BMW M has officially confirmed the incoming M5 will be available in a five-door option. Yes, that means a wagon variant—or estate or touring, depending where you’re from—is coming!
BMW’s M division has been kind enough to tease us with some photos of the new proper-roof-length high-performance camouflage-equipped 5 Series accompanying this announcement. We’ll likely be seeing plenty of “spy shots” in the near future as the M5 prototypes hit the streets for more public testing. BMW M says, “The future generation of the BMW M5 Touring has entered the practical phase of its series development process. The new high-performance model from BMW M is now completing its test drives on public roads, BMW Group proving grounds, and racetracks around the world.”
Based on the latest M offerings, you’d probably expect the M5 Touring to pack a hybrid xDrive powertrain—and you’d be right. Head of Development at BMW M GmbH Dirk Häcker confirms and says, “We are now also installing a hybrid drive system with typical M performance in other high-performance cars.” Though, the M5 may also be packing a little something extra than BMW M’s current offerings today as the division says, “The M5 Touring will feature a completely newly developed partially electrified drive system.” So, perhaps even more powerful than a 738-horsepower Label Red XM?
This G99-chassis M5 Touring will be BMW M’s third M5 Touring, with the first being the E34 introduced in 1992. The first-generation M5 Touring was equipped with a 3.8-liter 340-horsepower S38 inline six. Gear changes were accomplished through a six-speed-manual transmission, giving one more gear than the typical offerings of the time. With less than 900 produced, it’s not something you see every day—unless you happen to attend the Vintage in Asheville, North Carolina, then anything goes.
The second-generation E61 M5 Touring came in 2007, showcasing a 5.0-liter V10 engine and seven-speed SMG transmission. As with the E60 M5 sedan, a button was available to turn the unassuming 400-horsepower Dr. Jekyll into the monstrous 507-horsepower Mr. Hyde. Just over 1,000 E61 M5 Tourings were made, so yet again these were pretty rare people haulers.
While neither the E34 or E61 M5 Tourings were available in the US, BMW hasn’t denied this as a possibility for the G99 M5 Touring. To put this in perspective, BMW said right off the bat that the latest (and first) M3 Touring would not be coming to US shores, so there’s legitimate hope the M5 Touring will be coming to compete with the likes of Audi’s RS6. And given the fact that the XM is made in South Carolina’s Plant Spartanburg, how cool would it be if the M5 Touring shared some space on the assembly line? —Mike Bevels
[Photos courtesy of BMW.]
Tags: BMW M BMW Wagon Estate G99 M5 M5 Touring Touring