A Week With: 2026 BMW M5 Touring

For the life of me, I do not understand why people continue to fawn all over crossover SUVs when cars like the 2026 BMW M5 Touring offers all the utility most people will ever require.

Plus its blended with prodigious handling, speed, style and luxury. Granted, manufacturers have figured out how to make crossover SUVs fast and handle too. However, none of them can compare to the M5 Touring.

BMW’s unique selling proposition has long been — and continues to be — crafting the ultimate driving machines. The first M wagon offered in the United States, a week at the controls of this fearsome automobile further underscored the veracity of the marque’s claim for me. Simply put, driving the BMW M5 Touring is an experience anyone who enjoys driving should have before electrification renders internal combustion obsolete.

Powertrains and Fuel Economy

The BMW’s plug-in hybrid powertrain features a 577-horsepower, 4.4-liter twin turbocharged V8. This is mated to a 194-horsepower AC motor and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Quoted total system output is 717 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. The electric motor is fed by a 15-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which has an 11kW peak charging rate. With this, the M5 Touring is said to be capable of traveling up to 25 miles on electricity alone.

Here, it’s important to understand BMW employs hybridization to make its cars faster — not more fuel efficient. That’s my way of easing you into the M5 Touring’s EPA estimates of 11 mpg in the city, 17 on the highway and 13 combined. If any car could ever be said to prioritize smiles over miles per gallon, here’s the one.

What can I say? The laws of physics can be bent, but they won’t be broken. With a curb weight of 5,481 pounds and the ability to accelerate from zero to 60 in three seconds, something’s going to have to give somewhere. In this case, that give is at the pump.

Interior Accommodations

More than just fast though, the M5 Touring lives up to its surname. The BMW is an exceptionally comfortable way to cover long distances at prodigious speeds. Upholstered in leather, the interior features ambient lighting and a panoramic sunroof.

“My” M5 was fitted with the $1,600 Executive Package which brought heated rear seats as well as ventilation for the front seats. Heated front seats and a heated steering wheel are standard.

The BMW’s Alcantara headliner softened the appearance of the interior, without detracting from the M5 Touring’s sporting nature. Outstanding comfort was afforded at all four main seating positions, with more than adequate rear seat legroom for adults.

The cargo compartment provided 27 cubic feet of capacity when the rear seat backs were deployed. Folded, the seat backs opened an additional 40 cubic feet for a total of 67, which bests a number of similarly sized crossover SUVs.

Comfort, Convenience & Safety Tech

This is a premium BMW model, so you know it’s bristling with tech features. The roster includes a 14.9-touchscreen with BMW’s iDrive 8.5 infotainment interface. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included as standard equipment. The BMW’s standard 5G data connection supports gaming or streaming video when the M5 is at rest.

A 12.3-inch digital display behind the steering wheel provided operational data readouts. Messrs. Bowers & Wilkins provided the standard equipment audio system. Driver’s assistance features included automated emergency braking, pedestrian detection and blind-spot monitoring.

Lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist is standard equipment as well. BMW’s $1,700 Active Driving Assistant Pro also gave “my” M5 Touring adaptive cruise control with a hands-free driving mode. The M5 Touring also had acoustic pedestrian protection, which activated when the car was being operated in EV mode.

Driving Impressions

Those of us of a certain age may recall Al Pacino’s enthusiastic “Hoo-ah!” exclamations with which his performance the film Scent of a Woman was seasoned. Here, I’m referring to the exhortation of his character, Lt. Col Frank Slade who was blind, when, having talked his way behind the wheel of a 1989 Ferrari Mondial t Cabriolet, let it out for the first time.

Now that car made 300 horsepower and weighs 3,400 pounds. The M5 Touring, at 717 horsepower and 5,400 pounds had me doing my best Colonel Slade impression, over and over and over again. This thing is absolutely wicked — and I don’t mean evil. I’ve had the good fortune to pilot any number of exceptional cars over the 28 years I’ve been doing this work and the 2026 BMW M5 Touring ranks right up there with the most exciting automobiles I have ever experienced.

I saw runs to 60 from rest in three seconds consistently — without using the car’s launch control feature. I’ve seen 11-second quotes for this car in the quarter, and because it was equipped with BMW’s $2,500 M Driver’s package, its top speed is a quoted 190 miles per hour.

Under full acceleration, the M5 Touring pulls with astonishing alacrity. What’s more it just keeps accumulating velocity at a staggering rate. You’ll run out of road, long before this car runs out of pull.

But that’s just part of the equation. When it comes to roadholding, the M5’s curb weight seemingly becomes a non-issue, as does its size. What’s more, it corners with a sense of balance and composure that defies description. Body roll is non-existent, you ask for a change of direction and the car responds — period.

What’s even more fantastic is it does so with outstanding compliance. Given the breadth of the BMW’s cornering capabilities, I’d be willing to forgive it for being something of a stiff-legged corner carver. However, the M5 Touring goes over the road with grace and sophistication. It doesn’t punish you with a rough and noisy ride.

Instead, this is a car you could drive 400+ miles in one day, without fatigue.

In Summary

If ever there were a solid case against the crossover SUV, the M5 Touring is proof positive that the tried-and-true station wagon bests them in every way.

If you’re looking for handsomely aggressive styling, plenty of room for a family of four, and more driving enjoyment than you could possibly imagine, the 2026 BMW M5 Touring is more than likely the car you’ve been seeking. Pricing starts at $125,300.