BMW’s M division has been hit-and-miss with some of its latest cars. On one end is the marvellous M2, BMW’s most exciting-to-drive car. Compact, light and playful, it best represents the spirit of the M badge over the past five decades.
On the other end is the brutally fast but bloated XM, a compromised sports SUV that has uncomfortably firm suspension to try to compensate for its excessive 2.7 tonne weight and high ground clearance. With its controversial styling, and ride and handling that don’t live up to the M badge, it’s been a sales flop.
The new G90 seventh-generation M5 sits somewhere in between those two M cars. Available in a single model priced at R2,765,000, the luxury sports sedan is the most powerful M5 to date with a plug-in hybrid powertrain that pounds out supercar-like power and torque figures of 535kW and 1,000Nm. But it’s also the heaviest M5 yet at 2.5 tonnes — more than 600kg portlier than its predecessor.
The move to more fuel-efficient hybrids is a trend in a motor industry transitioning to planet-friendly powertrains.
The heart of the new M5 is an M Hybrid system that pairs a high-revving 4.4l V8 petrol turbo engine with an electric motor, giving the all-wheel-drive car the ability to sprint from 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.5 seconds, and a top speed of 305km/h with the standard M Driver’s Package. In specific conditions, the car is able to use far less fuel than its predecessor, but more on that later.
Using a Vbox, the M5 test car recorded a 3.6 second sprint time at the Gerotek testing centre on a wet surface. The grip the car displayed on the slippery track was an impressive display of all-wheel drive traction, but even so there was a touch of wheelspin, and on a dry track we believe the car would have achieved the factory-quoted 3.5 seconds.
Interestingly, the 0-100km/h sprint is slower than the 3.3 seconds of the previous-generation M5 Competition, which had a considerably lower 460kW/750Nm on call. Despite producing more power, the added weight of the new plug-in hybrid powertrain offsets the gains, resulting in a slightly slower acceleration time.
The car is still more than quick enough to excite. Engage the launch control system and the M5 blasts off the mark with potent g-forces, and in a straight line the M5 feels like a much lighter car than it is.
There’s no lag in the petrol-electric powertrain and throttle inputs are rewarded with instant zeal, while the eight-speed M Steptronic Sport transmission plays its part in making the M5 lively in all driving conditions. Accompanying the thrust is a suitably fruity V8 sound, especially with the sports exhaust mode selected.
The car is impressively poised in the corners too with the aid of rear-biased xDrive all-wheel drive, electronically controlled rear Active M Differential and rear-wheel steering, which prevent it from running into early understeer. For drivers with the requisite skill, powerslides are available too by selecting a two-wheel drive mode with the Dynamic Stability Control switched off.
In tighter turns the big Beemer can’t mask its mass though, and it will never feel as lithe and agile as an M4 or M2.
With electronically controlled dampers that can be adjusted for stiffness at the press of an icon, the M5 is able to transform from a track weapon to a relatively comfortable commuter. The low-profile tyres can cause jarring on bumpy roads but overall ride quality isn’t as firm as the XM’s.
An 18.6kWh battery gives the M5 the ability to drive on electric power for up to 69km at speeds of up to 140km/h. The battery takes about three-and-a-half hours to fully charge on a 7.4kW charger, but plugging in isn’t really necessary as the car juices up the battery while driving, to a greater or lesser degree depending on the driving mode selected.
Driven in hybrid mode, the test car averaged 13.6l /100km, compared to the 13.9l we managed in the previous generation M5 Competition. The new hybrid M5 is able to use a lot less fuel than that depending on which mode it’s driven in, but I wager that most customers won’t see this as an M car’s biggest selling point
It takes a lot of high tech to make the bulky sports sedan feel like a real M car, and the driver is able to personalise the steering, engine response, exhaust sound, hybrid drive settings and other driving settings, including a Track mode with a lap timer. To simplify things, your favourite combo can be instantly called up with M1 and M2 buttons on the steering wheel.
Less simple is the operation of the climate control system which, like most of the other features inside the new M5, has become digitised. Bundling most features into the touchscreen infotainment system makes sense to minimise clutter, but oft-used functions like changing the fan speed would be less distracting if they had quick-access buttons instead of having to poke through a digital labyrinth, methinks.
The cabin blends the typical business-class comfort and styling flair of M cars, including a flat-bottomed M leather steering wheel, carbon fibre garnishings, a head-up display with M-specific content and a Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system. The Kyalami Orange Merino leather seats add another shot of sporting flavour.
In summary, the new plug-in hybrid M5 continues to offer a compelling blend of luxury and power. The heavy, hi-tech hybrid powertrain makes the BMW a little slower and less wieldy than before without offering a significant fuel economy benefit in real-world driving, however. I wonder whether the huge weight gain is worth the optics of the car being seen as more environmentally friendly?
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