Well, that didn’t take too long. Just a few days after BMW took the wraps off the 5 Series Sedan (G60), an independent artist has envisioned its long-roof sibling. This unofficial depiction of the G61 Touring is based on what is the temporary range topper, the i5 M60. The M5 arriving around 2025 in sedan (G90) and wagon (G99) body styles will sit at the very top of the hierarchy.
Although the V8 engine is a no-show, at least for the time being, there have never been as many versions of the 5 Series as with this eighth-generation model. BMW will combine the electric muscle of the i5 M60 with the added practicality brought by the Touring body style. The fully electric variant needs extra cargo capacity since the battery-powered 5 Series Sedan can only accommodate 17.3 cu ft (490 liters) whereas the versions equipped with a gasoline engine – ICE and PHEV – can swallow 18.4 cu ft (520 liters).
Even though the adjacent rendering takes after the i5 M60, the luxury wagon has been envisaged with the regular front grille we saw on the lesser i5 eDrive40. The M Performance version uses different kidneys by eschewing the vertical bars in favor of double horizontal slats and a prominent M logo. BMW has already said the full-fat M version will largely inherit the kidney of the M60. Presumably, there will also be an M Performance version with an inline-six plug-in hybrid (maybe an M560e?) that will probably adopt the same grille.
It’ll be interesting to see whether the 5 Series Touring will retain the embossed “5” logo at the base of the C-pillar or BMW will move it to the D-pillar on the wagon. Save for the longer roof and reworked derrière, the Touring should be mechanically identical to the sedan. However, it will put on a bit of weight on top of an already worrying 2,305 kilograms (5,081 pounds) for the saloon in European specification.
An official reveal should take place by the end of this year or early 2024. BMW has already confirmed it will have the 5 Series Touring on sale next spring.
Source: theottle / Instagram
via Tingle Cars