The BMW M5 has followed a proven winning formula for four decades and six generations – basically shoehorning supercar performance into the Bavarian marque’s large executive sedan (and wagon).
But all that changes with the all-new, seventh-generation BMW M5. It’s the biggest, most powerful M5 ever. It’s also the first-ever M5 to feature electrification, which has also seen its weight balloon to almost 2.5 tonnes.
It’s a big risk changing such a tried and tested formula, particularly one with a cult status and a loyal following. Combine that with the polarising topic of electrification, and you have quite the controversy.
All of these aspects have been major talking points since the new generation’s reveal. Does it still handle? Is it fast enough? How will rusted-on M5 customers react to a plug-in hybrid powertrain?
There’s the added layer of the M5 Touring returning for a third instalment, and it’s the first time the wagon-bodied M5 has been officially sold in Australia – #SaveTheWagons!
Usually these European performance halos offer the duality of supercar performance and everyday useability. Now the M5 also boasts the ability to be driven as an EV – for up to 68km on the WLTP cycle, to be exact.
Does it move the formula forward? Or does it water down the hallowed Bavarian super sedan recipe? We headed to Mount Panorama, the day after BMW’s Bathurst 12 Hour win, to find out.
How much does the BMW M5 cost?
Bucking recent trends of price rises and price premiums for plug-in hybrids, the new M5 actually comes in cheaper than the outgoing M5 Competition – at $259,900 before on-road costs for the sedan.
| Model | Price before on-road costs |
|---|---|
| 2025 BMW M5 Sedan | $259,900 |
| 2025 BMW M5 Touring | $263,900 |
For the first time in Australia, you can also order the wagon-bodied M5 Touring, which commands a $4000 premium.
To see how the BMW M5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
What is the BMW M5 like on the inside?
Take the cabin of the new 5 Series, and add a few dashes of ‘M’ seasoning.
Having attended the international launch drive of the BMW i5 M50 a couple of years ago, the M5’s cabin feels like a more focused evolution of that electric performance electric sedan’s, which comprises all of the design and tech advances of the new eighth-generation (G60) 5 Series released in 2024, with even sportier appointments to make it fit for the track.
There’s lashings of gloss carbon-fibre and piano black, contrasting with the striped M seat belts, flashes of red via the 12 o’clock steering wheel marker and starter button, as well as the bright ambient lighting and metal speaker grilles.
Some of the vehicles on test had interesting interior upholstery colours, including a bright Red over Black as well as ‘Kyalami Orange’ over Black, which is basically a loud take on tan.
The ‘M Multifunctional’ seats are fantastic, with seemingly unlimited ways of electric adjustment and the kind of cushioning and bolstering that hugs and supports you from every angle without feeling too focused or firm. I spent a few hours in these front chairs, and they’re excellent for my leaner 6’1″ frame.
Ahead of the driver is the usual 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, conjoined with a 14.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system within a single curved display unit that offers bright, crisp graphics and snappy load times.
My only real gripe with the driver’s display – which offers pretty simple controls and a good level of configurability – is that BMW has moved away from offering classic dials and gauges, which doesn’t feel very ‘driver’s car’.
BMW’s more convoluted drive mode and drivetrain mode buttons also are a little annoying, though at least in the M5 you have quick access buttons to the configurable ‘M1’ and ‘M2’ modes on the steering wheel.
Speaking of which, the steering wheel itself is gorgeous. It has a lovely, classic design and a typically chubby, squidgy rim that feels really great to hold. I’m a big fan of the M stitching details on the steering wheel and seat belts, too.
The gloss carbon-fibre inlays are lovely, in contrast to the fingerprint-prone piano black surfacing of the centre console, which gets covered in fingerprints and dust quickly as all the touch-capacitive buttons are located there.
I also lament the stubby shift-by-wire gear selector toggle which doesn’t quite have the same drama as pulling down on a more conventional shifter or gear knob, but that’s a personal choice I guess…
Being a 5 Series there’s still thoughtful storage and practicality solutions, with plenty of nooks and crannies for your odds and ends. The illuminated cupholders and rubberised wireless phone tray come to mind as nice inclusions, as do the decent door bins and large cubby under the dual-lidded centre armrest drawer.
Everything feels of a very high quality too. BMW has maintained a pretty impressive level of build quality across its range, even with its fairly extensive design and technology developments in recent years, which is a nice point of difference compared to some rival brands – cough, cough, Mercedes…
As you’d expect, the rear seats of the M5 will gladly accommodate two full-sized adults in comfort, meaning you can go four-up on your track day or your commute to the office should you need.
There’s good leg and head room even for 6’1″ me behind my preferred driving position, even with a helmet, and there’s standard four-zone climate control so both rear passengers can have their own temperature settings and vents.
