It wasn’t all that long ago that we heard rumors about a BMW M5 Wagon being in the works, but so far we have yet to see an official example. But, not all is lost, as sneaky cameramen have managed to catch what we believe to be the Alpina B5 Touring putting in some beautiful work on the Nürburgring. For now, the Audi RS6 Avant and the AMG E63 Wagon have been dominating this specific segment, but this B5 Touring mule tells us that an M5 Touring is certainly on its way. For those of you who haven’t been keeping track, BMW hasn’t had an M5 Touring since the E61 Touring that was produced from 2007 to 2010, and even then it never made it to the U.S.

According to our camera crew, the B5 Touring you see here was actually making some rather quick laps on the ‘Ring, but that doesn’t mean it will get to us any quicker. It would be blasphemy for Alpina to drop the B5 Touring before the BMW-branded M5 hit the streets. The M5 should be revealed around this time next year, so you can expect the Alpina B5 and D5 – it’s diesel-drinking, torque-producing cousin – to be officially revealed sometime after that.

So, with that said, let’s take a good look at the spy shots we have here today and talk a little more about the Alpina B5 Touring.

Continue reading to learn more about the Alpina B5 Touring.

Spy Shots

August 9, 2016 - First testing session

Exterior

Let’s not beat around the bush here. Alpina doesn’t do a whole lot to set its models apart from BMW – it’s something that drives me crazy, but that’s just the natural order of things. So, don’t expect a lot of difference between the BMW and Alpina Touring models. As is the usual case, the Alpina has a new front spoiler up front to go with a more aggressive rear fascia, and it does look to be sporting dual exhaust tips on each corner.

We can spot large, high-performance brake calipers through the Alpina wheels that help to bring the whole package together. And, let’s not forget the Alpina badges in the front and rear to designate that this is an Alpina and not a BMW.

Outside of these few things, expect to see some minor changes to the exterior light units and a slightly lower ride height to accommodate the B5’s natural prowess on the track. It will still rock the BMW kidney grilles up front, but may get a more aggressive hood if we’re lucky.

Interior

Note: Interior of the BMW Alpina B5 Biturbo shown here.

As is the usual case with test mules, we have no idea what the interior of this one looks like. It will have the same overall design as its M5 counterpart, but will have Alpina-specific styling cues throughout and should have nearly unlimited configuration possibilities. Typically, Alpina models can be equipped with a choice of fine wood finished in piano lacquer or anything from the range of BMW and BMW individual materials.

When I say “nearly unlimited” I mean exactly that, as even the steering wheel can be altered to be thicker or thinner, and purchasers can swap the leather for Alcantara and even pick their own stitching colors. An Alpina-specific instrument cluster will grace the dashboard, and the infotainment system will feature Alpina logos on startup. Surely there will be more to talk about when the model is officially revealed, but until then, I’ll leave it at that.

Drivetrain

There has been little word as to what will motivate this long-awaited wagon, but we expect to see a 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V-8 crammed under the hood paired with all-wheel drive. Circulating rumors suggest that Alpina is shooting for 580 horsepower, but seeing output as high as 600 or 620 horsepower isn’t out of the question quite yet. On the other side of the spectrum, the D5 Touring should boast a straight-six with three turbochargers and an output in excess of 400 horsepower. As far as transmission options go, expect to see the Switch-Tronic transmission with a special torque converter to handle all the gut wrenching torque from that Biturbo V-8.

On the chassis side of things, expect the B5 Touring to rock Alpina’s Adaptive sports suspension system. It combines front and rear sway bars with adjustable shocks and dual springs. All of this should cut down body roll during extreme maneuvers, and as an “active” system, you should experience the best ride ever as the system will constantly adapt to road conditions on demand. For the record, this system is driver-adjustable on other Alpina models, allowing the driver to fine-tune the suspension to suit his specific needs at any given time.

Prices

At this point, pricing is still up in the air, but I expect the B5 Touring to be priced somewhere in the $120,000 range, give or take a few thousand bucks. That about typical of Alpina models of this size. It might seem like a lot, but it is an Alpina, plus its highly customizable at the time of purchase, so I tend to think that it’s kind of worth it, given the number of options that are typically available.