Name: New New BMW M5 models and Specifications
Brand: BMW

m5-4dr-dct

The latest M5 performance saloon combines a twin-turbo V8 petrol engine with an electric motor to deliver a staggering 717bhp. That's enough for 0-62mph in 3.5sec, but the M5 also offers an official electric-only range of up to 43 miles



As the flagship model in the 5 Series line-up, the M5 comes very well equipped. Luxuries include electrically adjustable memory sports seats, four-zone climate control, wireless phone charging, adaptive LED headlights, a heated steering wheel and a powered bootlid or tailgate. 



Saloon

Munich-based BMW is most famous for its sports saloons, in particular the 3 Series and 5 Series. However, it actually builds almost every type of car imaginable: everything from two-seat convertibles to seven-seat MPVs.

The cheapest model in the BMW range is the 1 Series hatchback, which is a rival to the Audi A3, Mercedes-Benz A-Class and Volkswagen Golf. Meanwhile, at the other extreme is the M8&nbsp;grand tourer, which costs more than £120,000.

BMW was also quick to capitalise on the rise of the SUV and now has ten in its range: the X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7 and XM, plus the electric iX3 and iX.

All of this makes it one of the big three German prestige brands, along with Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

M5 4dr DCT [Ultimate Pack]

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M5 4dr DCT

New BMW M5

Introduction

Performance & drive

Interior

Passenger & boot space

Costs & verdict

Only you can decide whether spending a six-figure sum on a 700bhp <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/performance-cars/n23035">performance car</a> makes logical sense, but in relative terms&nbsp;in both saloon and Touring forms,&nbsp;the BMW M5 is competitively priced, undercutting an equivalent <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/rs6/estate/review/n17185">Audi RS6</a> or <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/porsche/panamera/hatchback/review/n17212">Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid</a>.&nbsp;

As a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/plug-in-hybrid-cars/n22743">plug-in hybrid</a> (PHEV), the&nbsp;new M5 should&nbsp;also be quite a bit cheaper to run than an RS6 – if, that is, you&nbsp;keep the battery charged up. The official fuel economy figure is&nbsp;141mpg, but with a fully discharged battery expect to see around 25mpg.&nbsp;

Speaking of charging up, you can fill the PHEV battery in about two&nbsp;hours, 15 minutes using an 11kW three-phase <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/best-home-ev-chargers/n25830">home car charger</a>, or use the engine to top it up instead. The efficiency will plummet if you use the engine, but the upside is that you’ll have the full 717bhp to deploy when you reach an empty stretch of road.

For business owners, the 43-mile electric range (41 miles for the Touring) means the M5 qualifies for the 8% <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/owning/company-car-tax-guide/n9352">BIK&nbsp;tax bracket</a>, making it much cheaper to run as a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/best-company-cars/n22605">company car</a> than an <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/rs6/estate/review/n17185">Audi RS6</a>. That said, an electric car such as an <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/e-tron-gt/saloon/review/n22728">Audi E-tron GT</a> or <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/porsche/taycan/saloon/review/n20184">Porsche Taycan</a> will be even cheaper.

The new M5 comes pretty well equipped as standard, with goodies such as keyless entry, electrically adjustable&nbsp;memory seats, four-zone climate control, wireless phone charging, adaptive LED headlights, a light-up front grille, a heated steering wheel&nbsp;and a&nbsp;powered bootlid or tailgate.&nbsp;

However, we can see a high proportion of buyers ticking the box for the appropriately named Ultimate Pack. It costs more than a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/renault/clio/hatchback/review/n97">Renault Clio</a>, but gets you fade-resisrant carbon-ceramic brakes, heated rear seats, an M Carbon exterior package, ventilated front seats, Alcantara headlining and extra driving assist features such as <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/what-is-cruise-control-and-should-you-have-it-on-your-next-car/n26822">adaptive cruise control</a> with a Stop&amp;Go function for city traffic.

The safety experts at <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/the-safest-cars-on-sale-today/n19724">Euro NCAP</a> haven’t tested the M5 specifically, but the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/5-series/saloon/review/n63">BMW 5 Series</a> it’s based on scored five stars out of five when it was assessed. The M5 has&nbsp;a host of electronic driver aids, including blind-spot monitoring, automatic emergency braking (<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/what-is-aeb-and-how-does-it-work/n3283">AEB</a>) and rear cross-traffic alert as part of the standard-fit Driving Assistant Pack.