Other amenities include a pair of USB-C outlets sandwiched between the rear vents and digitised climate controls, bottle holders in the doors, as well as BMW’s Travel and Comfort feature which has preparation for accessory holders at the rear of the front seats complete with power outlets.
You can even pull up the manual ‘hater blockers’ – aka the roller sunblinds – for added privacy.
While the new-generation 5 Series, and therefore the M5, have grown substantially in most dimensions, the M5’s boot capacity has shrunk due to the packaging of the lithium-ion battery pack for the plug-in hybrid system.
At 466 litres, the G90 BMW M5 has dropped 64 litres of capacity compared to its combustion-only predecessor. While smaller than before, the space is nicely square and deep so it’s still relatively practical – there’s the M5 Touring for those that often carry bulkier luggage, too.
| Dimensions | BMW M5 Sedan |
|---|---|
| Length | 5096mm (+113mm) |
| Width | 1970mm (+67mm) |
| Height | 1510mm (+37mm) |
| Wheelbase | 3006mm (+37mm) |
| Cargo capacity | 466 litres (-64L) |
To see how the BMW M5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
What’s under the bonnet?
The biggest talking point about the new M5 is the drivetrain, which is the first in the nameplate’s history to feature electrification – in this case, it’s an ‘M Hybrid’ performance plug-in hybrid system.
| Specifications | BMW M5 Sedan |
|---|---|
| Engine | 4.0L V8 twin-turbo PHEV |
| Engine outputs | 430kW 750Nm |
| Electric motor outputs | 145kW 280Nm |
| System outputs | 535kW 1000Nm |
| Battery | 18.6kWh li-ion |
| Transmission | 8-speed automatic |
| Drive type | All-wheel drive |
| Weight | 2435kg |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 3.5 seconds |
| Top speed (claimed) | 305km/h – M Driver’s Package |
| Fuel economy (claimed) | 3.0L/100km |
| Electric driving range (PHEV) | Up to 68 kilometres |
| Fuel tank capacity | 60 litres |
| Fuel requirement | 98 octane premium unleaded |
| CO2 emissions | 68g/km |
| Emissions standard | Euro 6 |
The G90 M5 features BMW’s latest fifth-generation eDrive technology, meaning it draws upon the same battery and motor systems fitted to the German marque’s latest electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
To see how the BMW M5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
How does the BMW M5 drive?
I’ll admit I was a little skeptical that the new M5 might feel disappointingly heavy and cumbersome given the substantial weight increase over its predecessor.
Boy was I wrong. Our launch drive included a 111km route tearing up the twisty country roads just out of Bathurst, before a stint around the famed Mount Panorama circuit hot off BMW’s one-two finish at the Bathurst 12 Hour just the night before.
Setting off from the grounds outside the circuit, the M5 putted quietly along the inner streets of the rural NSW town in EV mode. The ‘BMW IconicSounds’ synthesiser plays a bassy tone when you’re driving emissions-free, almost tricking you into thinking the twin-turbo V8 is idling away in the background – even if it isn’t.
On its own, the electric motor integrated into the eight-speed automatic transmission makes 145kW and 280Nm. While that doesn’t seem like much, the latter is basically available from the moment you touch the throttle pedal.
That means you get smooth and immediate response even in EV mode, making more mundane commutes or traffic jams a little bit easier and quieter. Plus, you’re not slurping up fuel, but saving it for later.
BMW claims the new M5 has an all-electric range of up to 68km from its 18.6kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which can be charged at up to 11kW via AC charging – which will juice it back to 100 per cent within two hours.
Further, the M Hybrid system with BMW’s latest fifth-generation eDrive tech can drive at speeds of up to 140km/h in EV mode. The PHEV system has a number of modes and settings to tailor the drivetrain to your tastes, and that’s before you start diving through the various drive modes.
You can adjust regen braking too. No, it doesn’t offer a one-pedal mode, but to be honest I don’t think many M5 owners want their PHEV super sedan to feel like a Tesla around town. Still, this adds another dimension to the M5’s drive experience and split personality.
Heading out of town onto faster, curvier roads, I flicked the M5 into one of its custom ‘M modes’, which had been calibrated to configure the vehicle for more dynamic settings. The twin-turbo V8 fired to life, and the big executive express gave me quite the shove in the back as I accelerated to the signed 100km/h speed limit.
While the burbly and brassy roar of the petrol V8 is welcome, it was almost tame in the cabin. Even later on track when everything was in max attack, the raucous theatre I was hoping for never really quite came through – although it’s still a very nice sound.
The new M5 rides on specifically tuned Adaptive M Suspension, and BMW’s performance boffins have done a marvelous job at balancing everyday useability and hard-core handling performance, because even when pushed the new M5 doesn’t feel anywhere near as heavy as its quoted 2435kg kerb weight would suggest… most of the time.
