The humble station wagon goes by many names: “estate,” “shooting brake,” and in the case of the all-new 2025 BMW M5 PHEV station wagon, “Touring.” After spending a day hustling the new plug-in hybrid M5 Touring around Bavaria and along the autobahn outside of Munich, I can confidently report there is absolutely nothing humble about this station wagon. Humbling, to be sure, but this is certainly not your garden-variety wagon.
The numbers tell the story. Horsepower: 727. Torque: 737 lb-ft. Zero to 100 km/h (62 mph): 3.6 seconds. Zero to 200 km/h (124 mph): 11.1 seconds. All-electric, zero-emission range: approximately 38 kilometres (24 miles).
Another notable aspect of the new M5 Touring’s story is, like its M5 sedan stablemate, it is a plug-in hybrid. And that’s not a powerplant choice, but the only choice. That’s a gutsy move by BMW, especially in the case of the M5 sedan, arguably the German automaker’s halo vehicle of the last four decades and one known for its state-of-the-art internal-combustion engines. But skeptics will be convinced after driving the new M5 and its turbocharged 585-horsepower 4.4-litre V8 working with a 197-horsepower electric motor. I certainly was.
However, the biggest part of this vehicle’s story, at least for us Canadians, is that the 2025 M5 Touring is the first M5 Touring to ever be available in this country. The new M5 Touring represents the third generation of this performance-bred wagon, with the first debuting in 1992, based on the second-gen M5 sedan (E34); and the second bowing in 2007 and based on the V10-powered fourth-gen M5 sedan (E60). Model year 2025 marks the first time all-new generations of the M5 sedan and touring debuted simultaneously, the former the seventh gen; and, as noted, the latter the third.
How does the 2025 BMW M5 Touring PHEV drive?
The day before I drove the 2025 BMW M5 Touring PHEV in and around Bavaria, I had some seat-time in its sedan counterpart, the 2025 BMW M5 PHEV. In describing that experience, I wrote of the super-sedan, “It’s almost otherworldly how well-mannered it is during high-speed dashes on the autobahn. M5s are known for a rigid body structure, and this 2025 model is the stiffest yet, and combined with the first-ever integrated active steering and legendary M suspension setup, the handling lives up to the M5 legend.”
I was expecting a bit of a drop off in handling and performance as the Touring weighs 30 kilograms (66 lbs) more than the sedan, but that wasn’t the case at all. That electric-motor assist only adds to the M5’s legendary off-the-line performance, with that 18.6-kWh high-voltage battery providing instantaneous torque. The Touring’s hefty weight, however — 2,475 kg, or 5,456 lbs — does pose an issue when using just electric power from a standstill. BMW doesn’t provide a zero-to-100-km/h time, but from my own testing, it’s around 10 seconds and feels very sluggish, which is not the usual sensation when using kilowatts for a launch.
However, stir in the prodigious power from the M TwinPower turbo 4.4-litre V8 and that dash is, well, simply electrifying. Dial in the launch (standard) and boost (optional) controls and it’s even quicker, a testament to the M Steptronic transmission that offers three shift programs activated by a new selector level; or the old-school shift paddles on the flat-bottomed M leather steering wheel.
As with my experience in the M5 sedan day earlier, the M5 Touring provided a wildly confident drive, whether at mildly terrifying speeds on the autobahn — thankfully, the M brakes are also otherworldly — or during spirited runs between small villages that really demonstrated all that M goodness in the chassis, whether mechanical or software-based. On a couple of occasions when I glanced in the rearview mirror and was reminded I was piloting a station wagon and not a sport sedan, I just had to smile.
What drive modes are available on the 2025 BMW M5 Touring?
It wouldn’t be an M vehicle without the ability to tailor many driving dynamic inputs — from suspension to steering, from chassis to brake to energy recovery — in addition to three drivetrain modes, including four-wheel-drive, four-wheel-drive sport, and, for the old-school M5 purists, rear-wheel-drive with the stability control turned off. I didn’t have time to try all the possible permutations of these modes, and quite honestly, I feel that the only real shortcoming of the new M5 Touring, and the sedan for that matter, is this overwhelming number of possible tweaks found in the centre screen setup menu.
