BMW i5 Touring: Electric station wagon prototype caught on test drive

With the BMW i5, the German automaker from Munich has recently added a brand-new model to its growing all-electric lineup of vehicles, but so far the electric 5 Series is only available as a classic sedan. For many families, especially in Europe, a possible station wagon variant of this midsize luxury EV, which BMW usually calls “Touring”,  is probably a better option due to its more spacious trunk.

Fittingly, a photographer has now caught this exact EV prototype on camera during a test drive, and the corresponding pictures of the BMW i5 Touring have been published at Motor1 and can be accessed via this link. As expected, the camouflaged rear design is quite similar to the officially teased M5 Touring. As most electric cars made by the German brand, the BMW i5 station wagon will be based on a versatile ICE platform, which also means that the car features a rather familiar exterior that may not be as controversial as the design language that some other EV makers have introduced over the past few years.

Aside from the usually worse aerodynamics and therefore lower efficiency of the station wagon model, the BMW i5 Touring is expected to feature the same technical specifications as the regular sedan, whose RWD base model starts at US$66,800 in the US and can hit the 60 mph mark in 5.7 seconds, while its EPA range is rated at up to 295 miles on a single charge.

However, these new prototype images probably depict the more powerful BMW i5 Touring M60 with all-wheel drive, which should be quite a bit faster as the comparable sedan trim has around 600 horsepower and accelerates from 0 to 60 in just 3.7 seconds. Unfortunately, this spacious family vehicle will probably exceed the €100,000 price mark in Europe, and it remains unclear if the electric station wagon will also hit the SUV and truck-dominated North American market.

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