BMW M Performance Parts launched for i5 Touring

Just last week we showed you what tuning giant AC Schnitzer had come up with for anyone hoping to modify the look of the latest 5 Series; now it’s BMW’s turn to break out the ‘aerodynamic, interior and suspension retrofit products’ – only this time it’s the new 5 Series Touring that gets a customised nip and a tuck courtesy of Original BMW Accessories. And the i5 Touring too, of course, which is good news if you’re inclined to make your 601hp M60 look a bit more, erm, spunky. 

In terms of exterior add-ons, which all herald from the M Performance department, these pretty much conform to type. So think three-piece splitter, side sill attachments, mirror caps and roof spoiler. Most of these come in lacquered CFRP, although, interestingly, some are made from Aramid-reinforced plastic, a synthetic fibre composite similar to Kevlar. These include the aerial cover (apparently it has a higher electromagnetic permeability than CFRP) and the inevitably chunkier three-piece rear diffuser. 

You can also get M Performance accent stripes in Frozen Black if you really must, along with side sill decals. And if you’re really intent on pushing the boat out, there are customisable door sill trims to choose from, as well as interchangeable LED door projector graphics. It says much about the limited interior options (the cabin already being well catered for in the standard configurator) that we’re inclined to like the new M Performance floor mats the most, which look very fetching with contrast stitching and tri-colour theme. The less said about items like the M Performance fuel filler cap the better. 

In chassis terms, the most interesting hardware change of note is the M Performance 20-inch brake system, which is said to ‘look particularly distinctive in conjunction with the open rim design of the 21-inch light alloy wheels’. Which is probably selling them short if they really are that ginormously big. Either way, you get six-piston calipers at the front and there are a host of new wheel designs and seasonal tyre choices to go around them, including the M Performance Cross Spoke alloys on the car pictured. No word on cost or availability yet, but expect to add a significant sum to the £99,995 starting price of an i5 M60 Touring. Or you could wait and see what the soon-to-be-revealed M5 Touring is like.