Personally, I’d prefer to leave it in the hands of the M engineers to determine three or four, maybe five, drive modes that incorporate the many possible adjustments. Fortunately, those M masterminds have long figured out that most drivers feel the same way as me, and so provide two customizable bright-red buttons on the steering wheel — named M1 and M2 — to allow you to create, say, a comfy highway cruising mode and a twisty-road performance mode.
And finally, there are five drive modes selectable using the M Hybrid button on the centre console. These include the default hybrid mode, which maximizes either efficiency or performance, depending on which setup selections you have chosen; electric mode, for all-electric driving; eControl mode, which incorporates brake energy recuperation or maintaining battery mode at a constant level; and optional dynamic and dynamic plus, which prime the cooling and drive systems to keep performance at a high level or generate short bursts of maximum power.
I found the eControl mode really great, particularly when just tooling — not roaring — down the autobahn, as it was a nice compromise between efficiency and performance. The ability to either charge or save the battery state of charge, while certainly not new, was also much appreciated in terms of storing power for zero-emission urban running.
What M features make the 2025 BMW M5 Touring special?
Where to begin? Let’s start on the exterior, and the special M add-ons — flared wheel arches, big air intakes, a rear roof spoiler, and a two-section diffuser incorporating twin exhaust tailpipes — that give the M5 Touring a sinister Bond supervillain vibe (when was a station wagon ever called “sinister”?). My tester was Speed Yellow, and the black roof and black rims were the perfect colour match to that bright yellow.
Inside, the M5 Touring gets the same dashboard, sport seats, and general cabin layout as the M5 sedan, which means this is unlike any station wagon you have ever sat in. Essentially, it’s the same vehicle up until the C-pillar.
Why choose a performance wagon over a performance SUV?
First and foremost, handling. Even the sleekest sport SUV can’t compete with the M5 Touring’s low centre of gravity. Coupled with the M-specific chassis technology, this wagon is as dynamic, agile, and precise as the new M5 sedan. But it has the utility — translation: cargo space — of an SUV, meaning the M5 Touring really is the best of both worlds.
When I glanced in the rearview mirror and was reminded I was piloting a station wagon and not a sport sedan, I just had to smile
It’s also why North Americans who travel to Europe often return with a longing for the wide choice of sport wagons available on the Continent. Which in turn is why BMW Canada’s decision to bring the 2025 M5 Touring is so exciting.
And with the Touring’s big cargo area, there is no real need for a roof-mounted cargo box, something I see on many all-wheel-drive sport sedans negotiating the tricky Sea-to-Sky Highway between Vancouver and Whistler each winter. While those boxes do add cargo capacity, the wind noise from the buffeting is very intrusive into the cabin, and certainly detracts from the driving experience. Without question, the 2025 BMW M5 Touring is now my Sea-to-Sky ski-trip dream machine.
What is the competition for the 2025 BMW M5 Touring?
Competition in this rarefied segment in Canada is just one, the Audi RS6 Avant performance. Yes, Volvo will have the 2025 V60 T8 Polestar wagon available in Canada, but it is no match for the performance and handling of either the M5 Touring and RS6 Avant. And while the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo does measure up to the M5 Touring performance-wise, it’s all-electric, so a bit of an apples-oranges thing, there.
The question is: does the pending arrival of the 2025 BMW M5 Touring represent a new wave of performance wagons washing ashore in our country, or is it merely an outlier? BMW Canada says growing interest from customers about the Touring is part of the reason the decision was made to offer it, but also suggested there might be a certain amount of “SUV fatigue” setting in, particularly in the high-performance segments.
That remains to be seen, but if I walked out into a parking lot full of 2025 performance SUVs from high-end German, Japanese, and British automakers, and the 2025 BMW M5 Touring was among them, I would be taking the fob for the station wagon without hesitation.
How much is the 2025 BMW M5 Touring and when will it arrive in Canada?
The 2025 BMW M5 Touring will start at $138,000, and will be in Canadian dealerships in January of 2025. Production started this month at the BMW Group Plant in Dingolfing, Germany.
Sign up for our newsletter Blind-Spot Monitor and follow our social channels on X, Tiktok and LinkedIn to stay up to date on the latest automotive news, reviews, car culture, and vehicle shopping advice.