BMW enthusiasts in the U.S. who favor the big extra helping of high-performance in the BMW M model will have good reason to celebrate this fall. BMW confirmed this week that when the seventh generation of the M5 platform completes final testing and goes into production, U.S. model shipments for the first time will include the M5 Touring model and the M5 Sedan.
Why the BMW M5 Touring coming to the U.S. matters
Americans haven’t entirely abandoned sedans in the last decade, but a glance in parking lots and city streets reveals few sedans. SUVs and light trucks outnumber sedans and coupes by wide margins on U.S. roadways. The BMW 5 Series, including the M5 variant, has long enjoyed a reputation as one of, if not the best, performance sedans available, but BMW chose not to ship the M5 Touring model to our shores. Until now.
BMW devotees have been able to buy an X5 M SUV, but without a station-wagon-style version of the M5 Sedan, switching to the SUV platform was the only choice for BMW drivers needing more interior cargo space than the M5 sedan.
It’s the BMW 5 Touring; don’t call it a station wagon
Americans call a sedan with a roof that extends back to the rear bumper a station wagon. For various cultural or historical reasons, other countries give the same body type different names, such as an “estate” in England or a “break” in France. Perhaps the boat-like image of the large, long American station wagons of the 1960s and 1970s doesn’t fit well with the concept of high-performance sports cars. Whatever the reasoning, BMW prefers to call a sedan with an extended roof a touring model.
What’s new with the seventh-generation BMW M5?
The seventh-generation M5 models will have a hybrid powertrain with a performance-tuned chassis for the agile driving dynamics M-class owners expect. According to BMW the hybrid powertrain has characteristics similar to the BMW M Hybrid V8 GTP race car.
The new M5 represents a step in BMW’s transition to 5-Series electrification. “We are now also installing a hybrid drive system with typical M performance in other high-performance cars,” BMW M Head of Development Dirk Häcker stated in the M5 Touring news release.
BMW M5 Sedan and M5 Touring coming this fall
The M5 Sedan and M5 Touring prototypes are currently testing on autobahns, mountain roads, and in city traffic in Germany and the U.S. In the next stages the M5 platform vehicles run on Nürburgring’s Nordschleife North loop Grand Prix track in the Eifel mountains. This round of testing aims to ensure the M5 balances sporting track performance and ride comfort on demanding routes.
Extensive details and pricing for the 2025 M5 Sedan and M5 Touring will be available close to the expected delivery to U.S. dealers in the fourth quarter of 2024.
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