In the 2024 <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/reliability-survey-most-reliable-cars/n26137">What Car? Reliability Survey</a>, BMW finished eighth out of the 31 manufacturers ranked, above Audi (24th), Mercedes (22nd) and Porsche (21st).

<h2>“Carbon-ceramic brakes are the most expensive piece of kit on the BMW M5 options list&nbsp;but I&nbsp;think they'll be a popular choice among buyers.”&nbsp;–&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/authors/neil-winn/n1101">Will Nightingale,&nbsp;Reviews Editor</a></h2>

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For several generations now, the BMW M5 has gone big on configurability, starting with the arrival of the E60 version in 2005.&nbsp;Back then&nbsp;you could fine-tune the gearbox response, the suspension and even how much power the engine served up. It seemed incredibly complex at the time, but compared with&nbsp;the new M5, the E60&nbsp;feels laughably simple.

Now, you have control over the M5's&nbsp;suspension, brake-pedal feel, hybrid modes, exhaust, stability control&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/4x4s-for-off-roading/n26188">four-wheel drive</a>&nbsp;system. You could lose hours chasing the perfect set-up. But, thankfully, once you’ve cracked it, you can save two configurations to the M1 and M2 buttons on the steering wheel so you can return to them instantly.

Before diving into the M5’s wilder side, a simple press of the red starter button brings the car to life in its calmest form. The suspension eases into its Comfort setting, and if there's enough charge in the battery, the drivetrain&nbsp;defaults to electric mode.

Stick in this, and the M5&nbsp;behaves like a relaxed <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/electric-cars/n17000">electric car</a>&nbsp;with 197bhp and 206lb ft at your disposal – enough to glide through traffic with little effort. The suspension soaks up city scars effortlessly, while rear-wheel steering&nbsp;makes this the most manoeuvrable BMW M5 yet; at up to&nbsp;43mph&nbsp;the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the fronts to enhance agility, then above that speed they turn in the same direction.

Silent the M5&nbsp;is not, though. Even in electric mode, there’s an artificial but surprisingly convincing V8 hum, rising and falling in sync with your accelerator inputs. The sounds helps to mask the transition to petrol power –&nbsp;unless, that is, you’re in Dynamic mode. In this, the firing up&nbsp;of the engine&nbsp;comes with a soft kick that lets you know the fuel gauge is about to drop.

Press harder on the accelerator pedal and the thrust is staggering – more SpaceX rocket&nbsp;than <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/bmw">BMW 5 Series</a>. Even from&nbsp;speeds that would see you locked up in the UK, the M5&nbsp;accelerates with brutal, linear force. Plus, there's&nbsp;instant response, no matter the gear, because&nbsp;the electric motor fills&nbsp;in any turbo lag.

It’s almost too effective for its own good; the V8 revs eagerly to 7200rpm, but with such a potent mid-range&nbsp;there’s little need to chase the redline.

Except to hear the engine, that is.&nbsp;BMW has worked to enhance this with&nbsp;artificial augmentation, which sounds like it could be a bad thing, but actually means the M5 is&nbsp;a clear step ahead of the latest <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mercedes-benz/c-class/saloon/review/n17218">Mercedes-AMG C63</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/porsche/panamera/hatchback/review/n17212">Porsche Panamera</a>&nbsp;in terms or aural appeal. That said, the V8 in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/rs6/estate/review/n17185">Audi RS6</a>&nbsp;is&nbsp;more appealing again.

The thing is, we always knew that the latest BMW M5 would feel quick; the raw numbers tell&nbsp;you that. What we were more concerned about was the car's mighty kerb weight. Could BMW's engineers really conceal it?&nbsp;

Well, the answer is yes… mostly. By fitting&nbsp;bespoke tyres, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/types-of-suspension-adaptive-suspension-explained/n27085">adaptive suspension</a>&nbsp;and that rear-wheel steering system, they've managed to make&nbsp;a car that weighs more than a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bentley/bentayga/4x4/review/n17228">Bentley Bentayga</a>&nbsp;luxury SUV steer and turn like a proper M-product.

When you're driving the M5 on the road, there's a real energy to direction changes, aided by steering that's quicker&nbsp;and lighter than before – a&nbsp;bit like the set-up in an <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/alfa-romeo/giulia/saloon/review/n17264">Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio</a>.&nbsp;

As a bonus, the M5's brakes&nbsp;are well-integrated, with the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/what-is-regenerative-braking-and-how-does-it-work/n25212">regenerative braking system</a> blending seamlessly into the feel of the optional carbon ceramics.

