For most of three decades, the BMW M5 Touring was the car American enthusiasts could read about and never buy. BMW built a wagon version in 1992 and again in 2007. It sent neither to the United States.
The current one is different. The G99 M5 Touring is the first M5 wagon BMW has ever sold in America, and it arrives next to the familiar sedan asking a small premium for a lot more room. This is not a contest between two different cars. It is one car offered in two shapes, and the shape is nearly the whole decision.
So the question is not which M5 is better. It is why you would buy the sedan.
Key Takeaways
- Same everything mechanical. Both use the 717-horsepower twin-turbo V8 plug-in hybrid, the 8-speed automatic, and M xDrive all-wheel drive. The only differences are body, weight, price, and cargo.
- The Touring costs $2,000 more. For the 2026 model year the sedan starts at $121,900 and the Touring at $123,900, a gap that has held since launch.
- The wagon weighs about 140 pounds more. BMW’s launch figures put the sedan near 5,390 pounds and the Touring near 5,530.
- Cargo is the whole point. The sedan’s trunk holds about 16.5 cubic feet. The Touring holds 17.7 with the seats up and about 57.6 with them folded, in a square, load-through shape a trunk cannot match.
- It is a first for the US. Earlier M5 Tourings from 1992 and 2007 were never sold here. The G99 is the first one Americans can order.
What the Two Cars Share
Nearly all of it. Under both bodies sits the same M Hybrid powertrain: a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 paired with an electric motor for a combined 717 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. That power goes through an 8-speed automatic to all four wheels via M xDrive. The 14.8-kWh usable battery carries over too, with the 11-kW onboard charging BMW adopted before the US launch.
Top speed is identical, limited to 155 mph and raised to 190 with the optional M Driver’s Package. The electric-only range is a commuter-grade figure in the mid-20s of miles, not a long-haul EV number. If you were hoping the engineering told the two cars apart, it does not. The badge, the drivetrain, the transmission, and the electronics are shared parts.
What changes is behind the front doors.
Price, Weight, and Cargo
The three numbers that separate the sedan from the Touring are small, and one of them is the reason the wagon exists.
| Spec | M5 Sedan (G90) | M5 Touring (G99) |
|---|---|---|
| Base MSRP (2026 MY) | $121,900 | $123,900 |
| System output | 717 hp / 738 lb-ft | 717 hp / 738 lb-ft |
| Curb weight (BMW launch figures) | ~5,390 lb | ~5,530 lb |
| Cargo, seats up | ~16.5 cu ft (trunk) | 17.7 cu ft |
| Cargo, seats folded | Not applicable | ~57.6 cu ft |
| EPA combined (MPGe / gas) | 50 MPGe / 14 mpg | 54 MPGe / 13 mpg |
| Top speed | 155 mph (190 optional) | 155 mph (190 optional) |
Destination adds $1,175, and BMW’s live configurator lists the Touring higher once options load in, around $125,300 as this was written. Pin any price to its model year, because BMW has nudged both cars up since the 2025 launch, when the sedan opened at $119,500 and the Touring at $121,500.
The weight gap is 140 pounds. That sounds like the wagon’s penalty, and it is, until you set it against the bigger number. BMW Blog notes this generation of M5 weighs about 1,045 pounds more than the previous one, a mass gain that comes from the hybrid system, not the roof. Both cars are heavyweights now. The extra glass and steel behind the wagon’s C-pillar is a rounding error next to what the plug-in hardware added to both.
Cargo is where the Touring earns its keep. Seats up, it carries a little over a cubic foot more than the sedan, which is close to nothing. Fold the rear seats and the number jumps to roughly 57.6 cubic feet of square, flat, load-through space.
That is the difference between a trunk and a room. Bikes, dogs, flat-pack furniture, a weekend of gear for four people. None of that fits a sedan’s fixed aperture no matter how many cubic feet the brochure claims.
One cargo figure looks off. BMW’s US site lists the Touring’s seats-up cargo at 27.2 cubic feet, well above the 17.7 in BMW’s own press materials. The two almost certainly use different measurement standards. The 17.7 figure is the one to trust for a fair trunk-to-trunk comparison with the sedan; treat the larger number as measured a different way, not as extra room that appears out of nowhere.
Acceleration, on the Record
We have not driven either car, so the numbers here come from BMW and from the outlets that put the M5 on a test track. That distinction matters, because the two sources disagree.
BMW’s own claims give the sedan a 0-to-60 time of 3.4 seconds and the Touring 3.5, a tenth apart. Independent testing tells a flatter story. Car and Driver’s instrumented run of the Touring recorded 3.1 seconds to 60, and MotorWeek clocked the sedan at the same 3.1. In other words, the one-tenth advantage BMW hands the sedan is within the margin of a stopwatch. In a straight line, the body style does not change what these cars do.
Both quotes are worth keeping straight. BMW’s figures are conservative by habit, and the tested numbers run quicker. What neither set supports is the idea that the wagon is meaningfully slower. It is not.
Efficiency Splits Both Ways
Here the two cars trade places in a way that resists a tidy summary.
By the EPA’s 2025 figures, the Touring posts the higher combined MPGe, 54 against the sedan’s 50, even though it weighs more. On the gas-only cycle the order flips: the sedan returns 14 mpg combined, the Touring 13.
The electric-blended and gasoline measurements pull in opposite directions, so quoting either one alone tells half the story. If you plug in nightly and drive short, the wagon looks efficient. If you run the tank down on a road trip, the sedan holds a marginal edge.
The Wagon Americans Finally Get
The history is the reason this comparison exists at all.
