Michael Satterfield
There’s something uniquely satisfying about carving through a mountain road in a long-roof car with 617 horsepower under your right foot. That low-slung, extended rear glasshouse. The guttural growl. The knowledge that you could be hauling groceries, a golden retriever, or two kids in hockey pads, yet here you are, dancing between apexes like it’s a time trial. This is the world the 2025 BMW M5 Touring Wagon inhabits, and it’s a place we were more than happy to visit.
We took the M5 Touring deep into the forested backroads of the Great Smoky Mountains to take on The Tail of the Dragon, a two-lane ribbon draped over the North Carolina and Tennessee border, perfect territory for a car that dares to bring supercar speed and German practicality into one profile. And let’s just get this out of the way: we’re suckers for a good wagon.
BMW M5 Touring: The Wagon Done Right
Wagons in America are a tough sell. But the M5 Touring isn’t trying to please everyone, it’s for the enthusiast who wants utility with a capital M. BMW’s xDrive system, a near-50/50 weight distribution, and enough torque to challenge your understanding of physics combine to make this car feel much smaller than it is when hustled through a corner.
Even on wet pavement, as we found out mid-corner on Route 129, the grip is immense. The rear will step out if provoked, but it’s all easily gathered back up thanks to the M division’s finely tuned stability systems. There’s also something deeply satisfying about powering out of a bend with the long tail hunkered down, the quad exhausts barking like a pack of angry wolves.
Power, Presence, and Practicality
Under the hood, you’ll find the familiar 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that’s become a staple of modern M cars, delivering 617 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. It’s enough to launch this family hauler from 0 to 60 in just over 3 seconds. It’s laughably quick for a vehicle that can also handle a Costco run or the school carpool.
The cargo space is real, too, 20 cubic feet with the rear seats up and over 50 when folded down. With the rear hatch open and the damp forest air rolling in, we loaded camera gear, rain jackets, and more than a few roadside antiques without a second thought.
The Only Grumble: Button Bloat
Now, it wouldn’t be a modern BMW if there weren’t a few head-scratching design decisions, and yes, the interior does have that familiar too-many-buttons, too-many-menus syndrome. We get that customization is part of the M experience, but there’s a fine line between being adaptable and being overwhelming. Want to adjust your suspension, throttle response, and steering feel independently? You’ll need to navigate a sea of menus on the iDrive screen or remember a few custom presets via the M1 and M2 buttons.
It’s a small gripe in the grand scheme, but we’d be remiss not to mention it. This is still a driver’s car, not a flight simulator.
The Last of The Wagons
The 2025 BMW M5 Touring isn’t a compromise; it’s a declaration. A declaration that you can have your speed and use it too. That wagons still matter. That practicality and passion aren’t mutually exclusive.
For those who remember Audi’s RS6 Avant and pine for the glory days of the AMG E63 S wagon, rejoice: BMW is here with something just as bold. It’s sharp, it’s surefooted, and it has enough room for everything in your life that doesn’t quite fit in a two-seater.
If only they’d let us declutter the dashboard, we’d call it perfect.
On road photos by Killboy
