BMW M5 Touring

New estate version of BMW's top performance model joins its saloon sibling in adopting potent plug-in hybrid power On sale Now Price from £113,515

- LAWRENCE CHEUNG [e-mail]

YOU MIGHT HAVE seen on social media that the latest BMW M5 has suffered from a bit of fat-shaming, with memes comparing its weight to all sorts of heavy objects, from military vehicles to the Moon. But why? Well, its move to become a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) has resulted in a weight penalty, with this high-performance model now weighing around 2.5 tonnes. That means this new M5 Touring estate is more than 600kg heavier than the previous iteration.

Still, with a total power output of 717bhp from its twin-turbo V8 petrol engine and electric motor, as well as four-wheel drive, the new M5 Touring is anything but slow. The 0-62mph sprint takes just 3.6sec, and the car accelerates with tremendous urgency at any speed, helped by the immediate response of the electric motor. Progress is accompanied by an angry (artificial) soundtrack that's much louder than that of the rival Audi RS6 Avant.