Since there was no Touring model from the stable of M GmbH for the BMW 5 Series (E39), the BMW 540i Touring was the flagship model for this genre. It was only launched in March 1997, nearly two years after the BMW 540i Sedan. The high-performance estate car was fitted with a V8 engine (M62B44) provided with a displacement of 4.4 litres. This delivered an impressive torque (440 Nm), particularly in the technically revised version (M62B44TU from 1998). The revision also introduced variable camshaft spacing for the intake and exhaust camshafts (Double VANOS) and an electronically controlled throttle valve.