Review: 2025 BMW M5 Touring Is The Ultimate M Utility Vehicle

Some dreams take decades to come true. For fans of BMW’s M division, the arrival of the 2025 M5 Touring in the U.S. is a long-overdue moment. For years, enthusiasts have pined for a high-performance wagon from Bavaria—something that combines the practicality of an SUV with the unrelenting fury of an M car. Now, that dream is a reality. But dreams rarely come without caveats. At nearly 5,300 pounds, the M5 Touring isn’t just breaking speed records—it’s testing the scales. Is this heavyweight a champion, or has it strayed too far from its agile, enthusiast-driven roots?
BMW wagons have a long history of looking better than their sedan counterparts, and the M5 Touring proudly upholds that tradition. It somehow makes the M5 look both more menacing and more practical, stretching the sedan’s brooding aggression into a shape that is unmistakably utilitarian without losing its commanding presence. Yet, despite its expanded proportions, nothing about it feels awkward or forced.
But this isn’t just a wagon for show. With 58 cubic feet of cargo space, the Touring has room for everything from grocery runs to a weekend’s worth of track essentials. It’s a car that doesn’t make you choose between practicality and performance—it lets you enjoy both with equal ease.
Under the Touring’s long hood lies the same electrified S68 engine that powers its sedan sibling. The twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8, paired with a hybrid motor, produces a staggering 717 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. On paper, this is an absurd amount of power for a wagon, but it turns out the M5 Touring needs all of it. Despite BMW’s xDrive system ensuring grip, its 0-60 mph time of 3.4 secondsis slower than the previous generation—more on why in a moment.
As expected from BMW, the hybrid system isn’t just about power. The 14.8-kWh battery allows the Touring to cover around 25 miles of pure electric driving. Pulling away from a crowded parking lot in total silence was a refreshing experience, though once the V8 roars to life, its (augmented) bass-heavy soundtrack reminds you of the performance pedigree. However, this hybrid technology comes with a weighty downside.
No discussion of the M5 Touring can ignore its weight. Tipping the scales at over 5,200 pounds, it’s heavier than many SUVs, including the Porsche Cayenne Turbo. Even with extensive use of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic and aluminum, the hybrid system and structural reinforcements add 140 pounds over the sedan.
Yet M engineers have a penchant for making weight seem to disappear behind the wheel–mostly. On paper, the M5 Touring’s dynamics seem every bit as sharp as an M car’s should be. On the road, it’s mostly true—until you push the car into its limits. The chassis reinforcements and retuned Adaptive M suspension do an admirable job masking the mass, but in tight corners or during repeated hard braking, the heft subtly reminds you it’s there.
Does it drive like an M car? For the most part, yes. The steering is sharp, the body control impressive, and the overall sense of confidence remains intact. BMW’s additional bracing and suspension recalibrations ensure the Touring feels more engaging than its weight suggests.
Still, physics has its limits. While we didn’t get to test this pre-production example on a track, our time with an M5 sedan at BMW’s South Carolina Performance Center revealed a car that’s exceptional for its size—though undeniably large.
When the pace quickens, there’s no hiding the elephant in the room. But for most it might be hard to spot. We found that the Touring dances well in sweeping corners, the tight rhythm of switchbacks reveal a car that has been tuned to deliver precision (if not true feedback) that breeds confidence that the best M cars have always delivered.
Inside, the M5 Touring is every bit as luxurious and tech-packed as its sedan sibling. At $121,500 you’d expect that it would deliver as a luxury car as much as a sports sedan. And in our brief time with it, we can confirm it does. The material quality is the best we’ve ever seen in an M car and the curved 12.3-inch driver display and 14.9-inch infotainment screen dominate the dashboard with crisp graphics and M-specific UI details.
It’s the rear, however, where the Touring truly shines. With its extended roofline and rear hatch, it offers up to 58 cubic feet of cargo space—more than triple the sedan’s 18.7 cubic feet. This added practicality makes it an appealing choice for drivers who need versatility but don’t want a crossover. The wagon’s wide-opening tailgate and lower load height (compared to the X5) make it easy to use, whether you’re loading suitcases or stowing track-day gear.
The 2025 BMW M5 Touring is a car of fascinating contradictions. It’s blisteringly fast yet undeniably heavy. It’s practical yet indulgent. It wears the badge of a driving icon while balancing innovation with compromise.
For enthusiasts who’ve long begged for a high-performance BMW wagon, it delivers on nearly every count. But the question remains: does the Touring carry too much weight—both literally and figuratively—to truly embody the M spirit?
Ultimately, the M5 Touring pushed the boundaries of what an M car can be. For some, it will be a perfect blend of power, utility, and luxury. For others, it may feel like a step too far from the ethos that once defined the brand. What can’t be denied is that the M5 Touring challenges our expectations—and for BMW, that might just be the point. After all, the concept of the ultimate driving machine has never been about purity. It’s about the pursuit of something that puts a smile on your face in any situation, on any day. In that frame, the M5 Touring over delivers.