First Drive: Can BMW’s M5 Touring deliver in all areas?

The latest generation of M5 has introduced hybrid power for the first time, but can this combine with a more practical estate bodystyle to make this the ideal everyday performance car? We’ve been finding out.

Look at the back of the M5 Touring and you may notice a gap between that huge rear splitter. The reason? It allows owners to fit a proper tow bar and, once attached, the M5 Touring offers up to 2,000kg of towing capacity.

But there’s another side to the M5 Touring as a result of the hybrid setup. It should, in theory, manage around 42 miles of electric-only running from a full charge, while BMW claims a combined fuel consumption of up to 166mpg – though you’ll have to be running on electric power nearly all of the time to achieve this. During mixed driving, expect to see around 30mpg, which still isn’t bad for a car with this much performance.

But it’s nice having the other electric side to the M5, too. Whereas that V8 is great to lean on when you’re moving more quickly, having the ability to waft around silently is handy too, particularly around town.

However, there’s one thing that the M5 Touring’s styling cannot hide – its size. In the metal, it’s something of a leviathan and is far and away from the svelte, more compact M5 models of old. It’s also far less subtle – but that’s a personal preference, of course.

Rear seat space is decent, too, and this should help to make the M5 Touring into the kind of performance car that the whole family could enjoy. As mentioned, boot space isn’t bad – though a little bit under what you’d expect to get from a car of this size.

Standard equipment is what you’d expect to find on a range-topping performance car, though much of the technology on board is the same as you’ll see on the standard 5 Series Touring and electric i5 Touring. The large touchscreen display has plenty of features and is quick to respond though the sheer number of driver settings can be a little overwhelming when you first encounter them; a near-endless number of chassis, engine and steering combinations mean you’ll want to get those quick-fire steering wheel buttons set up quickly to avoid having to use the screen.

There was a lot of criticism levelled at the M5 when it was first launched. A hybrid system was seen to potentially dull down the spirit of the V8, while the car’s weight represented a sizeable increase over the previous model. But in reality, these criticisms fade away once you’re able to see how multi-faceted the M5 is – particularly in Touring specification.

It’s impressively composed – and aggressive – so you don’t feel like the weight or the powertrain are diminishing the M5 experience, but instead boosting it. On paper, it may seem like the M5 Touring wouldn’t deliver, but once you’re behind the wheel, it appears that it can.