BMW M5 G90 (2025) first drive: Hardly in order

Crunch time, dear readers. It's the moment of truth for the new BMW M5. My goodness, what hasn't been written, grumbled and cursed about this car in the run-up to the launch? Even from us, I don't want to sweep that under the carpet. The bone of contention with the seventh generation of the performance saloon is, of course, its weight.

The discussions about it have got so out of hand that M GmbH is now extremely annoyed and has expressed this in the form of its chairman Frank van Meel. The tone is: first drive and then judge. This is exactly what we did at the recent press event in the Bavarian Forest. And now it's time to pass judgement.

Jump straight to: 

Exterior | Interior | Driving report | Conclusion

What is that?

The "root of all evil" in the new car is, of course, the plug-in hybrid drive. However, we should probably be glad that there is still a BMW M5 with a combustion engine at all. What's more, without a downsizing solution, because as M Head of Development Dirk Häcker tells me, the current biturbo straight-six could certainly have produced similar performance values, but for reasons of emotionality and prestige, the eight-cylinder engine was ultimately retained, even if it is naturally heavier.

In the end, the G90 weighed in at 2,435 kilos. That's a good 500 kilos more than its direct predecessor. A figure that is actually hard to believe. No matter how annoyed the M bosses are, the figures speak for themselves. All in all, the plug-in hybrid system weighs a good 400 kilos. This includes an 18.6 kWh battery, which is located far down in the car, as well as a permanently excited synchronous electric motor with 197 PS and 280 Nm of torque, which is located in the 8-speed automatic transmission and is capable of generating a nominal 450 Nm at the transmission input via a pre-ratio.

BMW M5 (2024) in the test

BMW

A 4.4-litre biturbo V8, which now delivers 585 PS and 750 Nm of torque, is still primarily responsible for propulsion. As you can see, that's less than the last M5, which had 625 PS or even 635 for a short time in the glorious M5 CS. The reason: emissions regulations, of course. And because nobody buys less power than the predecessor, the only option was electrification.

The result: 727 PS and 1,000 Nm system output. The power-to-weight ratio is nevertheless significantly worse and the sprint values were also better before, at least minimally. You can now go from 0-62 mph in 3.5 seconds, from 0-124 mph in 10.9 seconds and, if you order the right packages, you can reach speeds of up to 190 mph (predecessor M5 Competition F90: 3.4 seconds, 10.8 seconds, 190 mph).  

In the brave new world of performance, it's no longer just about driving modes, but also about operating strategies. BMW has solved this issue brilliantly in terms of operating technology, but I would still like to explain it briefly. On the one hand, there is the familiar "Setup" screen, where you can adjust the engine, suspension, steering, brakes etc. between Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus as before (the recuperation setting is new).

And then there is the "M Hybrid" menu with the five programmes Electric, Hybrid, Sport, Sport Plus and Battery Hold. Most of this is self-explanatory, but in Sport, the combustion engine and electric motor are conditioned to deliver high performance over a slightly longer period of time. In Sport Plus, the maximum possible performance is provided over a shorter distance - around one or two laps of the racetrack. If you don't constantly go full throttle in the two Sport modes, you will notice that the car then charges the battery. After all, it wants to be able to give its all at all times.

As far as the chassis layout is concerned, the G90 is modelled on its predecessor. This means: double wishbone suspension at the front, five-link suspension at the rear, adaptive steel chassis, stiffer engine and gearbox mounts and, typical of M, more additional bracing and stiffening than in the Eiffel Tower. A rigid body not only helps to make the car feel snappier and greedier, but also to make the dampers work better, which in turn is good for comfort. We'll see in a moment that you can definitely feel both.

Of course, there is also more negative camber, but not too much, you have to be careful with M. At the front it's -1 degree and 16 minutes, at the rear -1 degree and 40 minutes. 

BMW

Of course, the new model has become significantly larger (which may not necessarily have helped on the scales either). And wider. The M designers are really raving about the fact that they have now been allowed to produce a widebody for the first time in the history of the car. The car now has significantly more sheet metal at the front AND rear. And track too, of course. More track always helps, as any engineer will tell you.

