For decades, the BMW M5 has been the quintessential sports sedan, packed with innovations that inspire awe, excitement, and even controversy, yet it has always been at the forefront of technology. The F90 M5 was the first to add all-wheel drive and the first to bump its power output above 600 horses. The E60 M5 used a V10 engine for the first time, developed with Formula 1 minds, and it shrieked to a banshee-wailing 8,250 rpm. The E39 M5 was the first M car with a V8 engine. The almighty progenitor, the E12 M535i, was the first M-badged 5 Series and single-handedly pioneered the concept of a sporty business sedan.

Generation after generation, BMW has equipped their M5 with the leading technology of its time and a mastery of its concept. The view for this seventh-generation M5? Electric propulsion. Enter the new G90 M5: bigger, more powerful, and now a plug-in hybrid. 

Taking inspiration from the BMW M Hybrid V8 LMDh race car, which competes in WEC and IMSA, this M5 is equipped with a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 (S68) paired with a 14.8 kWh lithium-ion battery and an electric motor mounted within the transmission housing. Sound familiar? The XM introduced it, and this M5 has perfected it. 

Producing a combined 717 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque through an 8-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels, the M5 will sprint from 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds, enough to keep up with a Mercedes-AMG EQE Sedan (3.5 s) but it’s strangely slower than the F90 M5 Competition we drove (3.3 s). BMW’s claimed figures are always conservative and we wouldn’t be surprised if it were closer to 3.3 seconds. We’re also certain that a quick engine tune and software remap could take that output well over 1,000 horsepower, but it’s not every day that the newest evolution of a BMW legend is slower than the one it’s replacing. 

What gives? The culprit is the added weight from all the hybrid tech. The G90 M5 clocks in at 2,445 kg, an eye-opening 474 kg more than the F90 M5 Competition and 65 kg more than the fully-electric i5 M60 Sedan. The $10,900 carbon ceramic brakes reduce the mass by a further 25 kg, as does the optional $4,000 carbon fibre package for the roof, mirror caps, and rear spoiler, but it’s all just a drop in the bucket.

Whizzing on electrons alone, the M5 can reach up to 40 km of zero-emission driving (we achieved an impressive 35 km in winter conditions), which is less than the XM with its larger battery but that’s not why the hybrid system exists. It’s there to augment the combustion engine with torque-fill and instant acceleration, and to play a supporting role when fuel efficiency is desired. In a time when the Audi RS 6 has begun to lose its hype and AMG is making the curious decision to downsize to four cylinders, it’s now the M5’s time to shine.

The hybrid setup is no more complex than the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 E Performance but the M5 feels more polished to drive and its unbridled point-to-point pace is easier to extract. This S68 engine is one of the higher-revving V8s on the market singing up to 7,000 rpm but the way it builds speed and sheds it just as quickly is impressive given its weight.

At first, you tiptoe to the apex fearful of reprisal from this car’s heavy momentum, but the M5 showers you with confidence the faster you attack. With MDM (a looser traction control setting) engaged, the M5 takes pleasure when you add throttle mid-corner, letting its tail swing out in a controllable, predictable, and progressive way. There’s a delicate balance while you power through and unravel the rest of the corner but seeking that steady state is exciting and interactive. The M5 may be heavy on paper but when driving spiritedly, it’s agile and light on its feet like an M1 Abrams that also moonlights as a ballet dancer. Ironically, the M5 feels enveloped by a greater sense of security thanks to its size and leaves an indelible impression. The only time we felt the weight was when improperly catching a slide and the pendulum effect tankslapped us back straight.

The M5 is an excellent daily driver and will be the right car for many people considering its competency in all-weather conditions. The AWD setup and Hankook iON i*cept tires shrugged off Toronto’s worst snowstorm in years and pampered us in a secure and grounded ride that’s more absorbent and forgiving than the GT 63 and the Panamera Turbo. Highway comfort is as impressive as the Audi RS 6 Avant and there’s a palpable difference between its selectable suspension settings. If you enjoy tinkering with driving modes, the M5 will impress. If not, the M5 will overwhelm as there are three detailed menus to choose from: M Hybrid, Setup, and M Mode.

Clicking M Hybrid unveils a list of five hybrid modes with different functions: Hybrid, Electric, eControl, Dynamic, and Dynamic Plus. However, entering M Setup reveals even more adjustable parameters for steering, adaptive suspension, gearbox mapping, throttle and brake sensitivity, brake regeneration strength, and exhaust sound intensity. You can even flip between all-wheel drive and two-wheel drive should your right foot be feeling frisky. M Mode handles all driver assistance functions, depending on the selected Road, Sport, or Track mode.

Finding your preferred setting requires experimenting and at times, a manual of its own or perhaps a team of qualified engineers to dissect and fully understand – perhaps the lure of feeling like an authentic LMDh car. It can feel like entering a PlayStation cheat code on every ignition cycle but most of it is ‘set and forget’, and there are remedies. The steering wheel is flanked by two red M buttons and each can be programmed to your settings. We tend to program M1 for full electric driving and M2 for the sportiest, making a silent cruise just one click away from waking up the dragon. Frankly, it’s a quicker alternative to the rotary dials in AMG models but not as customizable on the go. BMW has also equipped the left paddle shifter with a secondary Boost Mode function, whereby holding it down ramps up the intensity for ten seconds, making it useful for overtakes or last-minute maneuvers.

