The new-gen BMW 5 Series and its electric sibling, the i5, were unveiled earlier this year in sedan guise. We honestly thought we'd see the Touring, which is Bimmer slang for station wagon, so far with no camouflage on its body, but here with a little over two months from wishing our close ones a happy new year, and the executive estate still hasn't been presented.
It is likely that the development is in the last stages, and the camouflage has dropped to the bare minimum on the latest scooped prototype. It is an i5 Touring, the electric equivalent of the five-door BMW 5 Series, which only had its back end under wraps – well, save for a small portion of the profile.
Finished in gray with a matte look and contrasted by several black elements, the 2024 BMW i5 Touring prototype is the same car as its four-door counterpart. That includes the headlights, closed-off grille, dashboard layout, tech, safety systems, and powertrains. The big difference is out back, where it has a bigger cargo area that's more suitable for families.
The sporty styling of this tester makes us think it was in the M60 configuration. If that's the case, then it uses two motors to drive both axles with a combined 593 hp (601 ps/442 kW) and 586 lb-ft (795 Nm) of torque. Mind you, that's more power and thrust than you'd get in the F10 generation BMW M5. And speaking of Ms, the new 5 Series Touring family is about to be topped by a full-blown M5 derivative.
Photo: SH Proshots
BMW's M Division was kind enough to officially confirm the rumors, and they even dropped a picture of the car sitting under wraps, confirming that it is due in 2024, likely as a 2025 model. This means that it will follow in the footsteps of the 5 Series Touring and i5 Touring, which are expected to premiere before the end of this year, with the deliveries likely kicking off in early 2024.
If the i5 Touring makes its way to our market, though it probably won't, then it should launch in the same configurations as the i5 Sedan. The four-door is also offered in the eDrive40 specification, besides the M60 mentioned above, and this model uses a single electric motor that generates 335 hp (340 ps/250 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque. It needs 5.7 seconds to 60 mph (97 kph), two seconds slower than the i5 M60, and the top speed is electronically limited to 120 mph (193 kph).
The official MSRP of the i5 Sedan is $66,800 in the United States, whereas the i5 M60 can be ordered from $84,100, excluding destination. The 5 Series comes in the 530i and 530i xDrive versions and starts at $57,900 and $60,200, respectively.
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
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News