BMW built an M5 Touring twice before. The E34 arrived in 1992, with 891 made through 1995. The E61 followed in 2007, a V10-powered wagon with about 1,025 built through 2010. American buyers got neither. Both stayed in Europe, and for thirty years the fast M5 wagon was a car US enthusiasts admired from a distance.
The G99 ends that. BMW’s own language at launch was blunt about it: for the first time ever in the United States, BMW M presents the M5 Touring. Production of US-bound cars began in late 2024, and the first American deliveries arrived in early 2025. The unicorn is now a car you can order from a dealer.
The Fast-Wagon Field
The Touring is no longer alone in the US, which sharpens the case for buying one.
The Audi RS6 Avant is its closest rival, a 621-horsepower twin-turbo V8 wagon starting around $131,995. It gives up power to the M5 Touring’s 717 and carries no plug-in range, but it has been the default fast wagon here for years.
Below both sits the Mercedes-AMG E53 wagon at about $93,350, a six-cylinder hybrid that costs far less and asks you to accept two fewer cylinders and roughly 140 fewer horsepower. For a buyer who wants the long roof electric, the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo starts around $118,100.
Against that set, the M5 Touring undercuts the Audi on price while beating it on power, and it is the only V8 wagon here that also plugs in. That is a narrow, specific niche, and it did not exist in an American showroom a year ago.
Which One to Buy
The merits point one direction, with real exceptions.
Choose the Touring if you want cargo a sedan physically cannot offer, if the rarity of the first US-market M5 wagon appeals to you, and if you are fine paying $2,000 more and carrying 140 extra pounds for it. On the numbers, that is the default M5 now.
Choose the sedan if you want the lighter car, if you prefer its slightly better gas-only economy and its marginally quicker factory 0-to-60 claim, if the three-box shape looks right to you, or if you want to spend $2,000 less. None of those are wrong reasons. They are just quieter ones than the wagon’s case.
Bottom Line
The BMW M5 Touring and M5 sedan are the same car in two silhouettes, sharing a 717-horsepower hybrid V8, an 8-speed automatic, and all-wheel drive down to the last bolt. The wagon asks $2,000 more, weighs about 140 pounds more, and by BMW’s own claim gives up a tenth of a second to 60 mph, though independent testing erases even that. In exchange it delivers roughly 57.6 cubic feet of usable, square cargo space and the distinction of being the first M5 Touring ever sold in the United States after two earlier versions stayed in Europe. For most buyers cross-shopping the two, the wagon is the more sensible car and the more interesting one at nearly the same price. The sedan’s case is real but narrow: a little lighter, a little cheaper, and a shape some people prefer. After thirty years of being told they could not have it, Americans finally get to make the choice at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the BMW M5 Touring sold in the United States?
Yes. The current G99 M5 Touring is the first M5 wagon BMW has ever sold in the US. Production began in late 2024 and the first American deliveries took place in early 2025. Earlier M5 Tourings from 1992 and 2007 were sold only in Europe.
How much more does the M5 Touring cost than the sedan?
For the 2026 model year the M5 sedan starts at $121,900 and the M5 Touring at $123,900, a difference of $2,000. That gap has held steady since the 2025 launch, when the sedan opened at $119,500 and the Touring at $121,500. Destination adds $1,175.
Do the M5 Touring and M5 sedan have the same engine?
Yes, exactly the same. Both use a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 combined with an electric motor for 717 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque, an 8-speed automatic, and M xDrive all-wheel drive. There is no mechanical difference between them beyond body style and the resulting weight.
How much heavier is the M5 Touring?
About 140 pounds. BMW’s launch figures put the sedan near 5,390 pounds and the Touring near 5,530. For context, this generation of M5 is roughly 1,045 pounds heavier than the previous one, a gain that comes from the plug-in hybrid system rather than the wagon body.
Is the M5 Touring slower than the sedan?
Barely, and possibly not at all. BMW claims 3.4 seconds to 60 mph for the sedan and 3.5 for the Touring. Independent testing narrows or erases the gap: Car and Driver recorded 3.1 seconds for the Touring and MotorWeek recorded 3.1 for the sedan. In a straight line the body style makes no meaningful difference.
How much cargo space does the M5 Touring have?
The Touring holds about 17.7 cubic feet with the rear seats up and roughly 57.6 cubic feet with them folded, according to BMW’s press materials. The sedan’s trunk holds about 16.5 cubic feet. The wagon’s real advantage is the folded volume and its square, load-through shape, not the seats-up figure.
What are the alternatives to the BMW M5 Touring?
The closest rival is the Audi RS6 Avant, a 621-horsepower V8 wagon starting around $131,995. The Mercedes-AMG E53 wagon is a less expensive six-cylinder hybrid at about $93,350, and the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo offers an electric long-roof from around $118,100. The M5 Touring is the only V8 wagon in the group with a plug-in hybrid system.
Which should I buy, the M5 Touring or the sedan?
The Touring makes more sense for most buyers, adding far more usable cargo space and wagon rarity for $2,000 and about 140 pounds. The sedan suits buyers who want the lighter car, a marginally better gas-only economy figure, the lower price, or the sedan shape itself. Mechanically the two are identical, so the decision comes down to body style, cargo, weight, and cost.
Michael Kahn
Michael Kahn is the writer, photographer, and publisher behind The Weekly Driver. He cares about how cars drive and what they're like to own. He covers automobile industry news, car shows and events, and new car reviews. The reviews come from behind the wheel: day trips that favor back routes, treating a good meal as half the reason to go. He directs and produces the visual media, matching each car to a setting and mood that fit it. When he's not reviewing new cars, Michael races paddleboards, camels, and ostriches, along with the occasional exotic car on the racetrack, and has driven in every state and country visited.
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