A flock of upcoming BMW M cars was spied testing in Northern Sweden recently. Our man with the cam immortalized three ultra-hot models currently in the making, with the list comprising the all-new M5 in Sedan and Touring guises and the M3 CS Touring.
Mind you, while we may have seen all of them numerous times in various environments, this is the first time we get to lay eyes on them next to each other as they regrouped at a gas station in Europe's frozen north before heading out for more testing again.
Set to roll out sometime this year as a 2025 model, the new BMW M5 will top the latest generation 5 Series family. The big news here is that the Touring, which is Bimmer slang for station wagon, is going to be offered next to the traditional sedan, and both are expected to get a 4.4L V8 twin-turbocharged from the XM, aided by electricity with a motor said to be housed inside the eight-speed auto 'box.
The magic numbers will be released in due course, but we know that the range-topping XM Label Red boasts a healthy 738 horsepower (749 ps/550 kW) and has 738 pound-feet (1,000 Nm) on tap. Some say the all-new M5 might be even punchier with close to 800 (metric) horses, though we will believe it when we see it. That much power should help it sprint to 62 mph (100 kph) in under three seconds, or a bit less than the 626 hp (635 ps/467 kW) M5 CS.
Photo: SH Proshots
Its smaller sibling, the M3 CS Touring, will be the five-door version of the already-available M3 CS. It will feature an identical face complete with the yellow DRLs, fatter side skirts compared to the M3 Touring, a sportier rear diffuser, exclusive wheels, uprated brakes, a retuned chassis, and a few upgrades on the inside. The 3.0L twin-turbo straight-six will unleash 543 hp (550 ps/405 kW) and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) at a hard push of the right pedal.
An xDrive all-wheel drive system will also be on deck and given that it is a bit heavier than its four-door counterpart, the M3 CS Touring should be one or two-tenths of a second slower to 62 miles per hour. The sprint takes 3.4 seconds in the M3 CS, 0.3 seconds faster than the RWD M4 CSL, a two-door model that uses the powertrain mentioned above and has the same output and thrust.
Just like the larger M5 Sedan and Touring, the M3 CS Touring is also expected to premiere sometime this year, and by the looks of it, we think all three might be shown before summer, yet you should take this information with a grain of salt for now.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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