Why is it so polarizing? 2025 BMW M5 Autobahn driving REVIEW
So much talk about the all-new BMW M5. There are haters on the one side and on the other side, maybe just like the PR and marketing talk and so on. But I really want to find out the truth about the all-new BMW M5. Is it better or maybe worse than the previous generation? We'll find out together here with Thomas and Autogefühl in 4K, full screen, full length. Let's go with the new front grille, which is really wide. Still you can recognize a double kidney.
It comes with this illumination you see here, this ring around. And I think, especially at night, it looks really beautiful. If it would need to be all high-gloss black on the inside, that's maybe on another page.
M5 logo here. And this color here for today is Grigio Telesto. So a rather dark gray color, but I think it looks pretty beautiful.
Then always here with the black accentuations, already in the lower part. This vehicle here has a wider stance than the base 5 Series and, of course, also wider wheel arches. We have LED lamps, you can see here, also nice with these blue accentuations right there, at least on the European market.
And then the length here. This new generation has grown, counts for all 5 Series, 5 meters and 10 or 201 inches. And wheels usually would come with summer tires, 20 inch in the front, 21 inch in the rear. But these here are still 20 inch in the front. Just with winter tires, because obviously, you see, it's cold now.
In this case, then with the winter tires, we also have the 20 inch in the rear. Typical sedan style. You can also get the M5 Touring in this generation again, which is 0.1 seconds slower in the acceleration
figure. Soon more to that. But other than that, it's, of course, also an interesting choice to give you more flexibility. And the Touring is also available in the Northern American market, whereas the normal Touring versions are not. Then here, the sedan.
In this case, we have an optional carbon fiber pack, which we also then add this rear carbon fiber wing. It's also pretty spectacular. And wow! Look at that! Really massive, these accentuations then here in the black diffuser style. And maybe I can move up with a camera like above that here.
Like when I look down from here, then you can see how wide it actually is. That's massive, isn't it? And real exhaust pipes then, in this case, then here for the 4.4 liter V8. And, of course, we'll also take a sound sample. On the technology side, adaptive M suspension is standard.
And there also comes a rear axle steering, however, it's limited to 1.5 degrees movement that goes in opposite direction with the rear wheels than with the front wheels. And this will help you somewhat with the agility and also with the turning circle, but won't make, let's say, the biggest difference. Let's now take a look at the engine directly because this is, yeah, the most crucial change for this vehicle. And it's also causing all of this torque. So there we go.
Release it two times. So we have, as I said here, the 4.4 liter V8 bi-turbo. So there it is, also with a nice engine cover. And they decided to keep the 8-cylinder. Although, especially in Europe, there are very strict emission laws, meanwhile.
And it's really tough for a manufacturer to still offer really large engine performance cars and still comply with these laws and not, you know, to pay fees for that and so on. And so they said, okay, if you want to keep the V8, we have to electrify it. And therefore, this is here a plug-in hybrid with around 19 kilowatt hour net battery.
So you can drive all electric, maybe like realistic 60-70 kilometers, like 30-35 miles. Pure electric, top speed, pure electric is 140 kilometers an hour, by the way. The normal top speed is 250 kilometers an hour or around 150 miles an hour.
Then you can get the Driver's package, M driver's package, which we also equip right here with this vehicle. Then you can drive up to 305 kilometers an hour or 190 miles per hour. This one here does 585 horsepower from the combustion engine. And the total system output, if you combine the electric motor with it, is 727 horsepower. Then a thousand newton meters of torque and the acceleration figure, three and a half seconds.
And then you might say, yeah, wait a minute, three and a half seconds. There are a lot of vehicles out there who can match that or maybe even quicker, meanwhile. So for an M5, this is not the most, you know, extreme acceleration figure there is. As I said, 3.6 then for the Touring version.
Yeah, but then again, for most, you know, normal car life reasons, it's still enough from the acceleration. But of course, we're going to experience it on the German Autobahn. Then again, on the other side is the weight, of course.
And this one here, it always depends on like the, when you read the weight figures, some include the 75 kilograms standard driver and some don't. So this like, which official figure you take. And if you include that, it's basically two and a half tons. And that's of course, very hefty, but an i5, the all-electric version, I mean, is also pretty heavy. So we'll have to see, do I really notice this weight in the normal driving part or not? And if you look really closely, you'll also discover this 10,000 euro extra here, the carbon ceramic brakes.
And let's also take a look here at the turning indicators. They have in the front this pulsing effect, like a live heartbeat. If you recharge the battery, by the way, here, it's in the front left driver's side. Then here, there's just the AC charging port and it starts with 7.4 kilowatt. The first vehicles, and then when you order a little bit later, it will be equipped with the 11 kilowatt AC charging.
