BMW opted to reveal combustion and electric versions of the new 2024 5-Series at the same time in May, and the ICE car was definitely playing second-stringer to the i5 EV at the launch. But BMW only showed us the two cars in sedan guise even though all we know both powertrains will also be available with Touring wagon bodies, depending on the market.
That means the Touring will likely be revealed within the next couple of months, and we’ve just grabbed a sneak peek at what it will look like courtesy of the most dress-down Touring prototype we’ve yet seen. The entire front half of the car is undisguised, showcasing how the Cape York green metallic paint looks on the new more angular bodywork. BMW even left the hood roundel in place and made no attempt to obscure the solid kidney grille centers that tell us this is an electric i5 rather than a combustion-powered 5-Series.
And judging from the combination of 20-inch 938M Star Spoke wheels, red brake calipers, black sills, and bumper inserts, plus the black grille with the vertical lines, this looks like a 335 hp (340 PS), single-motor eDrive40, decked out in optional M Sport Pro package. Regular M Sport cars have blue calipers, and while the 593 hp (601 PS), bi-motor M60 also has red calipers, it matches them with carbon mirror caps and a grille with horizontal lines, which this car doesn’t have.
Related: The 2024 BMW 5-Series Touring Can’t Come Soon Enough, Here’s What It May Look Like
Unfortunately, the most interesting half of this i5, that being the rear since it’s a Touring, remains firmly under wraps. From the B-pillar back, the prototype is covered with BMW’s brain-scrambling camo pattern that looks like a three-year-old’s attempt to hand-draw a load of graph paper. The rear lights are also hidden under disguise, and there’s a crude patch over the D-pillar, though it’s hardly rocket science to imagine what it must look like because, well, Hofmeister kink.
The 5-Series and i5 Touring should be on sale in Europe by the end of 2023, and earlier this week BMW announced that an M5 Touring will be joining the lineup during 2024, probably as a 2025 model. But we still don’t know if BMW is bringing any of those midsize wagons to North America. Here’s hoping.
