There’s never been a bad M5, a wise man once said. BMW’s M5 mid-size sports saloon has set a benchmark that few can match, let alone beat. For the past 40 years, and with each passing generation, the M5 gets ever faster and more capable. Now, the new 7th-gen M5 aims to blow the others out of the water, thanks to BMW’s new M HYBRID powertrain, which is now able to crank out a whopping 727hp and 1,000Nm of torque. Despite cocooning you with a plethora of leather and luxury, this new M5 could handily beat out many older supercars with its speed.
Between its twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 high-revving engine, 8-speed auto transmission, as well as electric assistance, and xDrive all-wheel drive, the new BMW M5 does a 0-62mph sprint in a mere 3.5 seconds. There’s a motorsports crossover here too, sharing a lot of similarities with BMW’s M Hybrid V8 endurance race car, which is currently competing in the World Endurance Championship. Yet, not only does the M5’s hybrid system give you more power and a lot more responsiveness, but you could even drive the BMW M5 purely as an EV for up to 43 miles, too.
Electrifying Performance And Motorsports Pedigree
Of course, there’s more to a BMW M car than just throwing in a bunch more horsepower and torque. Depending on what you’re looking to get out of it, the AWD system could be changed to let you drive purely with the rear wheels. Furthermore, with BMW’s Active M Differential at the rear axle, it’s since been fine-tuned to work well with that hybrid system. Elsewhere, BMW has made improvements to the M5’s chassis design, guaranteeing better dynamics. The M5 now comes with a new steering system, which should offer you more feedback and accuracy.
All in all, top-notch torsional rigidity between the chassis and body mountings makes this new M5 the most agile and precise one to date. Naturally, you’ll get the Adaptive M Suspension kit that other BMW M models get, with its electronically-controlled dampers allowing you to very seamlessly swap from a hardy track-focused mode to a comfier on-road setting. The new M5 also comes with rear-wheel steer, making it easier to manoeuvre at slower speeds, yet remain stable at higher, motorway speeds. It works alongside the active steering system, as well.
Supercar-Like Performance In An Executive Saloon
Alongside these dynamic changes, BMW’s newest 7th-gen M5 will come as standard with their M Compound brakes, with carbon ceramic brakes available as an option. Additionally, you also get lightweight alloy wheels – 20-inch at the front, 21-inch at the rear – as standard. With that much engineering inside this new M5, BMW lets you set up your experience however you want. For instance, you can configure your drive modes, individually setting up your chassis, steering, braking, and AWD system, as well as the regenerative braking, not to mention the engine.
As we’ve seen in the last-gen M5, there are two quick-access buttons on the steering wheel to let you swap between the custom drive modes that you’ve saved. There’s a lot of adjustability with the hybrid system too, where you could alter just how much power goes through the M5’s engine or hybrid system. In its all-electric mode, the M5’s paddle shifters now let you change how strong the regenerative braking system works. For those interested, and if you have £110,500 to spare, order books for the new BMW M5 are open, with deliveries set for November 2024.
