Next-Generation BMW M5 Touring Spied Testing on Autobahn
The next-generation BMW M5 Touring will likely be a hybrid-powered superwagon that, like its predecessors, won't make it to the U.S. However, it's still exciting to spot one being tested on the Autobahn.
Earlier this year, BMW teased us with a handful of pictures showing off a camouflaged M5 Touring prototype. Now, thanks to a new video posted on the Automotive Mike YouTube channel, we get a look at this powerful wagon being road-tested.
This new wagon is expected to combine the BMW 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 with an electric motor. The combined power output will likely be well above 700 horsepower. By way of comparison, the Audi RS6 Avant Performance packs a 621-horsepower wallop. Of course, the Audi is available to buy in the United States and the M5 Touring is likely to remain forbidden fruit. But miracles do happen, so allow us to dream for a moment.
The current M5 sedan with the competition package has 617 horsepower without any hybrid assistance. It is enough to rocket the car to 60 mph in less than three seconds. Expect the M5 Touring to be even quicker. If you feel that the current American obsession with driving SUVs is a disease, then this super wagon is the cure. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but even wearing camouflage we can tell that the M5 Touring will be much better looking than the XM SUV.
BMW has given the world M5 wagons in the past. The automaker gave the M treatment to a wagon for the first time back in 1992. After that, the M5 Touring E61 was built from 2007 to 2010. It featured a high-revving V-10 engine making 507 horsepower. Neither car was sold here. In fact, we have not had any version of a 5-Series wagon available to us since 2010. The new M5 Touring will be known as the G99 series, and it is expected to enter production in November 2024.
With the car undergoing road testing now and production starting just over a year from now, we expect to learn more detailed specifications of the car soon. We know it will be powerful, and fast, and it should easily accommodate all the luggage a family of four can throw at it. What we are most eager to learn is if BMW will turn it loose on American roads.
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