High-performance station wagons never caught on in the United States, but a renaissance could be coming. The low-slung, hot-rodded family estate cars are increasingly popular in European markets; nearly every automaker across the pond offers each of their sedans in wagon form along with a halo model with a powerful engine. It’s the perfect recipe: the practicality of an SUV, the low center of gravity and handling characteristics of a sedan, and the engine of a sports car.
We'll soon get another hot rod station wagon on our shores. The 2025 BMW M5 Touring will join the Audi RS 6 Avant ("wagon" in Audi-speak) as the only two sold here in the States when it goes on sale at the end of 2024. It'll cost more than an M5 sedan, starting at $122,675.
BMW has been selling an M5 Touring ("wagon" in BMW terms) overseas for years, and the seventh-generation model will be the first sold here. However, not every M5 generation has received the extra sheet metal; this new one will only be the third. The German automaker also makes an M3 Touring for other markets, but the company has said it won't sell it in the U.S.
The 2025 BMW M5 debuted earlier this summer—the first to receive electrification assistance. It and the M5 Touring use a high-revving, twin-turbocharged V8 engine with an integrated electric motor in the transmission, giving it 717 horsepower and sending it to a claimed top speed of nearly 200 mph.
BMW M5 Touring models also have the same upgrades, including adaptive dampers, rear-axle steering, and carbon-ceramic brakes. However, BMW says the optional M Carbon package, which reduces the car’s weight by 66 pounds, won’t be available on the Touring.
The new BMW M5 has a radically different appearance from its predecessor, featuring sharper lines and pronounced fenders wrapping around the rear end. Large air intakes at the front help to cool off the hybrid powertrain. The M5 Touring has a roofline and integrated spoiler that blend elegantly into the car's muscular rear.
BMW fits a set of staggered 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels on the M5 Touring with size 285/40 front and 295/35 rear rubber to accentuate its aggressive stance and maximize the hybrid's massive torque delivery to the road.
Customers can choose from 10 standard colors, including standout options like Isle of Man Green and Marina Bay Blue, or numerous BMW Individual special-order colors.
You won't notice anything different inside an M5 Touring than the sedan. The wagons have the same large, curved display extending out the dashboard, which runs the latest iDrive system. The flat-bottom, leather-wrapped steering wheel has a red stripe on the 12 o'clock mark for a visual aid during track driving.
Like the M5 sedan, the Touring model has a Merino leather interior available in four colors. In the spring of 2025, BMW will expand both models' options by introducing new Individual full Merino metallic leather trim in either Black and Dark Violet or Taupe Grey and Deep Lagoon Pearl. BMW includes carbon fiber trim in the M Carbon package, and a unique Dark Oak wood trim is another option.
Despite the additional sheet metal at the back, the M5 Touring offers only 1.2 extra cubic feet of trunk storage compared to the M5 sedan. However, with all the seats folded down, the storage space opens to 57.6 cubic feet.
A twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine and electric motor integrated into the eight-speed automatic transmission send 717 hp and 738 pound-feet of torque to all four of the M5 Touring’s wheels. The electric motor feeds off a 14.8-kilowatt-hour (kWh) lithium-ion battery that provides fully electric driving for up to 25 miles at speeds of up to 87 mph. You can’t do that in an RS 6.
With the instant torque provided by the electric motor and BMW's xDrive AWD system sending power to the asphalt, BMW says the M5 Touring will rip to 60 mph in a claimed 3.5 seconds (0.1 second behind the sedan). BMW also equips the Touring (and sedan) with an electronically active rear differential. When equipped with the optional M Driver's package, BMW says the M5 Touring will reach the same 190-mph top speed as the sedan.
Along with some of the typical standard advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), such as lane-keeping assistance and blind-spot warning, the new M5 Touring has BMW's Driving Assistant Professional available. The system allows drivers to use the driver-assist technology at highway speeds. At speeds less than 40 mph, drivers can take their hands off the wheel, given they remain attentive.
Drivers can program their ADAS settings using the two M Mode buttons on the steering wheel. The two red buttons illuminate at night and control saved drive-mode settings. However, Sport mode turns off any safety systems influencing braking and steering inputs. In Track mode, everything is off.
Wagons don't sell well in the United States, especially high-performance station wagons that cost north of six figures. The Mercedes-AMG E63 S Wagon and Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo have long been discontinued.
So, the 2025 BMW M5 Touring—the first M5 wagon to be sold in the States—only has one competitor if you're looking solely at wagons and not sedans: the Audi RS 6 Avant. It also has AWD but uses a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8, making 621 hp and 627 pound-feet of torque. Which one will it be? Almost 100 extra horsepower and a hybrid V8, or forgo the future tech for more money and less performance.
BMW is the source of information in this article. It was accurate as of August 15, 2024, but it may have changed since that date. Always confirm product details and availability with the automaker’s website or your local dealership.
Connor Hoffman has worked in the automotive industry since 2018 in both editorial and public relations. He has tested and written about hundreds of cars and helped lead the media launches of the 2024 Toyota Tacoma and Land Cruiser. Connor started his career at Car and Driver after a summer internship and has contributed to Edmunds, U.S. News & World Report, and Capital One Autos.
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