Luscious BMW M5 Touring Slithers Out from under Cover at Pebble Beach

• BMW pulled the sheet off the wagon version of the coming M5 at Pebble Beach Thursday and revealed the M5 Touring.

• It gets the same 717-hp hybrid powertrain as the M5 sedan but comes wrapped in practicality as well as performance.

• Price will be $122,675 when it gets to showrooms in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Two weeks ago, we saw the basic shape of the coming M5 Touring under a silky black tarp. No mistaking, that was a wagon under there. Now, finally, BMW has pulled the tarp off and Voila! (or maybe, “Dort!” in German), here it is!

Yes, it does have a long roof, with commensurate increase in luggage space to 17.7 cubic feet of it with the rear seats up and 57.6 cubic feet with the seats folded flat.

The wagon, er, Touring, is also 1.4 inches longer overall than the sedan at 200.6 inches; 0.4 inches longer in the wheelbase at 77.6; and 2.8 inches wider at 77.6 inches. Height is the same at 59.7 inches.

But they both get the same 717 hp from a powerful turbo hybrid engine that promises to make taking the kids to soccer practice a genuine thrill (at least for the driver—the little fussballers in the back may hurl). That’s because powering the new Touring is the same twin-scroll turbo, double-VANOS, Valvetronic 4.4-liter V8 found in the sedan.

That powerplant combines turbocharged internal combustion with an electric motor sequestered in the transmission. The combination is called the M Hybrid system and together it makes 717 hp from 5,600 to 6,500 rpm and 738 lb-ft of torque from 1,800 to 5,400 revs.

It can drive along on electric power alone for up to 25 miles and as fast as 87 all-electric mph. That stout V8 sends its power through an eight-speed M-Steptronic automatic transmission and through the xDrive all-wheel-drive system to all four corners.

With it all, BMW promises “…a new level of utility to go with the race-bred performance, bold design, and superlative all-day comfort that are the hallmarks of an M5.”

But it won’t come cheaply. Sticker price starts at $122,675, a $3,175 increase over the sedan, but by that point you’ve stopped counting dollars and euros.

With an as-yet unspecified increase in curb weight, the wagon takes an extra tenth of a second to get to 60 mph, at 3.5 seconds, which is still mighty quick for such a practical vehicle. They’ve done this before.

“BMW M first introduced a Touring variant back in 1992 alongside the second generation of the BMW M5 sedan, the E34,” BMW reminisced. “In 2007, the fourth generation of the high-performance sedan also gained a BMW M5 Touring sibling, the E61. And now the new edition means customers will be able to choose from two variants of the BMW M5 for only the third time in its 40-year history, and for the first time in North America.”

Have a look at it from the side and you’ll notice, in addition to what BMW calls “an athletic silhouette,” a tapered greenhouse at the rear with a character line extending over the doors and all the way down the sides. The dual-element spoiler at the back of the roof is made just for the Touring, too.

Some of the following assets are shared with the sedan.

It rides on 951M wheels, 20 inches front and 21 inches rear wrapped in 285/40ZR20 front and 295/35ZR21 rear tires.

Hot tip to try if you get to test-drive one: Pulling on the left-hand shift paddle for more than one second prompts all the powertrain and chassis systems to be switched to their sportiest settings. Brace yourselves, sales professionals.

Pick your favorite of the five drive modes and off you go. Better yet, get a model with the M Drive Professional option of Dynamic and Dynamic Plus, which ensure you’re getting power from both the gas engine and electric motor, better for track driving, BMW says.

The power will get to all four wheels in precisely defined proportions thanks to the M xDrive AWD system working with the rear Active M Differential, which shifts torque to the outside wheels in a turn, among other tricks.

The body in which this technology rides is itself stiffened with bracing to increase longitudinal and torsional stiffness as well as a shear panel connecting the strut towers with the bulkhead, along with tower-to-front end struts. Both ends of the engine compartment are also stiffened. It’s a baa-rick house!

And as if that weren’t enough, the M Servotronic variable-ratio steering is “rigid bolted” to the front axle subframe, while the rear steering wheels likewise add stability in high-speed turns, as well as maneuverability in parking.

BMW says the electronically controlled shocks of the Adaptive M Suspension reduce roll in corners and soften up the ride in cruising conditions. M Carbon Ceramic brakes haul the whole thing down at the end of the straights.

We expect that it all works splendidly together, and that all Bimmerphiles are looking forward to going for a drive in this. They will get their chance in the fourth quarter of this year, when both the sedan and Touring are slated to be in showrooms, making the best argument ever for practicality and performance in a single package.

Would you sacrifice profile for performance in a wagon? Let us know below.