It’s Happening: BMW Confirms 2025 M5 Touring Wagon For Canada
The M5 Touring is the sort of car that true heads talk about in wistful, reverent tones. BMW only makes an M5 station wagon once every couple decade or so, and even then it remains a Europe-only treat, a delicacy never officially sold in Canada. Until now.
That’s right, it’s happening. The 2025 BMW M5 Touring is officially coming to Canada and the U.S. for the first time. It’ll arrive in showrooms late this year, the company confirmed.
The wagon-heads have spoken. BMW Canada asked fans to sign a petition, urging BMW headquarters in Munich to finally offer the M5 Touring here. It racked up 7,200 signatures in the span of just a few days. BMW said their spicy wagon is responsible for “record-high engagement” across the brand’s website and social channels.
Wagon’s aren’t big sellers here in Canada where the market is overwhelmingly dominated by SUVs and pickups. Wagons are a connoisseurs’ choice, a deep-cut, and we’re both extremely pleased and surprised that the product planners at BMW Canada and the U.S. have crunched the numbers and come up with a viable business case to get the M5 Touring on our shores. (Perhaps the success for the Audi RS 6 Avant or Mercedes-AMG E 63 Wagon had something to do with it? Who knows.)
How Much Will the 2025 BMW M5 Touring Cost?
The company has so far not released pricing for Canada, but if we had to guess, we’d imagine it’ll be around $140,000 before buyers start adding oodles of optional extras.
And There’s Never Been an M5 Touring Before?
There’s never been an M5 Touring in Canada or the U.S. before, but BMW has occasionally sold them in Europe. They’ve always been forbidden fruit, which makes this news that much sweeter.
What’s The Engine & Horsepower?
Again, no official word from BMW, apart from saying the M5’s hybrid drivetrain is “closely related” to the one found in the new M Hybrid V8 GTP racecar.
Reading between the lines though, we’re pretty sure the upcoming M5 Touring will be powered by the same plug-in hybrid drivetrain found in the gargantuan XM SUV. That means 644 horsepower, or potentially up to 750 ponies (potentially in an M5 Competition?) courtesy of BMW’s familiar 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 and a plug-in hybrid system. The electric motor alone delivers nearly 200 horsepower in the XM, while the battery is good for around 40 kilometres of driving range in EV-mode.
Speaking about the XM, Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW M had previously said it’s safe to assume its drivetrain will find its way into other M cars. The upcoming M5 seems like the obvious candidate.
The new plug-in hybrid system adds weight, which is usually the enemy of handling. We’re skeptical a 2.5 tonne car would ever delight in the same way M5s of old have done, but then again BMW’s engineers have managed to work wonders on other heavy machines, including the XM, so we’ll reserve judgment for now. Still, we’re happy to see M Division beginning to embrace the electric future.
A Future Classic?
Rare M cars have a habit of becoming highly collectable. The BMW 1M anybody? Or how about the E30 M3 Sport Evo, or the M3 CSL, the Canadian M3, the M3 CRT, the M4 GTS, the M5 CS and on and on.
In fact, previous M5 Tourings — only available in Europe — are collectables too, in large part because they’re so rare. (Most buyers opted for the sedans, which were typically available for more model-years.) There have only ever been two official M5 Tourings before this new one.
According to BMW, “the first BMW M5 Touring, based on the second generation (E34) M5 sedan, was launched in 1992. With a Motorsport-derived 3.8-liter inline-6 and a supremely capable chassis, it delivered an immensely satisfying driving experience, long distance comfort, and of course, impressive storage space.” But the holy-grail of fast wagons came in 2007, when someone at M division had the brilliant idea to make a station wagon out of its fourth-generation (E60) M5.
That version featured “a high-revving 5.0-liter V10 paired with a 7-speed Sequential Manual Gearbox, making it equally as proficient on a racetrack as on a cross-country journey with four adults and their luggage,” according to the company.
Will the 2025 M5 Touring be as good as those machines? Better? We can’t wait to find out later this year.
