BMW M5 Touring is a hybrid hauler

THIS is the long-awaited BMW M5 AE Touring, a 1978 paite-ByWM5 performance estate that's got MercedesAMG and Audi RS family haulers in its sights.

- Jordan Katsianis

BMW M doesn't always gift us an estate variant of its high-performance M models, but for the first time since the E61 5 Series from 2007, the M5 Touring is back.

Revealed at Monterey Car Week in California, the Touring joins the saloon, which was unveiled back in July. It features the same set of powertrain and chassis upgrades, not to mention butch styling and exceptional performance figures.

The technical package is based around the same 4.4-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 paired to an e-motor, which is mounted between the engine and the eight-speed automatic transmission.

Peak combined power and torque are rated at 717bhp and 1,000 Nm respectively, sent to all four wheels via BMW's xDrive set-up. The M5 hits 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds, and tops out at 155mph - or 189mph if fitted with the BMW Driver's Package.

As well as boosting performance, the e-motor is also capable of driving the M5 Touring for up to 42 miles without using a drop of petrol, thanks to a large 18.6kWh battery pack. This is slightly less than the new AMG E 53 estate's claimed 62 miles, but the two have diverged in terms of ultimate performance, with the six-cylinder Mercedes targeting a GT-like demeanour.

The M5, on the other hand, features all of BMW M's usual chassis tricks to make the new estate a serious high-performance driver's car. This includes a unique body - a first for any M5 Touring - that's 75mm wider at the front and 48mm wider at the rear than the standard model, plus an extensive stiffening programme that incorporates bracing above and below the engine, across the transmission tunnel, and under the rear axle.