But there is a limit. Take your M5 on a track day, where you can push it beyond eight tenths, and the suspension can't&nbsp;fully contain the body’s movements. It’s more noticeable in the M5 Touring (unlike the saloon you can’t specify the Touring with a carbon-fibre roof to lower the centre of gravity), but in either car it's enough&nbsp;to make you dial things&nbsp;back a notch and adopt a smoother, more measured rhythm.

In fact,&nbsp;generally, the M5 feels more like one of the BMW-based <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/bmw-alpina">Alpina</a>&nbsp;performance cars than a model from the brand's M motorsport division&nbsp;– precise, luxurious, and startlingly fast, rather than razor-sharp and raw like a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/m3/saloon/review/n135">BMW M3</a>.

This extends to refinement, with the latest M5 the quietest version to date. Even at Autobahn speeds, the air slips past with barely a murmur and you're well isolated from any noise generated by the wide tyres.

<h2>“Most owners won’t care that BMW has replaced the physical gearshift lever with a switch, but as a&nbsp;car enthusiast I think it's sad that the experience of&nbsp;banging up and down the gears is no more.” –&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/authors/neil-winn/n1101">Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor</a></h2>

OUR PICK

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BMW invented the super saloon around 40 years ago with the original M5 (based on the E28 5 Series), but it’s never been afraid to update the formula – and the seventh-generation&nbsp;BMW M5&nbsp;we're reviewing here makes the most radical leap yet.

You see, for the first time in M5 history, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/plug-in-hybrid-cars/n22743">plug-in hybrid</a>&nbsp;tech is part of the package. An 18.6kWh battery and a single electric motor work in harmony with a twin-turbo V8 petrol engine to&nbsp;deliver&nbsp;a staggering 717bhp.

In addition, after&nbsp;a 13-year break, BMW is once again offering a 'Touring' estate version of the M5 alongside the four-door saloon.

Performance? In one word, colossal. The&nbsp;0-62mph sprint takes&nbsp;just 3.5 seconds, and if you specify the optional&nbsp;M Driver’s Pack the top speed is 189mph (otherwise, it's limited to 155mph). That’s supercar territory. Yet at the press of a button, you can tap into an official electric-only range of up to&nbsp;43 miles. This might be the first M5 you could sensibly run as a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/best-company-cars/n22605">company car</a>.

You don’t get hybrid tech without a weight penalty, though. In fact, with a big drive battery, an electric motor and&nbsp;four-wheel drive, this is the heaviest BMW&nbsp;M5 ever, tipping the scales at nearly 2.5 tonnes. So, have BMW’s engineers managed to mask that heft? And how does the M5 compare with the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/performance-cars/n23035">best performance car</a> rivals? Let's find out...

If we had&nbsp;one gripe with the previous BMW M5, it was that its interior didn’t feel sufficiently distinct from the standard <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/5-series/saloon/review/n63">BMW 5 Series</a>. However, with this new model it seems like the&nbsp;design brief was:&nbsp;“Wherever the driver looks, they should be reminded they’re in an M car.”

The result is a flat-bottomed steering wheel, carbon-fibre shift paddles and generous helpings of (optional) carbon-fibre trim. The&nbsp;bright-red starter button adds to the theatre, while M Division-coloured seatbelts, an M-embossed iDrive rotary controller and configurable ambient lighting that can show the M colours (blue, violet and red) provide further flourishes.

Is it all a bit much? The lighting might be, but the rest serves to liven up what is usually a fairly understated interior.

Gone are the unforgiving carbon-fibre-backed bucket seats from the old M5 CS. The seats in the new BMW M5 are far more forgiving, offering a great balance between lateral support and comfort, along with an impressively low driving position.

Visibility is decent, although the M5’s width can make threading it into tight spaces a challenge. Thankfully, front and rear parking sensors, a 360-degree camera, and autonomous parking assistance are all part of the standard package. If you wish to park your M5 from outside with your phone, though, you’ll need to specify the Parking Assistant Professional pack.

As for the M5's dashboard,&nbsp;the 12.3in digital driver's display&nbsp;and 14.9in central touchscreen are housed together in one panel to give a sleek, almost panoramic look. The driver's display is supported&nbsp;by a standard head-up display, which can show everything from your speed to full-colour maps.

BMW’s latest iDrive <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/best-car-infotainment-systems-tested-and-rated/n21269">infotainment system</a>, featuring a 5G connection, is one of the best on the market, with crisp graphics, swift responses, and a largely intuitive interface. You can control it using the touchscreen or – for less distraction – a rotary dial.

