Last month, BMW announced that it would revive the M5 Touring, the super-fast station wagon version of its mid-size performance icon. That announcement came with a solitary teaser showing the back half of the car, which is admittedly the most important part of it since the fact it’s a wagon is the news. Fortunately, a spy photographer has caught an M5 Touring out testing, so now we can see the still-camouflaged BMW from all angles.
In honor of the body style, we’ll start from the back this time when analyzing the photos. Just like the sedan version that we’ve seen, it has huge quad tail pipes sticking through the rear bumper. It’s also clear that the body is far wider than a standard 5 Series. The hatch has a pretty decent forward rake, and when combined with the downward sloping roofline, it gives the M5 a very low, aggressive shape from the rear.
From the rear doors forward, the Touring looks pretty much like the other M5 sedan prototypes we’ve seen, which is to be expected. The rocker panels bulge out to meet the enormous fenders and wide wheels and tires. The front bumper is more covered up than on the last sedan we’ve seen, but we can still make out the large trapezoidal lower grille, which will blend into a front spoiler.
Another curious aspect of this prototype is the fact that there aren’t stickers noting that it’s a hybrid, like one of the M5 sedan prototypes. It leaves us wondering if there will be both fully internal combustion as well as hybrid powertrains for the M5. It wouldn’t be the first time that multiple outputs have been offered on M cars, such as on the M3 and M4, which most notably make less power with manual transmissions. The hybrid powertrains would likely be the high-output options, as rumors have predicted at least 700 horsepower, potentially from a plug-in hybrid system similar to the XM Red Label. The Touring is expected to launch next year, and we may see it and the sedan publicly revealed by the end of this year.
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