Enthusiasts have long championed the superiority of fast wagons/estates as the ultimate combination of speed and practicality. Audi has been the dominant brand in this regard with many generations of the RS6 Avant, and Mercedes-Benz has been winning the carwow drag races with its AMG E63 S Estate. But there has been one that is more iconic than any other performance wagon as only two iterations have ever been offered – the M5 Touring. A couple of years after it was confirmed, the all-new BMW M5 Touring has made its global debut at the 2024 Monterey Car Week.

Big On Performance

The new-generation G90 M5 has the hybridised 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 tuned to a max output of 727hp and 1000Nm, and the M5 Touring has the same performance package. It of course comes with the BMW M xDrive all-wheel-drive system with an electronically controlled differential at the rear axle. The crazier ones out there would be glad to know you can switch the setup from 4WD to good ‘ol 2WD (rear wheels only) with the stability control switched off for some mega drifts!

BMW states the new M5 Touring will do the nought to 100km/h dash in a frantic 3.6 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 305km/h.

Big On Presence

While the new M5 sedan’s bulgy proportions make it look more fat than muscular, the latest design language seems better suited for the M5 Touring. It’s not a pretty car like the RS6 but the road presence is irrefutable with its flared wheel arches, wide stance and tall rear end. The wheel sizes are staggered – 20 inches in the front and 21 inches at the back, wrapped in sticky performance tyres with carbon ceramic brakes for face-warping grip. A small change to the taillamp design compared to the M5 sedan improves their looks significantly while the rear bumper stays the same. All these details add to the visual dominance of the new M5 Touring.

Big On Practicality

The biggest upside to the M5 Touring is the added luggage space. It is rated at 500 litres compared to the 466 litres of the M5 sedan. Fold the rear seats down, and you have 1,630 litres of storage capacity. It also gets clever bits like the netting to keep your pet dog from roaming around while on the go, and the rear bench can be split folded 40:20:40.

Other practical aspects of the M5 Touring include the plug-in hybrid part of the monstrous powertrain. You can use the pure-EV mode for up to 60km to make sure you don’t wake up your sleeping kids (and neighbours if you care that much) when coming late from work or leaving early in the morning.

BMW won’t give you a carbon roof for the M5 Touring, which is totally acceptable in our books. Instead, you get a large panoramic glass that really opens up the cabin in terms of spaciousness.

The split diffuser on the rear bumper is not just for style, but also for purpose. This allows BMW to offer a towbar for trailers with a towing capacity of up to 2,000kg.

Other Big Numbers

The M5 Touring’s big performance and size also comes with a big number for the kerb weight as the G99 wagon tips the scales at 2,550kg which is only 40kg heavier than the G90 sedan. For reference, the Audi RS6 Avant Performance is a couple hundred kilos lighter, and even the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo Turbo S weighs less despite being an EV.

Is It Special?

As mentioned at the start, there have only ever been two M5 wagons until this one. The first one was the E34 M5 Touring which was introduced in the early 1990s and only 891 units were manufactured. Then BMW brought out the bonkers E61 M5 Touring in the late 2000s, the generation that featured the race-developed naturally-aspirated V10 under the hood. Unfortunately, this product was a sales disaster as it was only sold in Europe and had a lower production run than the Ferrari F40.

The G99 M5 Touring has arrived after a gap of almost 15 years, with a plug-in hybrid twin-turbo V8 making it one of the most powerful production series wagons ever. Unfortunately, Porsche keeps the crown with the Panamera Sport Turismo S e-hybrid that produced 782PS. It’s also nowhere near as good-looking as the Audi RS6 Avant and the last available Mercedes AMG estate might be more practical while also offering the option of a RWD mode for drifting.

With all those factors in mind, the new BMW M5 Touring does not feel as special as many of us hoped it would. But that does not mean it’s disappointing either as it still ticks all the boxes of being an uber-wagen that you can use both for track and to pick up your kids from football practice. The automotive world is a better place with the G99 M5 Touring in it.

The G99 could also be the most commercially successful M5 wagon ever, as this one is confirmed for the US market too. Also, it is arriving at a time when the rivals have all but disappeared from the segment. There’s no Estate version yet for the latest AMG E63 and the RS6 is close to final edition territory, while Porsche has already canned the Panamera Sport Turismo.

Thus, the answer to the question in the title is an unabashed yes.

BMW will start production of the new M5 Touring at its Dingolfing plant in November 2024, shortly after the global market release. Expect a starting price close to US$ 130k and could cross US$ 150k with options.