BMW M5 Touring: Powerful PHEV estate with excess weight

BMW has unveiled the new M5 Touring. The performance estate has a 535 kW plug-in hybrid drive system. However, this comes at a price, which, in this case, does not mean the cost.

A brief look at the drive: the electric motor comes from the current fifth generation of BMW eDrive technology and generates a maximum output of 145 kW. “Its nominal torque of 280 Nm (206 lb-ft) increases to effective torque at the transmission input of 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) with the help of the pre-gearing stage patented by BMW,” the manufacturer writes. Purely electric driving is possible at speeds of up to 140 kph. The high-voltage battery of the new BMW M5 Touring provides a usable energy content of 18.6 kWh. This enables an electric range of 61 to 67 kilometres according to the WLTP. The battery is charged with up to 11 kW AC and the combustion engine is a 4.4-litre V8 with ‘TwinPower’ turbo with 430 kW.

While BMW emphasises the ‘sculptural vehicle front’ and the ‘two-part diffuser with integrated tailpipe pairs on the right and left’ or celebrates the ‘emotionally powerful drive sound’ of the sports exhaust system with electrically controlled flaps in the press release, one point is not emphasised in the press release for the M5 Touring: the weight. According to the technical data, the M5 Touring has an unladen weight of 2,550 kilograms according to EU specifications. This makes the ‘sporty’ 5 Series estate heavier than the all-electric i5 Touring M60 xDrive (2,425 kg).

The M5 Touring with plug-in hybrid and all-wheel drive celebrated its premiere at the Monterey Car Week in the US state of California. Immediately after the start of production at the BMW plant in Dingolfing, the market launch is scheduled for November 2024 – but BMW has not yet announced prices. The most important markets for the new M5 Touring are Germany and the USA, followed by the UK, Canada and Switzerland.

bmwgroup.com