At this moment here, it takes about three hours at the wall box at home, when you get the 11 kilowatt charging. When you order, when you see the video, you probably already get the 11 kilowatt. And then it will also be a little bit quicker, probably like, you know, between two and two and a half hours. Then let's check out the turning indicators in the rear. I think, I mean, the base silhouette is still very beautiful, by the way, and here, you can also see how the rear wheel arches are also wider than with the standard 5 series. And here, very nicely integrated, slim and wide, the rear indicators.
And now, let's take a look at the interior because this is, of course, yeah, very crucial with the vehicle as well. Oh, by the way, roof. This one here is the carbon fiber roof. So I'm going to take a look above that when Lea lifts the camera. So this is the carbon fiber roof. It brings down the mass from the top of the vehicle more to the lower part than when you have, you know, less weight on the top.
So it's good for driving. The alternative would be a glass roof. It's a fixed glass roof. With the two-ring, by the way, it's a little bit different.
There you can get the fixed roof or the glass roof, but not the carbon fiber roof. Now to the interior with the key fob here, the M colors, and then door closing sound. Sounds okay.
Rear, a little bit more of low frequency. I think the front door closing sound could use a little bit more low frequency, but it's not bad. Let's take it that way. So then, here, covered on the top part, also here, ambient lighting integration. Just here, the inside door pockets, they are slim and small anyway, and this just hard. So this needs a felt covering.
I've been telling that BMW for a longer time now. Then, oh, this one here gets the entry sill badge M5, whereas the base 5 Series has nothing there. And then also an M Sport steering wheel, contrasting on the inside, still some real buttons on the steering wheel. And you got the famous M buttons, M1 and M2. You can program them however you like to change the settings.
Seats here, in a sportier fashion with more shoulder support, however, only animal skin surfaces here. So the great materials that BMW has in series production, you know, like the Sensafin and the Veganza, not offering on the M models. And I think that's really sad because they have proven to be very good and very comfortable.
And this is the philosophy of, hey, when you drive a sports car, you don't care about animals. And that's not true. And here, the ergonomics of the seat is still quite decent, although they cage you in a little bit more.
That's the thing. The normal 5 Series, you have normal sports seats, the comfort seats, like an optional comfort package, which I really always recommend for normal 5 Series. Then you can also get seat ventilation, for example. And this one in here, more shoulder support, especially in this case here. So in the corners, they will help you very well.
However, you can't move that much, so it's definitely pro and con depending on your personal liking. But the overall driving position is nice. It has still this executive feeling. And here, the cockpit, you can also see a lot of carbon fiber use you can get here.
There's also a cool decor element. Then with this, what I prefer more in the 7 Series, the ambient lighting bar goes through the cockpit. And here, it has this split. I'm not sure what the interior designers thought of that here, there, and then it continues here. So maybe not the necessary, if you hit the turning indicator, by the way, here, it all flashes in red from the hazard lights, actually.
So the hazard lights, I was meaning here. Another, like, additional illumination as for that. Then you have this screen format here, two times. So one and two screens formed in one unit. Here you can also have a soft touch on the dashboard.
This actually looks and feels nice. Then you have a massive middle console. In the front, you have inductive charging pad, which also has the ventilation.
Just on the left side, though. The right side is just for, you know, storage, not for charging. Also nice ambient lighting here inside of the adaptive cup holders. Good build quality. Then you still can control the infotainment system from below here with this M button.
And manual volume jog as well. Stop button in red. And then you have all the M setups here. For example, this one here for the M hybrid.
And this gives you actually a quite good feedback also, though it is capacitive. And you can set up this vehicle, like, in a very individual way. So this M hybrid button, this would change different modes how the drivetrain is reacting.
If you want to drive all electric, hybrid mode, or dynamic mode, or dynamic plus mode, really stressing the performance. Then you have an M mode button. This one is for how the assistant systems react. If it's, you know, all in or if, like, lane assist and stuff like that is drawn back. Then you have another setup button. This is then for the individual setups, like all the specific things, steering, brakes, chassis, so, like, suspension and so on.
And that you can individualize, once again, on the M buttons that, for example, when you press M1, everything goes sportier. With M2, everything goes sportiest. This would be, like, a logical setting of the two buttons here at the steering wheel. But you can also make it totally different, so, however you like it. So much more individualization is possible than here with the M5.
And by the way, here, 189, 6'2", still leaves a lot of headroom left. And then here also a split storage here for the middle console. Oh, yeah, and we definitely have to talk about the color, right? So, in German, I would say, Das macht echt porno, Alter.
