New BMW M5 Touring to enter production in 2024 – hot estate US bound
The next-generation M5 will spawn a Touring estate version when it enters production later this year, and it will go on sale in the US for the first time
The seventh-generation BMW M5 saloon has been out on the road in pre-production form for some time, and while it’s yet to be officially revealed, the marque has confirmed that the M5 saloon will be joined by a more practical sibling. For the first time since the V10-powered E61 M5 from 2007, BMW M is developing an M5 Touring to rival the Audi RS6 and Mercedes-AMG E63 S Estate, and it's set for a reveal later this year.
Final details are still under wraps, but we now know that production will begin in Q4 of 2024 before first customer cars hit the road. For the first time, the BMW M5 Touring will also be available in North America, with its E61 M5 predecessor and even the highly popular G81 M3 Touring never making it to the US.
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While these latest teaser images offer a closer look at its design, earlier spy shots taken at the Nürburging provide the best look at the M5 Touring's production bodywork, which will adopt the same swollen arches and wide track as the saloon. Expect to see a deeper front bumper with M5-specific cooling vents when the disguise comes off, along with new body pressings for the front wings, sills and rear quarter panels for a more aggressive stance.
Final details on its powertrain, performance figures and design are yet to be announced, but there are a few things we already know. Pre-production prototypes have confirmed the use of a hybrid powertrain, with this likely to lift elements from the divisive XM SUV launched last year. Like the current-generation F90, a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 will remain at its core, now in tweaked S68-form and with hybrid assistance.
Predictably, power figures will exceed the 616bhp and 553lb ft of the F90 Competition by quite some margin, with the same V8 hybrid powertrain producing 741bhp in the XM Label Red. BMW's xDrive all-wheel drive system will make a return, likely helping the M5 cover the 0-62mph sprint quicker than the 3.3sec of its predecessor.
The M5 Touring completed an on-road testing programme before heading to the Nürburgring Nordschleife, where it's all-wheel drive system and suspension calibration are being tested. If the brilliant G81 M3 Touring is anything to go by, this is one to look forward to…
> BMW M5 Touring (E61, 2007 - 2010): review, specs and buying guide