As the roads got twistier, the M5 offered keen turn-in and solid body control, with the xDrive all-wheel drive system and Active M Differential ensuring unflappable grip even if you get on the power early. Gone are the days when a BMW M-car feels like it’s constantly trying to kill you – but you can flick it into rear-wheel drive mode to get slidey when conditions permit.
There’s a little bit of well-controlled body lean in tighter bends, but it never feels wallowy or cumbersome. BMW has done without a trick 48V active anti-roll system, likely to save weight and complexity, yet has managed to keep the M5’s chassis setup nicely balanced.
Despite the aforementioned weight gains, the M5 fires towards the horizon when you hit the loud pedal hard, and it has an incredibly secure and sure-footed feel on the road. The big Bimmer also irons out road imperfections beautifully despite riding on staggered 20- and 21-inch alloy wheels shod in 285/40 and 295/35 performance tyres, and it’s pretty well insulated on coarse-chip road surfaces too.
It loves a fast sweeper, and the steering is quick and not too heavy so it feels quite lithe and nimble. Personally, I would have liked a touch more feedback through the tiller, but it’s not like I couldn’t feel what was going on at the front axle – and let’s not forget the rear axle steering system that aids manoeuvrability at low speeds and stability at high speeds.
The steering-mounted paddle shifters also work a treat, firing through the ratios just about immediately once you pull back on one of the red shifters. You can pull on the downshift paddle for a few seconds and activate the boost function, which basically gives you max attack between 30-150km/h for quick bursts.
Where I felt the effects of the M5’s weight gain was around some tighter hairpins, where coming in quick and trying to fire out hard made the weight shift laterally and had the big sedan squatting on its outside tyres and scrabbling a little for traction on corner exit.
But you have to pedal hard to notice this on the road. It’s a big car physically, even without considering its mass, so it all feels in proportion and the M5 is more of a bahnstormer than a track weapon anyway.
Speaking of the track, perhaps the highlight of the drive was the opportunity to pilot the new M5 sedan around the famed Mount Panorama circuit within a day of the Bathurst 12 Hour race.
After riding shotgun for a brisk sighting lap, we had two paced track sessions with an instructor leading in the official safety car of this year’s 12 Hour – the G90 BMW M5.
Out of the pits onto Mountain Straight, I gave the M5’s throttle a heavy prod and very quickly rocketed from 40km/h to 150km/h in what seemed like just a moment. BMW very proudly touts the new M5’s very fast 80-120km/h rolling acceleration time of just 2.9 seconds in fifth gear, though in fourth gear it’s said to cut that down to just 2.2s.
In its most aggressive settings the M5 powered up and down the mountain, with solid braking performance from our carbon-ceramic rotor-equipped tester. I felt the weight shift over crests and sudden changes in elevation, which is common in any car around the notoriously testing circuit, but not once did it feel like it was overwhelmed or about to step out.
The electric motor’s immediacy of response helps cut turbo lag out of corners and boosts performance on the straights, though towards the end of the day with a near depleted battery (it wasn’t in Dynamic Plus mode, which retains a certain charge level), it felt like the V8 was doing more of the heavy lifting on the ascents.
As I experienced on the road, the all-wheel drive system allows you to get on the power early and with confidence, even if its rear bias still gives you that classic ‘steer from the rear’ feeling from the chassis.
I managed an indicated 272km/h down Conrod Straight on one of my faster laps, and that was before lifting off the throttle for the crest. Does it feel quite as insane as its mega 535kW/1000Nm outputs suggest? Maybe not, but it’s still bloody fast.
Again, I would have loved more noise from the V8. Off the concrete barriers surrounding the Mount Panorama circuit in the most aggressive powertrain and engine sound settings, you get a bit more sound than you might on the road from the active exhaust if you hold the revs high, but I still was left wanting a little more to complete the experience.
Regardless, any preconceived notion that this is a watered-down take on the M5 can be put to rest. It’s still wild.
To see how the BMW M5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
What do you get?
There’s just a single spec of M5 available in Australia, with the globally optional M Driver’s Package – which derestricts the top speed to 305km/h – included as standard equipment.