So, like this, that's real porn, dude. But not in a positive way, you know. I'm not sure if someone really likes this color combination. I think it's too much. Is it? Or what do you think? Yeah, it's actually quite good control.
Left side of the cruise control, for example, then the digital instruments. Right side, you have the RPM. You can see how the engine is turning up. Left side, then the speed.
Then you have a really large head-up display right there. And then here, if I would deactivate the ESC, then I can really select the... There we go. So now it's rear wheel drive. But yeah, I mean, for most driving situations, you would, of course, not do that on public roads.
Then you put the ESC on once again. And yeah, then you maybe just switch other things, like when I hit the M1 button now. See here? Everything switches.
And the M2 even more so. So you can all individualize that whatever you like. You also have a normal infotainment system, by the way, not to forget, with a lot of apps here. And of course, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
And yeah, the climate unit is always here, sadly. So controlling it while driving is not that easy. That's also better than the previous generation. So we're going to talk about the transition, the smoothness between the two drivetrains while driving very soon.
However, what we found here when just like saying like going back and forth and parking in and out, there's one problem. And that is when you are in hybrid mode and the engine shuts down automatically. And then you start again just by putting the driving lever. And like the car goes on, you get off the brake and then you're slightly on the throttle because you're just on the roll, parking in and out, basing the truck or whatever.
And when in this moment, the car decides that it needs the combustion engine, it suddenly leaps forward like really like a lot. And we both were like so it can be painful for the neck if there's someone in front of the car. And also when you're parking in and out.
So beam level definitely needs to fix that. It's really that case when you're in hybrid mode. It is electric.
It's going off automatically, on and then again with the shifting lever. And in that moment when you start rolling, the combustion engine hops on. It does this leap forward and they need to fix that. Here, see? First of all, what I want to show you here, it's interesting for the sunshade like this and... A little sunshade.
Like this. I mean, it's funny but since the rear glass is so wide, it's nice to have that. It doesn't open much wider, by the way, than here, everything covered. Also nice door handles from the inside and here, one more speaker for the Bowers & Wilkins sound system. And here, well, this is rather hard making here for the insert of the doors. And then we have this middle console with a separate...
Oh wow, that color. Yeah, that color again here. Here, look at that. Then the separate climate units, also with seat heating, for example, two USB-C chargers. Massive middle tunnel. And well, as for the headroom here in the sedan, nice Alcantara roof glider.
So here, 189, 6'2". Still leave some headroom left, okay. Then, enough here, cup holders. Good quality as well. And this can also be used here as a ski hatch.
And the legroom, yeah, that's the thing about the 5 Series in general, you see, it works with tall adults. Also when the tall adult is driving, the sports seats are also pretty voluminous. However, considering the length of the vehicle, of course, the usage of space should be better. Your comfort, however, is decent here as for the ergonomics in the rear. Trunk, a boot of the new 5 Series, 520 liters, i5, 590 liters, M5, 570 liters. So you still lose a little bit because of all this tech and, yeah, let's take a look here at the sedan.
Then here we go. So the width here is just 80 centimeters or 31 inches in the lower part in this cutout here. And the height is some 55 centimeters, 21 inches. And the normal length here is, well, it's actually quite substantial. So it's about 1 meters and 20 or 47 inches.
Then cabin trolley here fits in easily. So you still have enough space, although you lose a little bit of liters. You unlock it right here, there we go, but then you have to go around or push it through with the luggage. There we go. Then you have this step right there, almost 2 meters or 78 inches, a little bit less.
So that is actually quite good. However, then you have to think about, you cannot lift anything up. And this would be a cable and this would be the second one. There's, of course, no frunk, so if you want to carry around some cables, this is what it's be looking like. So, yeah.
Wow. That was 214 kilometers. Wow.
Whew. Gosh. Okay, Lea is taking off her jacket already. I mean, definitely this one is still a true M5. So all the doubts and criticism and everything, you do feel that V8. No doubt about that.
At the same time, also you have the additional boost and maybe heard it and recently reports came out that the horsepower figure is supposed to be even a little bit, you know, underestimated. So maybe even having some more horsepower than they actually stayed. Whew. Whew. This one goes forward a lot and there is just no ending to that.
So, and it has definitely like two sides. Like, it has a lot of pressure yaw and it's just like, it's just there. Yeah, above 200, it gets really loud. Probably like a normal 5.0 would be more silent
there also from a noise installation and so on. But today, it's a little bit windy. Yeah, but it's really windy outside today, you have to admit, though. The interesting thing is really that with these two powertrains, you feel that you get the push, the electric push first, and in that time then, you know, there's the downshifting and then the combustion engine comes.