What also helps is the first-time use of rear-wheel steering with a maximum steering angle of 1.5 degrees. Other "artificial" aids for the virtual reduction of your own footprint are spared, however. Gimmicks such as 48-volt roll stabilisation are still sought in vain.

Incidentally, the new BMW M5 will be available directly from November as a saloon or Touring estate. Anyone who didn't realise that there is another M5 Touring has probably been living under a huge rock for the last year, because the Munich-based company has been promoting it like crazy. After 1992 and 2007, this is only the third time that the estate has been deemed worthy.

Unlike the last two times, however, the G99 (the internal code of the new M5 Touring) is likely to deliver quite impressive sales figures. Previously, the E34 and E60 each sold just under 1,000 units. Now Munich is expecting up to a third of total sales. From a much larger pie than before. The US market, where it is being launched for the first time, is probably already very hot. Prices start at £111,405 for the saloon and £113,405 for the Touring.

Exterior

I'm sorry that I have to say this so directly, but it's my test report and I'm going to say what suits me, even if one or two design-ascetics will probably wish me to hell in a rage: this car looks so sharp that a very large number of people won't care what's under the bonnet and how much it all weighs - they'll buy this vehicle simply because they think it's incredibly hot.

The fact that the M5 looks as if it has been punched straight out of a monolith may also be due to its dimensions (please refer to the table below this paragraph). The rest is taken care of by the vast amount of huge surfaces, skirts and very roughly shaped frames for the air intakes at the front and the thick diffuser at the rear. Of course, this has nothing whatsoever to do with the M restraint of days gone by. But the number of orders received so far obviously proves the Bavarians right.

Incidentally, the width at the front has been increased by 75 mm compared to the normal 5 Series, while the rear wheel arches have been widened by 48 mm. The four tailpipes of the exhaust system measure 100 mm each. Wheels ex works: 285/40 ZR20 at the front, 295/35 ZR21 at the rear. 

Interior

The new seats are optimally positioned and hold very firmly at all corners and ends. In some places even a little too well. Compared to the rather feudal armchairs of its predecessor, M GmbH has certainly made things more sporty here. This can put a little pressure on the hips on longer journeys. 

The steering wheel is typically M thick and now also flattened at the bottom. Didn't really bother me when driving, so let's keep the flattened one. Operating the driving aids and the instrument display via the steering wheel buttons is extremely simple and logical. Exemplary, as with everything else you can operate in the front. Everything to do with driving modes or performance settings is initiated with the right buttons on the centre console. Of course, the M5 also has a rotary pushbutton control and very good voice control. 

Thanks to the beautifully finished seats, the carbon decor and the many small M details such as the red M buttons and the very appealing gearshift paddles, the interior of the M5 looks even more upmarket and much more special than that of the normal 5 Series variants. Of course, this is to be expected for the price, but it doesn't change the fact that the quality standard here is very high.

The space in the rear is absolutely decent. Until you realise that this car is now 5.10 metres long. After that, you'll find it rather so-so. 

Driving report

Of course, you'd expect 727 PS and four-digit torque to push anything bigger than a container ship forward relatively quickly. But the fact that it works so well in this case is a bit of a relief. Credit where credit is due - this drive combination is simply fantastic.

The foundation for this is laid by the incredibly harmonious interaction between the two machines. To quote Head of Development Häcker: "Two people have found each other". You can only agree with the man. The giant rumbling thing with the mighty V8 at the front basically starts silently, so you have to get used to it first. Of course, you can also drive purely electrically if you suddenly discover your eco-conscience or have to fool an angry mob of environmental activists. But what's more interesting is how incredibly smoothly the combustion engine engages and how fluently the two motors talk to each other.

The result is a power delivery of rarely seen ease and nonchalance (I know that sounds a bit strange in this context). The image of a well-oiled whale put into a hyperloop may be more apt. Above all because the propulsion, especially during the intermediate spurt, actually feels a bit like a vacuum tube. Corresponding values (around 50-75 mph in fourth and fifth gear), which are better than those of the M5 CS, emphasise this feeling.

Despite the immense weight increase, the forward thrust is in no way inferior to that of its predecessor, and the additional e-boost makes it feel even fuller.

