The 593-HP 2025 BMW i5 Touring Is The Ultimate Sleeper

10 months, 1 week ago - 08. February 2024, Motor1
The 593-HP 2025 BMW i5 Touring Is The Ultimate Sleeper
An unassuming wagon body style and silent electric power make for a deadly-quick combo in the i5 M60 Touring.

It's been a minute since BMW offered a wagon version of its 5 Series in North America. That might change soon, at least for a trim level or two. But for now, the latest long-roof 5er is a euro-only affair. BMW revealed 2025 5 Series Touring on Tuesday, now available in diesel, as gas-powered plug-in hybrid, or as a pure EV.

Following the trend of new cars always growing, the 2025 5 Series Touring is bigger than ever. At 199 inches long, it's now barely an inch away from the previous-generation BMW 7 Series (G11) sedan. That's not just a fact of life for the wagon body style, lest we forget the latest 5 Series sedan grew by leaps and bounds when it debuted in 2023. The wagon is also slightly wider at 74.8 inches and taller at 59.6 inches. While that's not great news for those tight on parking space, it's good news for those who use wagons how they're supposed to be used: To move lots of stuff around.

With the rear seats in place, there's 20.1 cubic feet of cargo space. Folded down, that jumps to 60 cubic feet. Compared to its German competitors, the BMW has slightly more space than the Audi A6 Avant but still trails the Mercedes-Benz E-Class estate by a few cubes — so long as you don't count the plug-in hybrid version of the Merc, which loses a bit of space in the rear to batteries. The stats for BMW are the same whether you choose the combustion-powered Touring or the electric i5.

Speaking of electric, the i5 is the trim of choice for BMW wagon fans wanting to go fast. The i5 M60 xDrive Touring is the range-topper with 593 horsepower and a maximum of 605 pound-feet of torque in boost mode. It's the same setup found in the sedan, though the wagon's extra mass slows things just a bit. BMW says 62 mph arrives in 3.9 seconds, with a factory-limited top speed of 143 mph. Stepping down to the i5 eDrive40 model removes the front motor, giving you a max output of 335 hp and a sprint to 62 mph in 6.1 seconds. The trade-off is range, which climbs to a maximum of 348 miles versus 314 per Europe's WLTP cycle.

In the combustion world, the new 5 Series Touring is still electrified with either mild hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrains. The 530e uses BMW's turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine with an electric motor to generate a combined 295 hp and an electric-only range of up to 60 miles. The all-wheel-drive version has the same output, but range drops to a maximum of 55 miles. The 520d uses the 2.0-liter turbo diesel with a mild-hybrid system to make 195 hp, offered with rear- or all-wheel drive. Then there's the 540d xDrive Touring, injecting a 3.0-liter mild-hybrid I6 turbodiesel into the mix for 295 hp.

What we don't see mentioned in BMW's announcement is anything about the M5 Touring. We've seen numerous camouflaged prototypes testing around the world, and while the standard long roof 5er isn't US-bound, rumors suggest the hot M5 wagon will make it to these shores. Likely packing a version of the hybrid powertrain from the XM, it could make up to 700 hp. That's one way to give Audi RS6 Avant owners a wake-up call.

We should learn about the new M5 sometime in the next few months. For now, European shoppers can jump into the new 5 Series wagon starting in May with the i5 Touring and the mild-hybrid four-cylinder models. Plug-in hybrid trims and the 540d xDrive will follow later in the summer.

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