New BMW M5 review

BMW invented the super saloon around 40 years ago with the original M5 (based on the E28 5 Series), but it’s never been afraid to update the formula – and the seventh-generation BMW M5 we're reviewing here makes the most radical leap yet.

You see, for the first time in M5 history, plug-in hybrid tech is part of the package. An 18.6kWh battery and a single electric motor work in harmony with a twin-turbo V8 petrol engine to deliver a staggering 717bhp.

In addition, after a 13-year break, BMW is once again offering a 'Touring' estate version of the M5 alongside the four-door saloon.

Performance? In one word, colossal. The 0-62mph sprint takes just 3.5 seconds, and if you specify the optional M Driver’s Pack the top speed is 189mph (otherwise, it's limited to 155mph). That’s supercar territory. Yet at the press of a button, you can tap into an official electric-only range of up to 43 miles. This might be the first M5 you could sensibly run as a company car.

You don’t get hybrid tech without a weight penalty, though. In fact, with a big drive battery, an electric motor and four-wheel drive, this is the heaviest BMW M5 ever, tipping the scales at nearly 2.5 tonnes. So, have BMW’s engineers managed to mask that heft? And how does the M5 compare with the best performance car rivals? Let's find out...

For several generations now, the BMW M5 has gone big on configurability, starting with the arrival of the E60 version in 2005. Back then you could fine-tune the gearbox response, the suspension and even how much power the engine served up. It seemed incredibly complex at the time, but compared with the new M5, the E60 feels laughably simple.

Now, you have control over the M5's suspension, brake-pedal feel, hybrid modes, exhaust, stability control and four-wheel drive system. You could lose hours chasing the perfect set-up. But, thankfully, once you’ve cracked it, you can save two configurations to the M1 and M2 buttons on the steering wheel so you can return to them instantly.

Before diving into the M5’s wilder side, a simple press of the red starter button brings the car to life in its calmest form. The suspension eases into its Comfort setting, and if there's enough charge in the battery, the drivetrain defaults to electric mode.

Stick in this, and the M5 behaves like a relaxed electric car with 197bhp and 206lb ft at your disposal – enough to glide through traffic with little effort. The suspension soaks up city scars effortlessly, while rear-wheel steering makes this the most manoeuvrable BMW M5 yet; at up to 43mph the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the fronts to enhance agility, then above that speed they turn in the same direction.

Silent the M5 is not, though. Even in electric mode, there’s an artificial but surprisingly convincing V8 hum, rising and falling in sync with your accelerator inputs. The sounds helps to mask the transition to petrol power – unless, that is, you’re in Dynamic mode. In this, the firing up of the engine comes with a soft kick that lets you know the fuel gauge is about to drop.

Press harder on the accelerator pedal and the thrust is staggering – more SpaceX rocket than BMW 5 Series. Even from speeds that would see you locked up in the UK, the M5 accelerates with brutal, linear force. Plus, there's instant response, no matter the gear, because the electric motor fills in any turbo lag.

It’s almost too effective for its own good; the V8 revs eagerly to 7200rpm, but with such a potent mid-range there’s little need to chase the redline.

Except to hear the engine, that is. BMW has worked to enhance this with artificial augmentation, which sounds like it could be a bad thing, but actually means the M5 is a clear step ahead of the latest Mercedes-AMG C63 and Porsche Panamera in terms or aural appeal. That said, the V8 in the Audi RS6 is more appealing again.

The thing is, we always knew that the latest BMW M5 would feel quick; the raw numbers tell you that. What we were more concerned about was the car's mighty kerb weight. Could BMW's engineers really conceal it? 

Well, the answer is yes… mostly. By fitting bespoke tyres, adaptive suspension and that rear-wheel steering system, they've managed to make a car that weighs more than a Bentley Bentayga luxury SUV steer and turn like a proper M-product.

When you're driving the M5 on the road, there's a real energy to direction changes, aided by steering that's quicker and lighter than before – a bit like the set-up in an Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. 

As a bonus, the M5's brakes are well-integrated, with the regenerative braking system blending seamlessly into the feel of the optional carbon ceramics.

But there is a limit. Take your M5 on a track day, where you can push it beyond eight tenths, and the suspension can't fully contain the body’s movements. It’s more noticeable in the M5 Touring (unlike the saloon you can’t specify the Touring with a carbon-fibre roof to lower the centre of gravity), but in either car it's enough to make you dial things back a notch and adopt a smoother, more measured rhythm.

In fact, generally, the M5 feels more like one of the BMW-based Alpina performance cars than a model from the brand's M motorsport division – precise, luxurious, and startlingly fast, rather than razor-sharp and raw like a BMW M3.

This extends to refinement, with the latest M5 the quietest version to date. Even at Autobahn speeds, the air slips past with barely a murmur and you're well isolated from any noise generated by the wide tyres.

“Most owners won’t care that BMW has replaced the physical gearshift lever with a switch, but as a car enthusiast I think it's sad that the experience of banging up and down the gears is no more.” – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

If we had one gripe with the previous BMW M5, it was that its interior didn’t feel sufficiently distinct from the standard BMW 5 Series. However, with this new model it seems like the design brief was: “Wherever the driver looks, they should be reminded they’re in an M car.”

