For many years, American BMW fans have watched with envy as their European counterparts loved the final word mixture of practicality and efficiency: the M Touring. Station wagons—or tourings or estates, as they’re referred to as throughout the pond—have lengthy been thought of too area of interest for the American market, the place SUVs and crossovers reign supreme. However in 2026, BMW has lastly given us what we’ve been asking for: the M5 Touring, a car which may simply be the right one-car resolution for the performance-minded household.
The Lengthy-Awaited Arrival
The 2025 BMW M5 Touring represents a watershed second for American fans. Sure, many people would have most well-liked the extra compact M3 Touring—a automobile that epitomizes the candy spot between on a regular basis usability and track-ready dynamics. However let’s be sensible: by American household requirements, the M3 Touring’s 500 liters (17.7 cubic ft) of cargo house would really feel cramped in comparison with what we’re accustomed to. The M5 Touring, in contrast, presents a commanding 500 liters behind the rear seats, increasing to a formidable 1,630 liters (57.6 cubic ft) with the seats folded—sufficient room for golf golf equipment, strollers, baggage, and all of the detritus of contemporary household life.
To place this in perspective, that’s solely barely much less cargo quantity than you’d discover in a BMW X3 M40i (which presents round 62.7 cubic ft with seats down), and considerably extra usable than the discontinued X3 M Competitors’s sensible carrying capability while you issue within the decrease, easier-to-load cargo ground of the wagon.
The X3 M Conundrum
Talking of the X3 M, it’s value noting that what might have been one other glorious one-car resolution is now off the desk. BMW has made it clear that the next-generation X3 M is not going to obtain a conventional combustion engine. Whereas the present X3 M Competitors delivers 503 horsepower and presents the elevated seating place and all-weather functionality many households crave, its days are numbered. This makes the M5 Touring much more vital—it may very well be one of many final combustion-powered M car with real family-hauling capabilities that BMW will supply on this efficiency tier.
Energy Meets Practicality
Underneath the elongated hood of the M5 Touring sits BMW’s new M Hybrid system, combining a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 with an electrical motor for a mixed output of 717 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. The numbers are staggering: 0-60 mph arrives in simply 3.5 seconds, with the quarter-mile dispatched within the mid-11-second vary. That is supercar efficiency wrapped in a sensible, three-box silhouette that may comfortably seat 5 adults.
However right here’s the place the M5 Touring reveals its true usefulness as a one-car resolution: the 18.6 kWh battery pack gives over 30 miles of pure electrical vary. For a lot of fans, this implies your day by day commute, college runs, and journeys to the grocery retailer may be achieved in near-silence, consuming zero gasoline and producing zero native emissions. The EPA estimates a mixed gasoline financial system of round 21 mpg when operating in hybrid mode—not unhealthy for a 717-horsepower wagon weighing roughly 5,530 kilos.
The Sensible Particulars Matter
Past straight-line efficiency and cargo capability, the M5 Touring excels within the particulars that make a real one-car resolution. The rear seat presents 36.5 inches of legroom—genuinely comfy house for grownup passengers on longer journeys. The 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats imply you may carry lengthy gadgets like skis whereas nonetheless accommodating passengers.
Have to tow? The M5 Touring is rated to drag as much as 4,400 kilos when correctly geared up—sufficient for a small boat, a pair of bikes, or a light-weight tenting trailer. Attempt discovering one other 700+ horsepower car that may make that declare whereas nonetheless delivering refined day by day driving manners.
Daring, Unapologetic, and Refreshingly Totally different
In a parking zone dominated by nameless crossovers and SUVs, the M5 Touring makes an simple assertion. Its lengthy roofline, aggressive entrance fascia, and quad exhaust retailers announce that that is no atypical household hauler. The flared fenders, 20-inch wheels (21s are non-compulsory), and that particular Hofmeister kink all sign critical intent.
There’s one thing splendidly contrarian about selecting a wagon in 2026 America. It says you worth driving dynamics over journey peak, that you just recognize the decrease heart of gravity and higher dealing with that comes with a conventional wagon format.
The Quirky Issue
Let’s be trustworthy: a part of the M5 Touring’s attraction is its sheer uniqueness. What number of will BMW promote in America? quantity, however unlikely a mass-produced numbers. And that’s precisely the purpose. In a world of conformity, the place each different car on the street is a two-box SUV with related proportions and driving traits, the M5 Touring is delightfully quirky. It’s a dialog starter, a figuring out nod to those that perceive that typically the street much less traveled is essentially the most rewarding one.
The wagon format has all the time been one thing of an insider’s alternative, beloved by those that prioritize substance over type factors. And whereas fashionable station wagons have change into considerably extra trendy—the M5 Touring is genuinely good-looking from each angle—they nonetheless symbolize a alternative that claims, “I do know what I need, and I don’t care that it’s not what everybody else is shopping for.”
Really The One Automotive Answer
Sure, the M3 Touring may need been the right dimension for some. Sure, an up to date X3 M with a S58 would have provided larger floor clearance and a extra typical American package deal. However neither of these autos exists for us, they usually received’t be coming. The M5 Touring is what we’ve, and actually, it’d simply be precisely what we want.
The query isn’t whether or not the M5 Touring is the right one-car resolution. The query is: are you daring sufficient to decide on it?