Our only real criticism of the M5's&nbsp;interior? Adjusting the interior temperature requires a trip to the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/best-car-infotainment-systems-tested-and-rated/n21269">infotainment touchscreen</a> or voice control (good old-fashioned physical buttons or dials would be so much more user-friendly).

<h2>“The M5's lead designer told us any button that’s red actually does something that has an immediate impact – referring to the bright red starter button and the two programmable drive mode buttons. I like that design logic." –&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/authors/neil-winn/n1101">Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor</a></h2>

The 2024 BMW M5 and M5 Touring offer&nbsp;astonishing performance and supreme comfort

The new M5 might be&nbsp;capable of out-running small passenger planes, but that doesn’t mean BMW has compromised on practicality.

While it removed the centre storage cubby of the last-generation M5 CS to save weight (yes, really), in this new M5 storage space is plentiful; you get&nbsp;a pair of cupholders, a large cubby beneath the central armrest and wide door bins.

As for rear space, it's&nbsp;comparable with what you find in key rivals such as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/rs6/estate/review/n17185">Audi RS6</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/porsche/panamera/hatchback/review/n17212">Porsche Panamera</a>, meaning two six-footers will be comfortable, but a central rear passenger gets a narrower seat and has to straddle&nbsp;a hump in the floor.

As for the M5 saloon's boot,&nbsp;it has 466 litres of space (a regular <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/5-series/saloon/review/n63">BMW 5 Series</a> has 520 litres). It’s therefore a touch smaller than what you get in a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/m3/saloon/review/n135">BMW M3</a>, and rather than being a simple square shape, the load bay is full of contours that can be restrictive when you're trying to load in bulky objects. We’ve yet to test it, but we suspect it's big enough to swallow around six <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/the-cars-with-the-biggest-boots/n18791">carry-on suitcases</a>.

For better practicality, there's also the M5 Touring. This&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/estate-cars/n16998">estate</a>&nbsp;version can take 500 litres of luggage below its load cover, expanding to 1630 litres with the rear seats dropped. For comparison, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/rs6/estate/review/n17185">Audi RS6</a> (which is available only as an estate car) has 565 litres of boot space with the seats up.

As standard, the M5’s rear seats split and fold in a 40/20/40 configuration, matching the flexibility offered by the RS6 and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/porsche/panamera/hatchback/review/n17212">Porsche Panamera</a>.

<h2 dir="ltr">“The volume of the M5 Touring’s boot is technically identical to that in the M3 Touring, but I suspect the M5’s boot will prove more usable because it's wider and longer.” –&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/authors/steve-huntingford/n1018">Steve Huntingford, Editor</a></h2>

The seventh-generation BMW M5 looks more aggressive than ever, but that belies its easier-going character. Instead of squaring up to lighter, sharper rivals like the M3 or Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, BMW has shifted focus, creating a supremely comfortable and rapid continent crusher. It’s a formula that makes it more reminiscent of the Audi RS6.

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Plush ride and the ability to cruise in near-silence </li> <li>Powerful and efficient engine</li> <li>Space for passengers to stretch out in the rear seats</li> <li>Exquisite materials and build quality</li> <li>Endless luxuries on the options list</li> <li>Sensible fuel and tax bills</li></ul>

If you’re in the market for a luxury car, you’ll be after a sumptuous interior, a ride that can soak up the worst of the UK’s pockmarked roads and supreme refinement that allows you to travel at speed in near-silence.

Luxury

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Huge boot and excellent practicality</li> <li>Plenty of interior space so you can carry passengers as well as luggage </li> <li>Strong engines to pull a heavily laden car</li> <li>Comfortable ride, especially on the motorway</li> <li>Low running costs for company car drivers</li></ul>

If you’re after bags of space but you don’t want to commit to the van-like dimensions and styling of an MPV, there are some great estate cars on offer that should do the job.

Tricks to look out for include an electric tailgate&nbsp;that opens automatically when you wave your foot under the rear bumper; this is&nbsp;particularly handy if you’re trying to load in a heavy or&nbsp;bulky item. You should also look for handles in the side of the boot itself that can drop down the rear seats; these are much more convenient than having to walk around the side of the car to do it.

Estate

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Entertainingly agile handling</li> <li>Eye-widening acceleration</li> <li>Fruity exhaust note</li> <li>Punchy and characterful engine</li> <li>Great driving position</li> <li>Everyday usability</li></ul>

The best performance cars combine sports car-rivalling acceleration with&nbsp;engaging handling. However, they also retain the&nbsp;impressive everyday usability of the conventional saloons and estates on which they're based.

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