The BMW 5-Series is still soldiering on in its quest to woo over luxury car buyers. But while the sedan has had an established presence here in the U.S. the Touring variant (aka station wagon) has been a Europe-only exclusive for the past few years. For now, it will continue to be a Europe-only treat but the 2025 BMW 5-Series Touring might just preview a trim or two that might make the trip across the pond to our shores.
Hauling The Goods In 5-Series Luxury and Touring Style
There was a time when the 5-Series Touring was a relatively compact offering for its size, with older models being able to squeeze into tight parking spots. Those times are now over, especially when you look at the size of the current wagon which now has a length of 199 inches. That’s a big growth spurt and the wagon is now only slightly shorter than the previous generation 7 Series model. It’s also wider too, at 74.8 inches, but that additional width helps the wagon swallow bulkier items so we’ll give that particular increase a pass here.
The rest of the exterior styling is typical 5-Series with the wagon proportions adding a distinct flavor to the car. Cargo space measures in at 20.1 cubic feet with the second row up but if you fold them down, it expands to 60 cubic feet. That’s more cubes than the Audi A6 Avant but not only does it have less than the Mercedes E-Class Estate, but it also has fewer cubes than the less expensive but just as capable Subaru Outback with that model having 75.6 cubic feet of room with the second-row seats folded down. The rest of the interior is largely unchanged here and it still has alot of the luxuries and tech that we have seen in the sedan variant.
i5 Is The Sleeper Of The 5-Series Touring Family
Performance for the 2025 BMW 5-Series Touring lineup comes in three distinct flavors with the diesel and gasoline models continuing to see service. The star of the show (and also the most potent option here) is the EV powertrain in the i5 variant. Buyers that go for the range-topping M60 xDrive model will get a dual-motor setup that makes 593 hp and over 600 lb-ft of torque when Boost mode is engaged. This is similar o the i5 sedan, but the extra weight and some of the structural modifications blunt performance slightly with BMW saying that the i5 Touring needs 3.9 seconds (that’s still fast in our book) to make the sprint to 60 mph with the speedometer topping out at 143 mph.
For those that don’t need all that muscle, BMW will offer a slightly tamer version called the i5 eDrive40 that removes the front electric motor to drop power down to 335 hp and raises the 0 to 62 mph time to 6.2 seconds. BMW says that the increased range makes up for this somewhat with the model getting 348 miles on the WTLP cycle ( a bump from 314 miles for the dual-motor variant.)
Noticeably absent in BMW’s announcement was the M5 Touring. That particular model has been spotted testing in various locales and will be the ultimate king of the mountain when it comes to outright performance. With all that said, there could be a possibility that the i5 will enter the U.S. market. It’s no secret that BMW needs to make a splash in the U.S. with its EV models and having a Touring model (albeit a low-selling variant of the i5 sedan) would help the company win over wagon buyers here in the U.S. especially those that don’t want a formal BEV SUV or CUV.
When Can I Buy One?
If you’re a buyer in Europe, BMW confirmed that the i5 Touring and the plug-in hybrid gasoline models will begin making their way to showrooms this May. The PHEV and the diesel models will come a short time after that this summer. BMW didn’t release final pricing information in its release but look for the Touring to command a slight premium over the sedan which has always been a long-established tradition in the 5-Serie’s broader history.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.