BMW M5 Touring, 5-series facelift (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

09 January 2007 01:03

BMW M5 Touring? This must be the fastest estate in the world?

It certainly is. There are some big numbers all beginning with '5' on this car: 500bhp, from a 5.0-litre V10 - and now squeezed into a 500-litre-boot-toting Touring body. There are few faster ways of transporting your family clutter. Lower the rear seats, and there's a cavernous 1650 litres of bootspace. The M5 Touring is surely the most sensible product to emerge from BMW's legendary M division: the tailgate rises automatic and air suspension keeps the car at the correct height regardless of the load.

Fear not. This is an M5, after all. That race-derived V10 spins all the way to 8250rpm and musters 383lb ft of twist. It all adds up to some serious performance, dispatching the 0-62mph dash in 4.8 seconds. Top speed is pegged back to 155mph, and the 19mpg appetite isn't exactly sensible, either. All the usual M5 chassis mods are included on the Touring. An M differential lock and electronic damper control are standard, and you can only order one transmission: the seven-speed SMG gearbox, with 11 different shift patterns and speeds depending on driving style.

By Tim Pollard