And so all this - I hardly dare say it - actually has advantages over a normal combustion engine, because the power is called up so early and easily and in one go. In addition, the car reacts incredibly eagerly to throttle commands at all times. And yet this M5 is also as rev-happy and greedy at the top as ever.

We have already spoken about emotionality, which, despite electrification, should not be underestimated as a reason to buy the M5. Because V8 remains V8, as you realise at the latest with all the indecent noises that the new car hurls into your ears. Of course, an in-line six-cylinder would never have been able to achieve this, even if a little help is certainly provided in the interior.

One press of the exhaust button and the car roars and rumbles and bass rumbles like you could only wish for. Click the drive into Sport Plus and it becomes even more powerful, including a (somewhat annoying) "Prrrappapapapapap" with every lurch of the accelerator. However, if you deactivate the M sound, the party almost completely stops and you can even hear the electric motor whirring.

BMW M5 (2024) in the test

BMW

The full range is also available in the transmission. The ZF 8-speed box has, as we know from M cars, three degrees of hardness, can be fast and clean or very fast and crisp. In level 3, it just thumps in the gears Lambo-esque, so that it really rumbles in the box.

Up to this point, it all sounds extremely benevolent, admittedly. But of course, while recognising the engineering achievement, the question arises as to the purpose of it all. Of course, this question should be addressed to the politicians rather than to BMW. Because what politicians are creating with their ever new bans are significantly heavier vehicles that comply with emissions regulations on paper, but in reality consume more fuel than before. According to the on-board computer, the M5 now consumes between 20 and 22.5 mpg-UK in normal driving. I suspect you could have managed that without electrification. 

Above all, they probably didn't have to do so much magic to make the car drive as if it weighed 500 kilos less. For the most part, this really has been achieved and that is nothing less than a masterstroke. 

The steering behaviour, which is so typically M that it could hardly be more M, certainly plays a large part in this. It obviously doesn't matter whether the car weighs 1.7 or 2.5 tonnes, the front axle reacts extremely quickly, directly, almost jittery. On the other hand, the steering lacks feedback and authenticity. Even in the sportier steering mode, which is firmer and offers more restoring forces, but does little to change the steering feel.

Gallery: M Performance Parts for the new BMW M5 (2024)

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Source: BMW

The differences in the two-stage adjustable brakes are barely noticeable. In any case, the initial pressure point is quite biting, but without the chewing bar getting stuck in the valance. It can then be modulated cleanly and pleasantly. 

On a winding country road, you will realise that the M5 delivers a very nice, frighteningly fast flow, goes into the apex with traction without being the biting, aggressive precision weapon à la M3. It can't do that, it's too clunky for that and that's not what it wants. The specifications focussed too much on everyday comfort for that. And the suspension team has brilliantly realised this requirement. For all its performance, ride comfort is the benchmark in this area. Also in terms of noise comfort and the fullness and quality of the damping. 

Gallery: BMW M5 (2024) first drive

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Source: BMW

Not insignificant for the good feeling: During the test, it poured with rain in parts, the serpentines in the Bavarian Forest were under water. Even under these conditions, the car was bursting with traction and was immensely confidence-inspiring. 

I had already driven the M5 during the prototype test at the Salzburgring and at some point it was no longer able to disguise its weight in the long, closing bends, ultimately pushing to the outside, causing the tyres to whine badly and showing it on the brakes at the limit - you have to be that honest. However, the first M5 with a plug will master 95 per cent of the sporting challenges with flying colours, even if the purists won't like to hear it. 

Conclusion: 8/10

The big surprise that many M fans were perhaps even waiting for due to the new drive concept and the powerful appearance has not materialised. The new BMW M5 saloon makes a successful driving debut and disguises its weight impressively. It sounds trite, but that's the way it is here. 

Nevertheless, it should be noted that the feeling of outstanding performance comes more from the extremely powerful, superbly tuned drive, the very lively steering behaviour and the brutally stiff body. A bit of the dynamic driving soul of the M5 ancestors seems to have been lost. 

The switch to more comfort and (even more) everyday sovereignty cannot be denied. The new model masters this to perfection. The handling, material and workmanship quality are also beyond reproach. Given its appearance, it is hard to imagine that this M5 will not be a success. 

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