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BMW's M5 is the yardstick against which all serious performance saloons are judged, a car that in seventh G90 generation form gets Plug-in Hybrid tech for the first time. The company insists that the bespoke PHEV set-up is compatible with its brand values: it's certainly dramatically boosted the output of this model's re-fettled 727hp 4.4-litre V8 powertrain. Rear-wheel steering's been added to sharpen things through the turns and there are a myriad of drive mode settings to make this the most configurable performance car on the planet. Munich, it seems, has thought of almost everything.
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Performance Sporting Cars
Driving experience
Mercedes AMGs and Audi RS models are all very well but for many enthusiasts, this is the only badge that matters in this segment. We'll admit to being among them. We've tested every generation of M5 over the last forty years - but nothing quite like this seventh G90-series incarnation, powered as it is by the most potent engine ever devised by BMW's high performance M division. We were told that last time round with the previous F90-series model, but it's more difficult to believe here because the new S58 4.4-litre V8 beneath the bonnet has slightly less power than the old car's same-capacity S63 series V8.
As a result, there's also a slightly slower 0-62mph sprint time, an inferior power-to-weight ratio and, perhaps most significantly, 465kgs of extra weight. But 270kg of that extra bulk is there to facilitate the electrified addition to this M5's drivetrain that's increased total output so much. From 625hp in the old F90 M5 Competition to 727hp here. 585hp of that is from the engine and 197hp from an electric motor energised by an 18.6kWh battery large enough to make this a performance PHEV, with an all-electric range of up to 47 miles.
Ignore the EV drive modes and this M division-curated confection shrugs off its prodigious 2,435kg kerb weight with bombastic speed, 1,000Nm of torque hurling this hottest ever 'Five' to 62mph in 3.5s en route to 179mph (if the optional 'M Driver's Pack' is fitted). Power is channelled via a toughened-up version of the 8-speed automatic transmission you'd find on a regular combustion 5 Series and there's a 'Boost' mode you can activate to prompt faster acceleration by pulling on the wheel's left hand gearshift paddle.
So it's fast enough in a straight line. Where you might worry, given all that extra bulk, is in this beefier G90 series M5's ability to tackle the turns. The Garching engineers fretted about this too and spent six years on handling development as a result. For sharper corner turn-in, they added rear-wheel steering ('Integral Active Steering' in BMW-speak), which can turn the back wheels by up to 1.5-degrees. Plus there's a wider track, re-tuned steering, bespoke kinematics and elastokinematics on both axles and an adaptive suspension set-up able to adjust the new Bilstein dampers independently at each wheel. BMW's resisted the temptation though, to add the active anti-roll bars that are fitted to the M60; apparently, the M5's passive ones give more linear, natural levels of body roll.
Thanks to the Hybrid system, there's now an even wider choice of drive modes - 'Hybrid' and 'M Hybrid' (which mix the power sources), 'Electric' (full-EV), 'Dynamic' (for track and fast road driving) and 'Dynamic Plus' (for all-out system power). All that's before you start accessing the centre screen to adjust chassis, steering, brakes, all-wheel drive and transmission, saving your preferred to settings to the red M paddles provided for the purpose behind the steering wheel. On the move, expect to notice this G90 series model's extra weight; but on tighter roads, you'll notice it's considerably wider width even more.
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Design and build
The previous F90 series M5 was deemed by many to be rather too over-subtle in its looks. BMW was obviously keen to avoid that with this G90 model and, in any case, a more visually arresting look was necessary to differentiate it from the electric i5 M60 M Performance 5 Series model. Hence the beefier track widths that have created wheel arches swollen by 75mm at the front and 48mm at the rear, housing huge staggered 20 (front)/21-inch (rear) M rims. That's complemented by enough spoilers and splitters to more than hint at the vast performance potential beneath the expensive bodywork, which features M5 badging on the C-pillar Hofmeister kink. It's also significant that this is a much bigger car than before - the first M5 to stretch over five-metres in length. If BMW had attempted to launch a car like this a decade ago, they would have had to badge it 'M7' rather than 'M5'. The extra metalwork actually accounts for 195kg of this G90 model's 465kg weight increase. It's also important to note that this time round, as well as a saloon, a Touring estate body shape is available.
Inside, the full-M flourishes are more difficult to spot and you might think you were in an M60 were it not for the trademark red M short-cut paddles behind the bespoke M steering wheel. You might find the bucket seat driving position a little high - it's set up at 564mm, 31mm loftier than before. You can't have the more race-like M Carbon bucket chairs found in M3 or M4 models. But both screen and the head-up display have M-specific info. Engage the M Track mode and the centre screen will automatically be switched off to prevent destruction.
