BMW M5 PHEV
For forty years now - since the delicate, sharknose E28 model with its stonking 3.5-litre straight-six engine made its debut - the BMW M5 has been the go-to solution for the conundrum of needing to carry four people in comfort, but to do so at Autobahn-blitzing speeds. The M5 has steadily evolved since that 1984 original, gaining V8- and V10-engined models, growing in size, stature and weight, but always remaining true to the credo of the original. Which is to provide supercar-slaying performance in the shape of a regular ol' four-door saloon. Like Daniel Craig in a sharp-cut suit, the M5 has always been all business, but with the steely core of an assassin.
Now, though, we get the biggest change to the M5 recipe since, in 2003, BMW fitted a V10 engine made in the same foundry that it was then making its Formula One engines. The new 'G90' M5 keeps the trusty 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine from the previous model, but now it's augmented - partnered, even - by a 197hp electric motor and a big 18.6kWh battery that gives this M5 a useful 42-mile electric range. It also means that this M5 has a hefty kerb weight of 2,510kg and that's a number, along with the fact that it has a slower 0-62mph time than that of the old M5 CS, which has enthusiasts worried. Has the M5 done a Marlon Brando, and gained so much weight that its unquestioned talent is being overshadowed? We went to BMW's HQ in Munich to find out...
Test Car Specifications
Model tested: BMW M5 Saloon
UK pricing: from £111,405 as tested
Powertrain: plug-in hybrid - 4.4-litre V8 twin-turbocharged petrol engine, 145kW electric motor and 18.6kWh lithium-ion battery pack
Transmission: automatic - eight-speed automatic gearbox, selectable four-wheel drive
Body style: four-door saloon
CO2 emissions: 39g/km
Fuel consumption: 166mpg
Electric range: 42 miles
Top speed: 189mph (with M Driver Pack; 155mph otherwise)
0-62mph: 3.5sec
Max power: 727hp (system total)
Max torque: 1,000Nm (system total)
Boot space: 466 litres
Kerb weight: 2,510kg
Towing capacity: 2,000kg (braked trailer)
Styling
Parked up next to an original E28 M5 from 1984, the new M5 looks almost cartoonish, with its light-up grille, its distended haunches and the four shotgun-bore exhausts poking out the back. The original looks almost meek in comparison, but then you look down the line of other historic M5s that BMW laid on for the occasion, and you start to realise that it's all relative. After all, an F90 M5 was, we thought at the time, pretty muscular, but spot one on the street these days and most people would probably just assume it's a 520d with optional alloys. It will probably be the same for the new M5 - yes, it's more obviously bulked-up than the standard 5 Series or electric i5, and those mixed sized alloys (20-inches at the front, 21s at the rear) look delectable. The colour choices for the new M5 are also fantastic. If you can look past default grey or black, there are some seriously cool choices. I'm not sure the bright yellow option we were shown at one point would be everyone's cup of tea, but the dark purple of Daytona Violet is nice, and Isle Of Man Green is... *chef's kiss*.
Interior
As is tradition, the M5 basically carries over the same interior as the regular 5 Series, but with a few M-tweaks just to remind you that you're in something more special. The best of these are the high-backed bucket front seats, with their inset light-up M5 logos, which are supremely comfortable and supportive, and which are swathed in lovely, soft Merino leather. The three-spoke, flat-bottom steering wheel gets a red 12-o'clock marker at its apex (in case you want to take your £100k supersaloon drifting) while there are the now-familiar M1 and M2 driving mode memory buttons, carbon-fibre paddle shifters, and a bright red engine stop-start button.
The centre console also differs slightly from standard in that some of the touch-sensitive buttons are M-specific, and give you quick access to driving modes and the like. The big 12.3-inch instrument panel and the 14.9-inch infotainment screen also get some M-only graphics and menu layouts. You could lose days going through all the various driving mode settings and set-up (hence the M1 and M2 buttons - you can pre-save two modes and just give the little red buttons a squeeze when you want to call one up), and the menu structure of the big screen can be a little bewildering at first. You do get used to it, but I still pine for some proper, physical buttons even though BMW has retained the iDrive click-wheel in the M5.
There's a good head-up display, though, and you'll forgive all the on-screen complexity when you use the augmented reality sat-nav which overlays direction arrows onto a live picture of the road in front of you. BMW has also resisted fitting a pointless passenger-side screen, which is to its credit.
Overall quality is excellent, but there are a couple of cheap and scratchy plastics, especially around the electric window switches.