Though it emits the same racket as all of BMW’s other V8 chariots, it’s a scintillating and expressive noise that will forever live rent-free in our brains. If you have heard the current crop of hypercars bump start at Le Mans, then you will notice that the M5 does something similar. You take off from your garage in silence using only electricity, only for the V8 to emphatically roar into life just a moment later and fill the streets with the sound of rolling thunder. Unfortunately, the bump start isn’t as instantaneous or as loud as the BMW XM (or LMDh car). It wakes up more progressively like it had a rough evening but still adds to its sense of occasion.

We wouldn’t call the new M5 beautiful or timeless but it’s certainly imposing, angular, and very angry. The flared rear wheel arches have our attention, as do the lit-up kidney grills, marking the first time this feature has been applied to an M5. We believe the Touring (wagon) body shape suits the silhouette better, offering the added benefits of rear-seat headroom and trunk space, with minimal penalties in terms of weight and price.

Daytona Violet is dear to our hearts, a paint colour made famous by the E34 M5. It’s a subtle and unimposing shade of purple that relies on natural lighting to bring out its sparkle. The hue washes out and appears relatively bland under grey overcast skies but when basked in golden hour glow, its warmer hues are brought to light and its resulting shimmer makes this M5 appear mighty special. The colour is not as bold or as saturated as Thundernight on the M240i or Twilight Purple, but we think the M5 also looks spectacular in Atacama Yellow and Borusan Turkish Blue, all from the BMW Individual palette and costing $5,000. You can check the online customizer to visualize over 150 paint colours available for the M5 here.

Between the lights and screens, the M5 interior can be a distracting and overly stimulating place to be, bordering on a nightclub and a teenager’s PC setup. There isn’t much that separates this cabin from the standard 5 Series, apart from the seats, steering wheel, and M logo on the rotary dial. It’s not the most luxurious of interiors either with plastic panels and window switches, and thin leather on the lower door pockets and center console. No carbon bucket seats, adjustable upper and lower backrests, soft-close doors, M-specific gear shifter, or Extended Merino Leather options are available either. However, we do enjoy using the new steering wheel, which features a red stripe, large grips, and long paddle shifters. It’s nice to have a leather airbag at this price point too, whereas most Mercedes and Porsche models have theirs in scratchy black plastics. 

Outrageous power paired with hybrid propulsion is a recipe tied to its motorsport heritage and BMW has fulfilled the mission that the M5 always had: to be the world’s fastest and most powerful sports sedan. But there’s more to the driving experience than just numbers on a flow chart. It’s about the little wiggles from the steering wheel as the road begins to snake, it’s the way the tires find harmony and gel with the driver, it’s the way a car shrinks and wraps itself around you like a cocoon, ebbing and flowing with the tarmac underneath. 

With each generation of the M5, BMW has slowly chipped away at these subjective qualities in the pursuit of speed, progress, safety, and compliance with emission regulations. It’s not a futile pursuit. Shakespeare did say that the past is merely a prologue for the future, but we think everyone has simply become numb to high outputs and electric drive, which could be the reason why the market has shifted towards analogue resto-mods and PHEVs instead of high-performance EVs.

The multi-tasking M5 is intense and user-friendly in equal measure, evoking fiery and electric emotion with every poke of the throttle. Its weight demerits are largely overshadowed by its chassis wizardry, incredible bandwidth of performance, and the ability to cruise around in blissful silence. The M5 has raised the bar yet again but not in the ways of driver engagement, lightweighting, or engine progression. Hybrid powertrains continue to prove their effectiveness at extracting maximum speed and the automotive world is richer and more diverse because of it. Yet, many forget that added weight also brings more wear and tear on items like brake pads, tires, and suspension components. We’re daydreaming of a lighter, simpler, and more analogue M5 variant that’s dropped the hybrid and the front-driven axle. That might feel like a step back for the M5 lineage, but it might just be what the world needs. Maybe the next M5 CS will scratch that itch, just as it did for the F90.

Specifications:

Model: 2025 BMW M5 Sedan (G90)
Paint Type: Daytona Violet Metallic
Base Price: $135,000
Price as Tested: $158,900
Wheelbase(mm): 3,006
Length/Width/Height (mm): 5,096 / 1,970 / 1,510
Curb weight (kg): 2,445 
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 (S68), 14.8 kWh lithium-ion battery, electric motor
Horsepower: 717 hp @ 5,600 – 6,500 rpm
Torque: 738 lb-ft @ 1,800 – 5,400 rpm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Engine & Drive Configuration: Front engine, AWD
Observed Electric-only Range: 35 km
Observed Fuel Consumption (L/100km): 14.7
Tires: Hankook iON i*cept; 275/40R20 front; 285/40R20 rear