If you’re expecting to hear that driving the 2025 BMW M5 Touring is patently different than driving the M5 sedan, sorry to disappoint. Sure, there are some differences to the spring rates and chassis tuning to account for the long roof’s slightly heavier weight, but the intent is to make the two cars feel the same.

Mechanically, it’s the exact same car I reviewed just a few weeks ago. That means it has the same twin-turbocharged 4.4 liter V-8 combined with the plug-in hybrid system still making 717 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque. It’s paired to the same all-wheel-drive system and the same eight-speed automatic. All the same.

Photo by: BMW

Like the sedan, the touring is ballistically fast in a straight line and too isolating to feel like it’s ever working on a back road. The ride quality is still excellent on smooth and slightly imperfect pavement, no matter the damper settings. And the steering is still that new BMW normal: a quick rack with little feel. And it still has the same gorgeous interior. The Touring is also 140 pounds heavier than the sedan, weighing in at 5,530 pounds. That sounds like a lot, but on top of an already-stout 5,390 pounds for the sedan, the weight gain is miniscule.

This is, for intents and purposes, the same M5. It’s a grand touring wagon, the perfect car for long blasts on the highway to the coast of France with your family. That means you’ll be choosing your M5 because of the body style, not because of how they drive. And if it were me, it’d be the wagon all day every day for a few reasons.

Photo by: BMW

Pros: Looks Great, Outrageously Fast, Lovely Interior, Wagon!

First, the wagon basically gets rid of any argument for buying the XM, which shares the M5’s powertrain. Judged against the XM, the M5 Touring looks better, drives better, and weighs nearly 500 pounds less. By comparison, this is the lightweight.

Second, the wagon just looks great, especially from that rear three-quarter angle. That’s a theme common with any of the fast wagons and their sedan counterparts, though. The Mercedes E63 is better as a wagon, and the Audi RS6 and its massive fender flares makes the RS7 look mundane. The new M5 has a true widebody, with a wider front and rear track. Those wider haunches combined with the rear hatch and the long roof give the M5 a great stance and a ton of presence.

Photo by: BMW

Cons: Isolating And Distant At Reasonable Speeds, Limits Are Too High For On-Road Fun

Third, and probably most importantly, fast wagons are just rad sleepers. If you’re going fast in a sedan, people expect it. But flying by someone in a wagon, at least in America, will be confusing and leave them with more questions. Wagons haven’t been about taking kids to soccer for ages, but that reputation still exists.

Yes, the wagon does still share the negative aspects of the M5 and doesn’t pretend that it’s going to engage you at a safe speed on a back road. Essentially nobody will be taking this car to the track either. But as a family hauler that needs to cover vast highway distances repeatedly and quickly, there aren’t many cars that are better equipped.

Now, just set aside $122,675 before options and you can get one after production starts in November.

Competitors

Audi RS6 Avant Performance

Driving The New BMW M5

The 2025 BMW M5 Is Too Capable: First Drive Review
We Drove the New BMW M5. It’s a Hybrid Missile

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