Business Report

BMW M5 Touring pricing announced: the ultimate station wagon for driving thrills

Willem van de Putte|Published

The BMW M5 Touring is not a limited model for our market. There are a limited number of units at introduction, though, due to the high global demand for the car.

Image: Supplied

Following the success of the BMW M3 Touring, with South Africa’s full allocation taken up when it was introduced last year, BMW South Africa has announced the pricing for the M5 Touring.

Unlike Europe, South Africans aren’t big on station wagons or estates as they’re called, but give us a fire-breathing performance version and we can’t get enough of them.

Pricing

BMW has priced it R30 000 above its M5 sedan sibling at R2,795,000. Currently, the M3 Touring costs R2,218,506. 

Fortunately, the BMW M5 Touring is not a limited model for our market. There is a limited number of units at introduction, though, due to the high global demand for the car.

The BMW M5 Touring has a twin turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 with 430kW and 750Nm and an electric motor with 145kW and 280Nm.

Image: Supplied

Power

It uses the same M Hybrid oily bits as the M5 sedan, with a twin turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 with 430kW and 750Nm and an electric motor with 145kW and 280Nm, with a pre-gearing stage that allows effective torque at the transmission input to be increased to 450Nm, so the net result is you get 535kW and 1 000Nm. 

BMW says the electric system provides an all-electric range up to 70 kilometres (WLTP).

It has a 0-100km/h time of 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 250km/h, although standard in South Africa with the M Driver’s Package, it will get to a rather brisk 305km/h. 

Performance bits

Other performance highlights include M Drive Professional, which features Boost Control, M Laptimer and Track View, and the M sport exhaust system. 

The Touring derivative rolls on M5-specific front 20-inch and rear 21-inch rims and tyres.

The only local options on offer are the deletion of the model designation, a trailer tow hitch, M Carbon brakes and brake callipers finished in high gloss black.

The interior of the BMW M5 Touring.

Image: Supplied

It also gets a newly designed M leather steering wheel and M multifunction seats, M carbon mirror caps, Panorama Glass Roof and rear sunblinds.

Thanks to its estate design, boot space is rated at 500 litres and with the seats folded down, 1,630 litres.

Ten exterior colours, including the M5 range’s exclusive Isle of Man Green and Marina Bay Blue, and Storm Bay and Frozen Deep Grey from the BMW Individual palette, are offered.

The cabin receives six upholstery possibilities and the option of either M Carbon Fibre or BMW Individual Fineline Dark Oak interior trims.

The R2,795,000 price tag includes a two-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, an eight-year/100,000km battery pack warranty and a five-year/100,000km maintenance plan.