BMW M5 Touring Proves Its Worth As TopGear’s Track Workhorse

If you want a case study in what a modern super-estate can endure, the BMW M5 Touring used by TopGear is hard to beat. This is a 717bhp load-lugger that tips the scales at well over two and a half tonnes, yet it has been working double shifts as both long-distance cruiser and flat-out track tool. Since swapping off its winter rubber in early April, it has stayed on a single set of Pirelli P Zero R tyres for more than 9,000 miles, and those tyres still have roughly half their tread depth remaining. For a car capable of huge acceleration, violent stops and more than 1.2g through corners, that level of stamina is remarkable.

Each tyre is carrying in the region of 625kg, while simultaneously dealing with turn-in, traction and braking loads that would have shredded older performance rubber in short order. Yet the wear pattern is even, and the grip remains consistent. That suggests an impressive partnership between BMW’s chassis engineers, who have clearly nailed the suspension geometry and weight distribution, and Pirelli’s work on compound, construction and carcass support. Rather than feeling like a blunt instrument, the M5 Touring manages to combine its huge power output with a planted, accurate front end and reassuring traction, even after repeated hard use on the same set of tyres.

The real test has come from its role as a dedicated camera car. On shoot days, the M5 is loaded with a driver, two camera operators and a director, plus screens, cables and rigs running across the cabin. Add a nose-mounted, bladeless drone clamped to the front and the BMW nudges close to three tonnes, yet it is still tasked with hunting down some of the quickest machinery on the planet. It has chased an Aston Martin Valkyrie around Thruxton, kept a Koenigsegg CC850 in its sights at high speed, and shadowed an Aston Valhalla at Silverstone, all while maintaining a smooth, stable platform so the crew can capture usable footage.

On circuit days such as those at Dunsfold, the M5 Touring has spent entire tanks of fuel lapping almost non-stop, at times registering peaks of around 1.39g while clinging to the chosen line. There are no elaborate race-team support tricks going on here: no fresh tyres between stints, no mid-session pressure adjustments, just a sensible warm-up to bring the P Zeros into their operating window before leaning on them hard for lap after lap. Around 90 per cent of the car’s mileage may be spent on more mundane motorway and A-road work, but the remaining 10 per cent is full-on punishment that would normally write off a set of ultra-high-performance tyres in short order.

Instead, these Pirellis are set to outlast the car’s stay on the fleet. As the long-term M5 Touring nears the end of its time in service, it leaves behind a strong case for the modern mega-estate: immense pace, huge braking reserves, real load-carrying ability and consumables that hold up better than you might ever expect from something with this level of performance and mass. This portrayal of the M5’s talents is drawn from the long-term review and camera-car duty experiences documented by Ollie Marriage for TopGear, whose detailed reporting brings the car’s capabilities vividly to life.