The BMW M5 arrived last year as the most powerful iteration yet, combining a twin-turbocharged V8 with plug-in hybrid assistance for blistering acceleration and refined daily usability. But with more weight and added complexity in the mix, this autobahn-bred bruiser risks trading some of its raw DNA for digital polish.
Once you’ve lived with the G90 BMW M5 for a while as I did recently, you would know that it’s a ferocious road weapon with serious street manners. But make no mistake, it’s heavier, more complex, and a shade slower than its predecessor. That left me to ponder whether some old-school purity may have been diluted in the name of emissions regulations and hybrid gains.
Yes, under the bonnet it’s still a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, now paired with an 18.6 kWh battery and electric motor. Combined system output is 535 kW and 1,000 Nm of torque. That’s a significant bump over the previous M5, which topped out at 460 kW and 750 Nm in Competition trim.
Yet the extra power doesn’t translate into quicker sprints. The curb weight has ballooned – now sitting around 2,435 kg, or roughly 500 kg heavier than the car it replaced. The plug-in hybrid system alone adds most of that mass.
So, while the new M5 dispatches the zero to 100 km/h sprint in a claimed 3.5 seconds, that figure is slower than the F90 M5 Competition, which managed the same in around 3.3 seconds – and even further off the pace of the M5 CS, which could dip below the three-second mark.
On the road, though, the difference is nuanced. The hybrid assistance gives the new car an immediacy off the line and a consistent wall of torque in everyday driving. But there’s no ignoring the inertia: full throttle brings blistering results, but you do sense the heft behind it.
Raw Appeal vs Refined Tech
In urban use, that weight is always lurking just beneath the surface. Pulling away from a traffic light, the M5’s electric torque masks it well, but mid-corner transitions or rapid direction changes remind you that physics can’t be out-coded.
The hybrid system’s smoothness is impressive. Power delivery is seamless, throttle response is instant, and the transitions between petrol and electric drive are nearly imperceptible. Still, the layers of drive modes, regenerative braking settings, and configurable parameters require patience and familiarity. At times, it feels like you’re configuring a race simulator rather than simply driving a car.
That complexity also affects the driving experience. Where older M5s felt feral and mechanical, the G90 generation delivers its performance with filtered precision. Even the soundtrack (while potent) is now modulated and sculpted.
Track DNA For the Road
In outright pace, the M5 is still ballistic. Highway overtakes are dispatched with surgical brutality, and there’s a depth to its acceleration that few cars in this category can match. Adaptive damping and rear-wheel steering work hard to mask the car’s size, and in Sport+ mode, the chassis feels sharp and alert.
That said, it never quite shrinks around you. Compared to previous generations, which danced just as well as they sprinted, the new M5 requires more calculated inputs. Hustle it hard, and it rewards, but you’ll always feel like you’re driving a car that’s working to overcome its own ambition.
This isn’t to say the car isn’t engaging, it’s just a different kind of engaging. More composed, less chaotic. The days of power-oversteer on command in every second gear exit are gone, replaced with programmed balance and grip. It’s deeply capable, but not always as playful.
As a daily, the M5 wears its luxury hat well. Cabin insulation is excellent, the ride in Comfort mode is surprisingly compliant, and the electric-only mode brings a welcome level of quietness to short trips. There’s something undeniably satisfying about easing through traffic in a nearly silent M5 that’s capable of flattening straights when the moment demands.
EV mode range hovers around 80 to 90 km depending on traffic and terrain, which is more than enough for most day-to-day commutes. And while consumption climbs quickly with spirited use, you can realistically keep average figures in check if you let the electric motor do the heavy lifting.
Has It Lost Its Raw Essence?
Yes, to an extent. The M5 has become more cerebral. It’s packed with power, but that power is delivered through a dense web of drive logic, electric support, and torque vectoring. You don’t just drive the M5 now, you manage it.
The result is a machine that’s devastatingly effective, but occasionally clinical. The grit, noise, and barely contained menace of earlier M5s is dulled, replaced by sophistication and precision. Whether that’s a good or bad thing depends on what you expect from the badge.
Last Word
The G90 M5 is a different kind of super-saloon. It’s a performance car for a digitally connected, regulation-heavy world – and it performs exceptionally within those constraints. For those who want relentless acceleration, effortless usability, and cutting-edge tech, it’s an impressive achievement. If, like me, you remember the raw edge of the F10 or the snarl of the E60 V10, this M5 might feel like the mature version of a once wild-eyed rebel. It’s still a thrill to drive, but now it wears a lab coat instead of leathers.
Report by BERNIE HELLBERG JR | Images © BMW SOUTH AFRICA