2025 BMW M5 equipment highlights:
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- 14.9-inch infotainment touchscreen
- Active M Differential
- Active seat ventilation, front
- Adaptive LED headlights
- Adaptive M Suspension
- Alarm system
- Automatic climate control – 4-zone
- Automatic tailgate
- BMW ConnectedDrive
- Intelligent Emergency Call
- BMW TeleServices
- Remote software updated
- Wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
- BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant
- BMW Iconic Glow illuminated grille
- BMW IconicSounds Electric
- BMW Interaction Bar
- Bowers and Wilkins surround sound – 18 speakers
- Comfort access
- DAB+ radio
- Fast Charging Cable Professional
- Mode 3 cable – public charger
- Mode 2 cable – flexible fast charger
- Interior camera
- Lumbar support – front
- M Carbon mirror caps
- M Carbon rear spoiler
- M Carbon roof
- M Compound Brakes – Blue
- Red and Black available as $NCO
- M Driver’s Package
- 305km/h top speed (from 250km/h)
- BMW Driving Experience driver training course
- M Headliner Alcantara anthracite
- M Lights Shadowline
- M Multifunctional seats – front
- M seat belts
- Metallic paintwork
- Personal eSIM
- Roller sunblinds – rear
- Seat heating – front, rear
- Steering wheel heating
- Travel and Comfort System
- Accessory, power mounts in rear seat
- Tyre pressure monitor
- Wireless smartphone charger
To see how the BMW M5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
Options
BMW only offers two main extra-cost options for the new M5.
- M Carbon Ceramic Brakes: $18,500
- BMW Individual Paintwork: Price depends on finish
Is the BMW M5 safe?
While the 5 Series (including the i5) achieved a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on 2023 Euro NCAP testing, the M5 is unrated.
| Category | BMW 5 Series |
|---|---|
| Adult occupant protection | 89 per cent |
| Child occupant protection | 87 per cent |
| Vulnerable road user protection | 86 per cent |
| Safety assist | 81 per cent |
Standard safety equipment includes:
- Adaptive high-beam
- Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
- Pedestrian, cyclist, motorcyclist detection
- Junction assist
- Driving Assistant Professional
- Adaptive cruise control incl. stop/go
- Lane centring assist
- Steering and Lane Control Assistant
- Parking Assistant Professional
- Front, rear parking sensors
- Semi-autonommous parking assist
- Surround-view camera system
- Tyre pressure monitoring
To see how the BMW M5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
How much does the BMW M5 cost to run?
The M5 is covered by BMW Australia’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
| Servicing and Warranty | BMW M5 Sedan |
|---|---|
| Warranty | 5 years, unlimited kilometres |
| Roadside assistance | 6 years |
| Service intervals | Condition based servicing |
| Capped-price servicing | 5 years or 80,000 kilometres |
| Total capped-price service cost | $5059 – Service Inclusive $8152 – Service Inclusive Plus |
It’s worth noting the Service Inclusive Plus package, while dear, includes consumable maintenance items like brake pads, brake discs (not available with carbon-ceramic upgrade), clutches and wiper blades – handy if you’re planning on taking the M5 on track.
To see how the BMW M5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
CarExpert’s Take on the BMW M5
BMW M purists may scoff, but the new M5 is an engineering marvel that impresses in so many ways.
Yes it’s heavy, and yes the electrified drivetrain loses some of the theatrics associated with the thumping V8 and the M5 nameplate, but the way it delivers its performance and offers so many layers to the driving experience should be seen as a demonstration that electrification and hybridisation of cult heroes can not only be done, but done well.
It’s freaking fast, freaking fun, and freaking easy to live with despite its racetrack capabilities. It also looks incredible in the metal, and the vast array of personalisation options allows you to make it feel truly special and unique.
There’s now at least one or two more personalities to add to the existing Jekyll and Hyde vibe, and the added refinement and daily driveability afforded by the plug-in hybrid powertrain makes it both a very mean-looking BMW i5 during the week, as well as traditional M5 sports sedan on the weekend.
It’s now more comfortable, practical and efficient as a daily driver, but retains a brutal mean streak.
Yes, I was lucky to be able to explore pretty much the full extent of the M5’s performance capabilities on one of the world’s most incredible and formidable racetracks. However, for most Aussies, it will feel shackled by our low speed limits and heavily-policed roads. So unless you’re going to take your $260k luxury sedan to the track, is it really worth spending all the extra money over, say an i5 M60?
Given the latter is also available in sedan and wagon forms, costs some $40,000 less than the equivalent M5, uses no fossil fuel and actually weighs less, it could be a great real-world alternative if you’re not fussed with telling people you bought an ‘i5’ instead of an ‘M5’.
Looking beyond the confines of the BMW showroom, there’s also a figurative dark cloud looming in the form of the also excellent Audi RS6 Avant, which while wagon-only is also a cult hero and features a mild-hybrid assisted biturbo V8 that’s more fruitful and flamboyant more of the time…
Still, this seventh instalment of BMW’s hallowed super sedan is a fitting modern evolution of a legendary formula that hopefully will remain with us for a long while yet.
Interested in buying a BMW M5? Get in touch with one of CarExpert’s trusted dealers here
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