From the March/April 2026 issue of Car and Driver.
Lap Time: 2:55.0
Class: LL3 | Base: $137,175 | As Tested: $145,775
Power and Weight: 717 hp • 5477 lb • 7.6 lb/hp
Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport S5
F: HL285/40ZR- 20 (111Y) ★
R: HL295/35ZR-21 (110Y) ★
There are many Lightning Lap leaderboards that contenders want to be on. Highest curb weight is not one of them. The M5 Touring is within 12 pounds of taking this ignominious laurel, but the record remains with the Audi RS Q8's 5489-pound mass from Lightning Lap 15 in 2022. Uncheck the boxes for the Audi's optional tow hitch and the M5 Touring's optional carbon-ceramic brake rotors ($8500 saved), and the Bimmer would likely become the portliest machine to turn a lap.
Weight aside, the M5 Touring storms the start/finish line like an angry WWE wrestler entering the ring before it maxes out at 156.5 mph on the Front Straight, the sixth fastest of this year's pack and, more important, 5.4 mph faster than the Audi wagon. Those pricey carbon-ceramics handle the nearly planetary forces involved in slowing for Turn 1 with remarkable grace. The Michelin Pilot Sport S5 rubber even delivers 1.03 g's through the first turn. From here on, though, it's a wild ride.
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The tires, which wear the high load (HL) prefix, howl in protest through NASCAR Bend. The speed and mass conspire against the tires, and when they heat up, grip levels fall. Still, we managed to nail Oak Tree corner, which leads to a 150.7-mph speed on the Back Straight.
Get on the brakes early to set up for the hard right-hander at the end of the Back Straight, or you'll end up sliding this wagon past the turn-in point. Physics wins.
Or does it? We use the 577-hp twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 paired with a 194-hp electric motor delivering a combined 717 horses to rotate the wagon's rear end. The fun of powersliding out of corners—the rear-biased all-wheel-drive system's front tires guiding the rears along— almost makes up for the inert steering. The Infield is a test of patience, preserving what's left in the tires, which are squealing louder than actual swine by the time we're in Hog Pen.
The M5 Touring's 2:55.0 lap time is good enough to put it at the top of the station-wagon leaderboard, above the Audi RS6 Avant (the only other member). With a little more time and a little less weight, it could widen the gap.
Wagons Ho!
If it weren’t for the M5's speed advantage on the long straights—Front, leading into the Climbing Esses, and Back—the Audi would be the top wagon in Lightning Lap history. Those wide-open-throttle sections account for nearly two seconds of gained time for the BMW, with the largest being the 1.0-second swing from entering Oak Tree to the apex of Bitch, seen here.