As in any other 5, there's comfortable room for two adults in the back, though the centre part of that bench is even less suited to a middle-seated occupant. And the saloon has a 466-litre boot; it's 500-litres in the M5 touring estate, enough to take one potentially rather queasy large Labrador, and with that estate, the seats can be flattened to free up as much as 1,630-litres of space.
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Market and model
BMW wants a not-insignificant £110,500 for this seventh generation G90 M5 - that's for the car in saloon form. This time round, there's also the option of a Touring estate version too - for £112,500. These are considerable figures; around £13,000 more than the brand's i5 M60 electric model that goes just as fast. And, perhaps more relevantly, a full £20,000 more than this BMW's most direct rival, the Mercedes-AMG E 53 Hybrid 4MATIC+ performance PHEV - though that has 'just' 603hp to play with - 124hp less than this G90 M5. Spec the Merc up to M5 levels though and you could probably halve that price deficit.
That's because the M5 comes pretty loaded with kit; soft Merino leather upholstery, augmented reality for the navigation, Bowers & Wilkins tech for the audio system sound and the expected flat-bottomed leather M steering wheel with its trademark red short-cut performance mode paddles. There's also the brand's 'Parking Assistant Professional' system, which enables automated parking and manoeuvring over distances of up to 200 metres, controllable either from inside the car or remotely via smartphone.
But you might still want to keep some budget aside for options - things like ceramic brakes, alcantara upholstery, a tow bar and a range of wild BMW M Performance parts. You'll probably want to pay the extra BMW wants for the optional 'M Driver's Package' that lifts top speed from 155mph to 189mph. You also have to pay extra for ultimate drive assist niceties. The optional 'Driving Assistant Professional' pack adds Active Cruise Control with a Stop&Go function, together with tech including the Steering and Lane Control Assistant, traffic light detection, automatic Speed Limit Assist and Active Navigation.
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Cost of ownership
An M5 with 8% Benefit-in-Kind taxation would have seemed an impossibility with previous generation models, but it's a reality here thanks to the Plug-in Hybrid tech that enables a 47 mile EV range when the 18.6kWh battery is fully charged. Irritatingly for BMW though, rivals Mercedes currently do PHEV tech rather better. The Mercedes-AMG E 53 Hybrid 4MATIC+ claims nearly 60 EV miles from a charge and one of those can DC fast charge at up to 60kW; the best an M5 can do is 11kW. AC charging time for this BMW from a typical 7.4kW wallbox is three hours 15 minutes.
Fuel consumption is rated at up to 201.8mpg on the combined cycle, but it's more relevant to look at the figure with a discharged battery - 27.7mpg (compare with 31.7mpg for the E 53). The CO2 stat is up to 32g/km (up to 21g/km for the E 53). The 'BMW Charging' package comes as standard on the M5, which gives owners attractive kilowatt hour tariffs for AC and DC charging throughout the UK and Europe. Obviously, if you use your M5 regularly on track days, you'll need to allow plenty of extra spend for brake pads and tyres. The grippy rubber that comes as standard - likely to be either Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 or Pirelli P Zero R - is fearsomely expensive to replace. There's the usual unremarkable BMW three year warranty.
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Summary
According to BMW, each M5 generation has brought us greater levels of technological innovation. That's one way of looking at it. Another would be to point out that only the first E28 generation version had a fully motorsport-tuned engine and that since then, we've lost the purity of straight-six engine-ware, the instancy and screaming character of normally aspirated power and what was once the founding tenant of BMW design, rear wheel drive engineering. This G90 model adds a huge amount of extra weight too.
At the same time though, much has certainly been gained. With the MK6 F90-series model, the development team proved that an AWD M5 could still retain a rear-driven, enthusiast-orientated character. And with this MK7 G90 version, they've showed that this can even be preserved with the extra weight of a complex Plug-in Hybrid system, creating a super saloon that's as happy collecting your dry cleaning as it is on the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
To enjoy this M5 to the full, you'll need to master the initially baffling range of driving modes on offer, introducing a level of complexity to this BMW that some have moaned about. We don't really see why. As an owner, you'd sort your preferences out at the beginning, load them into the two steering wheel pre-set buttons and then just get on with enjoying the car. It's a little more valid to complain about the less wieldy dimensions. Or the fact that a rival Mercedes E 53 costs less, charges faster and goes further on battery power. But these aren't failings that will worry many potential M5 customers, who'll point out that this BMW is a little more agile and faster than that Stuttgart super saloon.
It would in fact be our fast four-door of choice if money were no object - and, we suspect, probably yours too. We wish it wasn't so expensive, but there's the potential here for even more engagement than the old model and more real-world usability too. In short, this car is, more than ever, everything an M5 should be.
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