The BMW M5 Touring will return with a plug-in hybrid V8 powertrain
It’s been 16 years since we saw a new BMW M5 Touring launched, but before the long-awaited return, we’ve been treated to a couple of teaser images of the newcomer – our first official glimpse of BMW’s hybrid super estate.
Now the regular 5 Series and its all-electric i5 have been revealed, we know roughly what to expect (for the saloon version at least) from the upcoming M5. We’re still yet to see the new 5 Series Touring, but these new images reveal some key design details.
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Top 10 best performance cars to buy 2023Despite the camouflage on this car we can see it’ll do away with the German firm’s iconic Hofmeister kink on the rear pillar, gain a large rear spoiler similar to the new M3 Touring and retain the customary M division quad-exhaust set up.
Previous spy images of test cars have also revealed plenty of the car’s design. BMW has decided to shrink the kidney grille to place it more in line with the headlight units. The air intakes for the grilles only open on the bottom half and the centre section could be used to incorporate the forward-facing radar sensor. The headlights themselves won’t adopt the split design seen on the latest 7 Series and XM, going for a similar look to the new X1.
The lower part of the front bumper has lost its camouflage, so we can clearly see the aggressive, angular intakes helping to funnel air to the radiator, alongside some larger side vents to cool the front brakes. There’s also a lower lip spoiler beneath the bumper. The bonnet appears to have a raised centre section, which could potentially cover an indent flowing from the BMW badge in a similar vein to the M3 and M4.
To the side, we can see wider arches to house a new design of alloy wheels. Underneath are huge front brakes glowing red hot from this Nurburgring test session. BMW M division’s traditional wing mirror design can be seen on this test car. To the rear, this is the first time we’ve seen the rear light clusters of the new 5 Series. The overall shape isn’t too far removed from the current car’s, with it divided between the fixed body and the bootlid. The classic BMW M car quad-exhaust tips remain.
Our exclusive image gives a better indication of how the next BMW M5 will look. The M5’s usual aggressive, performance-focused detail will remain and we expect those new headlights will also employ laser light technology, and the car’s front wings will share a similar design to those on the new 2 Series.
The M5’s cabin will be all-new, and mostly borrowed from the new 5 Series. It’ll feature BMW’s iDrive 8 infotainment system with features such as 5G connectivity and an augmented-reality navigation system. Just like the standard car, a 14.9-inch touchscreen with a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel on a single piece of curved glass will be used.
On the test car we’ve spotted there’s a small but significant label on the side stating “Electrified Vehicle”. That’s because the power on the new M5 will be hybridised, most likely coming from the new XM super-SUV.
The last M5 Touring got a naturally-aspirated V10, but here we have a more contemporary engine – albeit more powerful. In the XM, the 482bhp turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 produces and 194bhp electric motor combines to produce 644bhp and 800Nm of torque. Power is sent to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. In the M5, however, we could see power bumped up to 748bhp if BMW decides to use the version set for the upcoming ‘Label Red’ variant.
The new M5 could even offer electric-only running thanks to the powertrain’s 25.7kWh battery. In the XM the system allows for 55 miles of EV-only motoring, which could increase in the M5 thanks to its more aerodynamic shape.
Now find out what happened when we pitched the BMW M3 against the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio…
BMW’s next-generation 5 Series (codenamed G60) has been spotted testing many times and shortly after that car’s scheduled release in 2023, we’ll get the M5 variant. Thanks to a hybrid powertrain, BMW’s upcoming super saloon could be its most powerful model ever.
These latest spy images show the latest test car with less camouflage than before, highlighting plenty of key details. We can already see the M5 will retain much of the regular 5 Series’ design, showing BMW’s super saloon won’t lose its Q-car status.
With less camouflage than on previous test cars, we can see BMW has decided to shrink the kidney grille to place it more in line with the headlight units. The air intakes for the grilles only open on the bottom half and the centre section could be used to incorporate the forward-facing radar sensor. The headlights themselves won’t adopt the split design seen on the latest 7 Series and XM, going for a similar look to the new X1.
The lower part of the front bumper has lost its camouflage, so we can clearly see the aggressive, angular intakes helping to funnel air to the radiator, alongside some larger side vents to cool the front brakes. There’s also a lower lip spoiler beneath the bumper. The bonnet appears to have a raised centre section, which could potentially cover an indent flowing from the BMW badge in a similar vein to the M3 and M4.
To the side, we can see wider arches to house a new design of alloy wheels. Underneath are huge front brakes glowing red hot from this Nurburgring test session. BMW M division’s traditional wing mirror design can be seen on this test car. To the rear, this is the first time we’ve seen the rear light clusters of the new 5 Series. The overall shape isn’t too far removed from the current car’s, with it divided between the fixed body and the bootlid. The classic BMW M car quad-exhaust tips remain.
Our exclusive image gives a better indication of how the next BMW M5 will look. The M5’s usual aggressive, performance-focused detail will remain and we expect those new headlights will also employ laser light technology, and the car’s front wings will share a similar design to those on the new 2 Series.
The M5’s cabin will be all-new, and mostly borrowed from the upcoming replacement for the 5 Series. It’ll feature BMW’s iDrive 8 infotainment system with features such as 5G connectivity and an augmented-reality navigation system. Just like the iX, a 14.9-inch touchscreen with a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel on a single piece of curved glass will be used.
On the test car we’ve spotted there’s a small but significant label on the side stating “Electrified Vehicle”. That’s because the power on the new M5 will be hybridised, most likely coming from the new XM super-SUV.
In the XM, the 482bhp turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 produces and 194bhp electric motor combines to produce 644bhp and 800Nm of torque. Power is sent to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. In the M5, however, we could see power bumped up to 748bhp if BMW decides to use the version set for the upcoming ‘Label Red’ variant.
The new M5 could even offer electric-only running thanks to the powertrain’s 25.7kWh battery. In the XM the system allows for 55 miles of EV-only motoring, which could increase in the M5 thanks to its more aerodynamic shape.
Now find out what happened when we pitched the BMW M3 against the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio…
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