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BMW’s new-generation M5 Touring is rewriting the brand’s sales script, with order books in the United States filling faster than those for the traditional four-door. Speaking at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, BMW M boss Frank van Meel revealed that wagon-hungry American customers are outpacing their European counterparts, where the saloon still holds a slender edge. The split is remarkable given the M5 Touring’s rarity on US roads and the nation’s long-standing preference for SUVs over estates.
The surge follows the unveiling of the electrified 4.4-litre V8 hybrid drivetrain, which delivers a formidable 535 kW and 1000 Nm. Buyers clearly like the blend of twin-turbo punch and electric shove, coupled with the Touring’s cavernous load bay and rear-biased xDrive traction. Despite carrying a modest weight penalty over the saloon, the long-roof M5 dispatches 0-100 km/h in 3.6 seconds—only a tenth behind its booted sibling—while effortlessly lapping up distance in grand-touring comfort.
Van Meel notes that this momentum is not a spike but a sustained pull, with production lines adjusting to meet shifting allocations. The wagon’s popularity mirrors the success of the smaller M3 Touring in markets such as Australia, where estates account for roughly a third of all M3 deliveries. Against a backdrop of rival performance wagons like the Audi RS6 and Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo, the M5 Touring’s combination of thunderous acceleration, adaptive chassis tech, and day-to-day practicality appears to have struck a chord.
With the first US customer cars landing later this year, BMW expects Touring enthusiasm to ripple into other regions. Whether the saloon regains ground or the estate cements its lead, one thing is clear: the M5 formula now wears two distinct silhouettes, and drivers on both sides of the Atlantic are queueing up for a slice of V8-hybrid firepower paired with wagon versatility.