Practicality
Really, the whole point of an M5 is that it's a practical performance car, but this G90 generation misses the mark ever so slightly in some areas.
For four adults, all is fine. The seats in both front and rear are wonderfully comfortable, and there's plenty of legroom and headroom in the back seats. Up front, there's also plenty of space even for the tallest driver, but there is a slight lack of space for smaller bits and pieces. There are two useful wireless charging pads for phones and two decent cupholders, but the storage area under the front armrest is quite shallow, while the door bins aren't the biggest you'll find.
The worst culprit here, however, is the boot. At 466 litres capacity, it's more than 100 litres down on the regular 5 Series or i5. Clearly, BMW has had to make some compromises when it comes to packaging the M5's battery, fuel tank, rear suspension, and the clever M-differential, but it seems a shame that the M5 is less practical than a regular model. That hasn't been the case in the past.
Performance
This is, of course, the M5's raison d'etre, and with 727hp and a frankly silly 1,000Nm of torque, it was hardly ever going to be lacking. There is that worrying 0.5-second gap between this M5 and the previous model when it comes to the 0-62mph dash, but in real-world terms you'll not be left hanging around. As soon as the A9 Autobahn opened up in front of us, the M5 simply leaped forward on a tide of slightly distant V8 grumble, and hit 170mph before the traffic closed in again. At that speed, it was still pulling hard enough to suggest that the 189mph top speed - once you've ticked the optional M Driver Pack box - is easily within reach. While this M5 is slower from a standing start than the old one (doubtless thanks to needing to shift the inertia of that chunky kerb weight) once you're rolling, it's a shatteringly fast car. For instance, 50-75mph takes just 2.2 seconds in fourth gear...
Speaking of gears, the eight-speed automatic gearbox manages to feel slightly lazy here in the M5, possibly because even with the electric side of the system operating to fill in any torque gaps, the sheer eagerness for revs of that mighty V8 just makes the gearchanges seem more obvious. You can take control with the paddle shifters of course, but even then this 'box never feels as snappy as a Porsche PDK unit.
Under electric power, the M5 still manages to feel reasonably nippy. The 197hp on offer from the electric motor doesn't sound like much, but BMW has managed to gear-up the motor's torque output so that it can offer 450Nm for short bursts, making the M5 feel more alive under silent running than you'd expect.
Just don't expect to get anywhere near that 166mpg official test figure unless you are actually waiting for the Pope to finish filling in the paperwork for your sainthood. BMW reckons that on a flat main battery, you'll average around 26mpg, and that seems fairly optimistic if you're making full use of the M5's searing speed.
Ride & Handling
This is where the M5's weight asks the biggest questions of BMW's chassis engineers. Clearly, even a big and heavy car can feel entertainingly fast in a straight line if you give it enough thrust, but it's in corners that the weight can take over and smother any sense of fun.
Thankfully, and somewhat amazingly, that isn't the case here. True, the weight is there and you will notice it, especially under heavy braking or when trying to flick-steer through an S-bend. But what's truly impressive about the new M5 is that for the most part, it manages to shrug off that weight and is still hugely impressive to drive.
No, of course it's not as incisive as the old M5 CS - still one of the very best cars we've ever driven - and nor could it be with that 700kg weight gain. BMW even seems to have, up to a point, admitted defeat and has allowed the M5's suspension to be slightly softer than before, making for slightly more body roll in corners (which is actually a good thing, as it communicates what the car's up to). Because of all this, this M5 feels like it cleaves a little closer to the luxury side of its personality. If you want something more raw and chuckable, get an M2.
It's still glorious to drive, though. The steering is sharp and talkative, and the rear-wheel steering combines with the magical M differential and the four-wheel-drive system to allow the M5 to almost magically dance along a twisty road. You're never allowed to forget the sheer heft, but equally it never ruins the fun.
Value
While it's certainly not cheap - £111,405 is no one's idea of a bargain - the M5 seems quite sharply priced alongside rivals from Mercedes and Audi, and especially from Porsche in the shape of the Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid. Standard equipment levels are excellent (the screens, the seats, a Bowers & Wilkins stereo) and if your pockets are deep enough there's plenty of opportunity for personalisation from special paints to a carbon-fibre roof.
Verdict
BMW has worked genuine wonders with this M5. It has made it the most complex, complicated and heavy M5 in the badge's history, and yet for all that, when the steering hooks up to the apex, when the V8 sings its song, and when the road opens up before you, this still manages to feel like an old-school muscle saloon. Brilliant.
