Wow. What an interesting turn of events that has taken place over the past few days.
Not long ago, the world—and particularly those of a North American persuasion—was in for a real treat when BMW announced that they’d be producing a new M5 Touring, and that the indomitable sports wagon would also be making its way west of the Atlantic.
That is all huge news for a couple of reasons. For one, the new BMW M5 Touring is just about guaranteed to be a hit and there’s little that the German automaker can do wrong, unless they were somehow in the mood for a bit of self-sabotage. Secondly, it fills a void left by the manufacturer’s decision to omit the BMW M3 Touring from US and Canadian markets—that one still stings, and a change of heart is always more than welcome.
*Screeeeeeeeeeech*
But, hold that thought. After it was claimed by an array of automotive journalists that the BMW M5 Touring would be making its way stateside for the first time, the brakes were quickly slammed on the probability of this happening. This comes directly from the source, too, with Carscoops reporting that BMW gaffer Domagoj Dukec outright denied saying anything to that tune when asked for clarification on the matter.
“No, I did not!” he responded using the most layman’s terms possible. However, this doesn’t necessarily seal the fate for M5 Touring landing on western soil, or not. It’s still very early days, and the moderate optimist in me says that this announcement could still be made later on. Dukec also didn’t definitively say that it will not be coming, only that he never confirmed that it is…shenanigans!
Anyway…
Besides that, there’s plenty about the car that we can assume will come to fruition with a high degree of certainty. The decision to use BMW’s S63 power plant in the M5 Touring—a twin-turbocharged 4.4L V8 engine—in concert with an electric motor borrowed from the XM, has pretty much been nailed down at this point.
On the performance SUV, this same hybrid configuration already produces about 740 hp and 740 tq, so we can expect at least those figures for the M5 Touring, and closer to (or beyond) the 800-mark for special variants like the CS. Given that the former can already sprint from 0-60 mph in just 3.7 seconds, the relatively diminutive wagon should be good for a low-3-second achievement.
xDrive all-wheel drive will come as standard and exclusive equipment for BMW’s muscular and athletic estate car. Likewise, an 8-speed automatic transmission will be responsible for sending power to each corner, with an intentional bias towards the rear instilling more sporty driving dynamics.
Of course, we should also expect the full suite of M goodies to accompany all of these enhancements, which will include more sophisticated electronic driving aids, additional driving modes, a revised suspension system, bigger brakes, and beefier tires, just to name a few.
The imprint of ultimate BMW performance will also be delivered aesthetically, with features such as a more aggressive aero kit, wider wheel arches, and quad exhaust tips, helping to paint a silhouette which makes it easily distinguishable as an M-car. Those same design cues will be infused in the interior, where new sport bucket seats and the liberal use of carbon fiber—amongst a host of other upgrades—ensure that there is no mistaking that you’re sitting in something special.
We expect the new BMW M5 Touring to be officially unveiled in the coming months, so stay tuned, and cross your fingers for a North American renaissance.
