled rear differential lock shifts power to the outside rear wheel to help mitigate understeer and send me rocketing out of the corner.
When the road gets rough, I adjust the M2 mode to choose the dampers’ Comfort setting. Even then, the ride is overly firm, which could turn off some buyers. The variable ratio steering gets quicker the farther I turn the wheel and tops out at a 14.2:1 ratio. It’s quick and direct, but like most BMWs these days, it’s light to the touch and offers little road feel through the chunky steering wheel. Standard rear-axle steering can turn the rear wheels up to 1.5 degrees opposite of the fronts, but in faster corners, it’s actually turning slightly with the fronts to provide stability.
My test car wears the optional ($8,500) M Carbon ceramic brakes that save 55 pounds of unsprung weight. The massive 16.5-inch front rotors are grabbed by gold six-piston calipers, and single-piston rear calipers clamp down on 15.7-inch rear rotors. That’s a lot of braking power, but this is a lot of car.
The cockpit has a sporty, extroverted look with its carbon-fiber and piano black trim and two-tone black and cherry tomato red leather that extends to the dash and doors. Technology is at the forefront, too, with a standard one-piece curved display that includes a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.9-inch touchscreen. When parked, owners can stream YouTube videos on the touchscreen or play games on the screen using their phones as the controller. Voice commands can be used for in-car controls, such as adjusting the seating position or setting the temperature.
The front buckets are wide enough for larger drivers, and they hold me firmly in place during aggressive cornering. The second-row seats are comfortable and supportive as well, but the biggest advantage of the Touring body style is cargo space. It boasts 17.7 cubic feet of cargo room behind the second row, and that expands to a generous 57.6 cubic feet with rear seats folded down.
The 2025 BMW M5 Touring is priced at $125,275, which includes a $2,600 gas-guzzler tax and an $1,175 destination fee. That tops the 2023 M5 sedan (there was no 2024 model) by more than $15,000. It’s larger than the outgoing car, and slower both in a straight line and around a track. However, with 25 miles of all-electric range, most commutes can be handled without gas. The wagon body style also gives the Touring most of the practicality of a compact crossover SUV. That all makes the 2025 BMW M5 Touring a great all-around performance car, even though you wouldn’t expect a wagon to be so quick. IYKYK.
Images Source: BMW