The result is a flat-bottomed steering wheel, carbon-fibre shift paddles and generous helpings of (optional) carbon-fibre trim. The bright-red starter button adds to the theatre, while M Division-coloured seatbelts, an M-embossed iDrive rotary controller and configurable ambient lighting that can show the M colours (blue, violet and red) provide further flourishes.

Is it all a bit much? The lighting might be, but the rest serves to liven up what is usually a fairly understated interior.

Gone are the unforgiving carbon-fibre-backed bucket seats from the old M5 CS. The seats in the new BMW M5 are far more forgiving, offering a great balance between lateral support and comfort, along with an impressively low driving position.

Visibility is decent, although the M5’s width can make threading it into tight spaces a challenge. Thankfully, front and rear parking sensors, a 360-degree camera, and autonomous parking assistance are all part of the standard package. If you wish to park your M5 from outside with your phone, though, you’ll need to specify the Parking Assistant Professional pack.

As for the M5's dashboard, the 12.3in digital driver's display and 14.9in central touchscreen are housed together in one panel to give a sleek, almost panoramic look. The driver's display is supported by a standard head-up display, which can show everything from your speed to full-colour maps.

BMW’s latest iDrive infotainment system, featuring a 5G connection, is one of the best on the market, with crisp graphics, swift responses, and a largely intuitive interface. You can control it using the touchscreen or – for less distraction – a rotary dial.

Our only real criticism of the M5's interior? Adjusting the interior temperature requires a trip to the infotainment touchscreen or voice control (good old-fashioned physical buttons or dials would be so much more user-friendly).

“The M5's lead designer told us any button that’s red actually does something that has an immediate impact – referring to the bright red starter button and the two programmable drive mode buttons. I like that design logic." – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

The new M5 might be capable of out-running small passenger planes, but that doesn’t mean BMW has compromised on practicality.

While it removed the centre storage cubby of the last-generation M5 CS to save weight (yes, really), in this new M5 storage space is plentiful; you get a pair of cupholders, a large cubby beneath the central armrest and wide door bins.

As for rear space, it's comparable with what you find in key rivals such as the Audi RS6 and Porsche Panamera, meaning two six-footers will be comfortable, but a central rear passenger gets a narrower seat and has to straddle a hump in the floor.

As for the M5 saloon's boot, it has 466 litres of space (a regular BMW 5 Series has 520 litres). It’s therefore a touch smaller than what you get in a BMW M3, and rather than being a simple square shape, the load bay is full of contours that can be restrictive when you're trying to load in bulky objects. We’ve yet to test it, but we suspect it's big enough to swallow around six carry-on suitcases.

For better practicality, there's also the M5 Touring. This estate version can take 500 litres of luggage below its load cover, expanding to 1630 litres with the rear seats dropped. For comparison, the Audi RS6 (which is available only as an estate car) has 565 litres of boot space with the seats up.

As standard, the M5’s rear seats split and fold in a 40/20/40 configuration, matching the flexibility offered by the RS6 and Porsche Panamera.

“The volume of the M5 Touring’s boot is technically identical to that in the M3 Touring, but I suspect the M5’s boot will prove more usable because it's wider and longer.” – Steve Huntingford, Editor

Only you can decide whether spending a six-figure sum on a 700bhp performance car makes logical sense, but in relative terms in both saloon and Touring forms, the BMW M5 is competitively priced, undercutting an equivalent Audi RS6 or Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. 

As a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), the new M5 should also be quite a bit cheaper to run than an RS6 – if, that is, you keep the battery charged up. The official fuel economy figure is 141mpg, but with a fully discharged battery expect to see around 25mpg. 

Speaking of charging up, you can fill the PHEV battery in about two hours, 15 minutes using an 11kW three-phase home car charger, or use the engine to top it up instead. The efficiency will plummet if you use the engine, but the upside is that you’ll have the full 717bhp to deploy when you reach an empty stretch of road.

For business owners, the 43-mile electric range (41 miles for the Touring) means the M5 qualifies for the 8% BIK tax bracket, making it much cheaper to run as a company car than an Audi RS6. That said, an electric car such as an Audi E-tron GT or Porsche Taycan will be even cheaper.

The new M5 comes pretty well equipped as standard, with goodies such as keyless entry, electrically adjustable memory seats, four-zone climate control, wireless phone charging, adaptive LED headlights, a light-up front grille, a heated steering wheel and a powered bootlid or tailgate. 

However, we can see a high proportion of buyers ticking the box for the appropriately named Ultimate Pack. It costs more than a Renault Clio, but gets you fade-resisrant carbon-ceramic brakes, heated rear seats, an M Carbon exterior package, ventilated front seats, Alcantara headlining and extra driving assist features such as adaptive cruise control with a Stop&Go function for city traffic.

The safety experts at Euro NCAP haven’t tested the M5 specifically, but the BMW 5 Series it’s based on scored five stars out of five when it was assessed. The M5 has a host of electronic driver aids, including blind-spot monitoring, automatic emergency braking (AEB) and rear cross-traffic alert as part of the standard-fit Driving Assistant Pack.

In the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey, BMW finished eighth out of the 31 manufacturers ranked, above Audi (24th), Mercedes (22nd) and Porsche (21st).

“Carbon-ceramic brakes are the most expensive piece of kit on the BMW M5 options list but I think they'll be a popular choice among buyers.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

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