2025 BMW M5 Touring (G99) | UK Review

With a car as significant as the first M5 Touring in generations, you want the first drive to be appropriately mega. The North Coast 500, the really good bit of Wales, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Ikea and a track day in one afternoon – that sort of thing. Something like that will follow, of course; for now, the first experience of the G99 in the UK comes at the Goodwood media day, and all of 20 minutes around some Chichester lanes. Exhaustive it was not – the dog couldn’t even come. But for a car like this, a brief go has to be better than none at all. 

It was also, probably, about the duration of a dealership test drive, some time behind the wheel to decide whether an M5 is worth the premium over an equivalent M3 – or if that RS6 you just tried is really worth the extra. There isn’t time to worry about modes or EV range; it’s about the initial feeling you get behind the wheel of the first-ever M5 Touring with a V8. 

Which, after the furore surrounding the saloon, is quite nice. Inherently the wagon is a more relaxing car to attempt to assess because it carries less M baggage; there simply isn’t the same heritage for it to be weighed down by. There aren’t a pair of twin-turbo V8 predecessors to think about, there isn’t perhaps the best car of this ilk ever in the back catalogue, and there isn’t the turmoil associated with introducing hybridisation to probably the most famous super-saloon badge of them all. It’s a plug-in V8 uberwagon (and they’re always going to be heavy) that looks pretty great – more cohesive than the saloon, if still at 110 per cent zoom – that doesn’t really have many rivals for the moment. An AMG E53 is less powerful and not much less heavy, an RS6 is five years old, and Porsche no longer makes a Panamera Sport Turismo. The M5 Touring is nothing if not a 727hp curiosity. 

Even with some previous experience, the wagon makes an impact. It’s large and it’s dramatic and the interior manages to boast lots of buttons as well as plenty of screen acreage. In every respect, it’s a lot, except perhaps where it isn’t. As discussed before, hybridisation means a boot that can only boast the same literage as an (also xDrive) M3, and there’s perhaps not as much room on the rear bench as expected for a five and a bit metres of M5. Enough, but not a surfeit. 

The sheer speed of this newly electrified M5 is still pretty startling. We all know what the stats say about power to weight and acceleration compared to before, but even with the additional mass it’s the immediacy of the performance that remains remarkable. There’s simply no delay from pedal application to hurtling down a road relentlessly, whether at 1,000rpm or 6,000, and the combination of electric responsiveness with V8 thunder remains a charming one. The ratios are such that you can enjoy the romp through a couple of gears without feeling too naughty. And you’ll really want to. 

Without wanting to fiddle too much given limited time, every dynamic parameter was set to Sport for what tends to be a decent enough catch-all compromise. After the monster performance, the second thing that will strike you about the new M5 is just how plush it is, subdued and serene and relaxing like the 2.5-tonne luxury car it sort of is. Those big journeys when they come will be an absolute pleasure. 

Yes, on the minor roads around Goodwood the Touring feels pretty large, though truth be told it doesn’t feel significantly bigger than a lot of new cars. Anything that now feels truly wieldy, light and easy to see out of is the exception. As is the modern M car way, you can place enormous faith in what the front and rear axles will do, and the influence throttle and steering will have on them; this isn’t a car that shrinks around the driver, but they can become confident with the size. 

Perhaps due to familiarity, the response of the four-wheel steer felt more natural in this Touring than previously. That slight disconnect between steering front wheels and steering rear ones didn’t materialise in the same way. Tyres could well play a part also, this M5 rolling on Pirelli P Zero R rubber rather than the Hankook Ventus S1 Evo usually seen; there felt to be a bit less tyre noise as well. And the tyre font looks cool, so they’re probably the ones to have.

Having intended not to fiddle at all, the M5 makes it essentially impossible. You’ll keep switching brake mode to find a firmer pedal, to discover none that’s quite right exists. You’ll want the auto in its speediest settings, so the shifts complement the alertness of the engine, and 4WD Sport is so intelligently done, always apportioning power exactly where you’d want it to be exciting and safe, so that becomes the default setting. Two-wheel drive really gets the heart rate pumping, though actually the M5 produces incredibly strong traction for a car with so much torque. Must be all that weight over the axle… 

Ultimately, it’s a very easy car to poke fun at, the M5. Almost impossible not to. Because it’s a slightly confusing prospect, right? There’s the luxury and technology of a 7 Series, a chassis that desperately wants to emulate the M3, more power than any M5 before it, and the estate body on top. Sometimes it’s not entirely clear what the intention was with so much going under one panoramic sunroof. The M3 Touring requires less figuring out. 

More than ever it feels like a car with slow-burn appeal, one that will become more desirable over time. While undoubtedly impressive on initial acquaintance, there’s no denying it’s still quite overwhelming as well. But there’s also plenty to be encouraged by, from the way it’s damped to the way it goes and way it recuperates energy (we returned with more miles in the battery than when departing, without trying). Certainly it doesn’t feel any different to drive to the saloon, while looking a little sharper and not costing very much more, so it’s surely the M5 body to go for. Perhaps a quick test drive won’t win everyone over; just don’t be surprised to like it more than expected.   

Engine: 4,395cc, twin-turbo V8, plus 18.6kWh battery and permanently excited synchronous motor
Transmission: 8-speed auto (electric motor incorporated), all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 727 (system output; engine 585@5,600-6,500rpm, motor 197@6,000rpm)
Torque (lb ft): 738 (system output; engine 553@1,800-5,400rpm, motor ‘effective torque resulting from pre-gearing’ 332)
0-62mph: 3.6 seconds
Top speed: 155mph (189mph possible with M Driver’s Pack)
Weight: 2,475kg (DIN)
MPG: 141.2-166.2 (with battery charged; 25.9 with discharged)
CO2: 39-45g/km (37-41 miles WLTP electric running)
Price: £113,905