The 2025 BMW 5 Series Touring is here, joining a surprisingly competitive segment. The luxury estate market is still alive worldwide, and the Audi A6 Avant (and hotter RS6) represents one of the biggest competitors to the G61 5 Series Touring. Elsewhere, the Mercedes-Benz E Class Estate/Wagon remains quite the force to be reckoned with. How does the all-new long-roof Bimmer compare? Here’s a closer look.
Exterior Design
Up front, the new 2025 BMW 5 Series Touring offers a familiar restraint that you’ll find across the 5 Series lineup. The Audi A6 offers many of the same charms: a familiar and less-than-daring grille, premium lighting elements, and plenty of ways to make the front look a little more aggressive if you need it. Same with the Benz – and it’s arguably the best looking of the group, sporting a well-proportioned front end and subtle hood lines that give it a bit of a muscle-car look.
The 5 Series Touring stretches 5060 mm – nearly 200 inches – and offers the longest wheelbase in its class. The Audi is a bit shorter (4,951 mm), and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate stretches 4949 mm. The 5 Series Touring is marginally wider than both, which might make it look a little sportier. Wheel sizes range from 17 to 21 inches across the different models.
From the back, all three offer unique lighting signatures and design cues that separate them from their sedan/saloon counterparts. All three have decklid spoilers and dual exhaust surrounds (where applicable). Since we don’t have a look at the new M5 Touring or AMG E-Class Estate, it would seem a bit unfair to compare the high-powered RS6 Avant with the lesser trims. But currently, it’s for sure the best looking of the bunch, with a squared-off stance and aggressively lowered suspension. We’ll have to wait and see what BMW and Merc can come up with.
Interior Design
Inside, the similarities continue. The new 5 Series Touring features nothing unexpected: a 14.9-inch center display and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, all bundled in the BMW Curved Display. The Mercedes comes with two separate screens but minimal buttons elsewhere. The Audi A6 Avant is by far the most dated, featuring dual 10.1- and 8.6-inch screens. All three get multifunction steering wheels.
Materials – and overall layout – are very similar across all three, too. When it comes to cargo, the 5 Series Touring offers 570 liters of space with the seats up and 1,700 liters with the seats folded down. The E-Class Estate offers 460 liters and 1,785 liters, respectively. The A6 Avant throws down with 565 liters and 1,680 liters. All three offer features like automatic tailgate operation and split-folding rear seats.
Performance
The 5 Series Touring has several different variants, but the most powerful version is currently the all-electric i5 M60. BMW says the wagon rockets from zero to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds, offering a top speed of 143 mph. 601 horsepower and 510 pound-feet are impressive numbers that the competition will have trouble keeping up with. Technically, the RS6 Avant is quicker and more powerful, with a twin-turbo V8 that develops 621 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque.
So, Audi is currently the front-runner in Fast Wagon Land. But the next-generation AMG E63 hasn’t debuted yet, nor has the full-blown M5 Touring. Once we see what the top line of Mercedes and M innovations look like, we’ll have a better idea of which is the best performer.
Overall
The new 5 Series Touring is a solid entrant into the luxury wagon segment. Its two rivals provide close competition, and many of the distinctions boil down to personal preference. Appearance, materials, and technology will largely determine which you buy. It will be interesting to see how M and AMG combat the reputation and power of the Audi RS6. What do you think about how the BMW 5 Series Touring stacks up?