So performance-wise, this one, wow, it's definitely lift-off. Yeah, it cannot like, you know, really be better than the predecessor in that case, but it's still allowed to be like a V8. That was a thing like regulatory-wise. I put some energy in the vehicle before with the ball box, and then also when you are in, you can put a special charging mode in there, basically holds the battery. So you still have a lot of power.
It is true that when it's actually completely depleted, then you will have less power. But usually, you have a small buffer in, and then you can do at least like one or two accelerations. But you know, let's say you are on the racetrack and you have the battery depleted, yeah, it is a disadvantage then. But the thing is really that you still always have the 585 horsepower from that combustion engine. So then the question is, yes, from standstill, you would feel that difference.
But the question is, if you really feel that in everyday driving life, you know, that's the thing. So this vehicle can really do both. And you can also go back to, you know, switch off the M modes. Here, M1, M2 set, easily to press them while driving. And then the car also already calms down.
You can also set here the different modes here, like for the road assistance mode. And also here, the speed goes a little bit to the left that you cannot see that actually, in the normal driving mode. Yeah, it's of course, complicated to switch it while driving. You have to press here and select it in the screen and so on, at least use this MMI knob. Not sure if you want to do that all the time, but even in the normal mode, you have the adaptive M suspension here.
It has a good setup here. Look at that. How sporty it's in the corner. Acceleration out. Beautiful.
So nice job. It feels really so nice and sporty, super agile. Then it becomes almost light, I would say. And this was just here in the normal hybrid mode.
And the funny thing is, even if we are in the pure electric modes, if you have like enough battery saved, it still shifts because it's integrated in the gearbox, you know? And that feels kind of cool, I have to say. Yeah, and to easily access the sportier driving mode, just here press M2 and that's it. Let's see if we can have free road now and go again.
Hammers in the gears. Yeah, it's definitely a lot of fun and you feel it here. Besides that one thing I mentioned earlier in the static interior part, the drivetrains are playing wonderful together. Some electric push, then the V8 hammers in. You've got to be kidding me.
Holy... Holy... Whoa! That was 260 kilometers an hour.
Yeah, it's rarely any other car where... And that is also, by the way, here in the higher speed regions, funnily enough, it has even more advantage if you have the electric drivetrain and combined. Wow. How are you feeling? Oh, the Lea-Meter is a...
Yeah, the thing is like when you have a lot of weight, you... Oh, it's cool! Yeah, yeah, yeah. It pushes so hard. That's the thing.
When you have like a heavy vehicle here with the weight and then you put a lot of acceleration, deceleration on the body, it's not the most fun for the passenger, definitely. So it's, of course, a very extreme example, you know, I also don't race that much in everyday driving life. I rather tend to drive relaxed for testing purposes because we really want to see the performance. And yeah, as I said, the funny thing is when you go back to the normal hybrid mode, it is a relaxing vehicle. So yes, you do have the abundance of performance. Now, for example, the combustion engine also stays on because like when you're in the higher speed regions, it's usually on or also when, you know, the cooling still is needed.
But when you just start in the morning and you have some battery left, you can start all electric and it's really also fun to drive it all electric. That was also a very surprising thing to me. And I really like the shifting in the all electric process. That's pretty amazing. And I feel one of the biggest differences is not only on the drivetrain, but also here now, in this new generation, the M5 has gained like the comfort, you know. So alongside the E-Performance, just the suspension, you know, we have that suspension in the sport mode here.
When I put M2, I can set it even stiffer. But when I have it in normal driving mode, it's really comfortable here in the normal motorway. And most of the time, especially also think about an M3, the M cars are always, you know, tuned to that very sporty mode. And that's also the purpose of it. But then you also lose comfort.
And here, I feel you don't lose too much comfort in comparison to a normal 5 Series. And that's astonishing. Of course, you could... It's crazy, you know, when there's a car in front of you and you're driving like this corner here with 70, you think like, are we standing still? It's like, are we on the parking? And when I drive this corner here with like 60, 70, 80 with a normal vehicle, I was like, that's sporty.
Here it's like, come on, you know. Maybe we can take it with double the speed. Yeah, it's interesting. Lea told me yesterday when we were driving also with slightly worse conditions, that she always feels like the BMW is hooking to the road, you know, when it's interesting that she feels that as a passenger, definitely speaks for the vehicle itself. So it is a lot of driving fun, definitely hooks up very well and yeah, wow, it feels really effortless here. The seats that have a little more shoulder support, of course, they hold you a little bit tighter than in the fast corners.
It's really funny because like when you meet other cars on the road and they're in the corners and then you just approach them and think, wait a minute, is everyone just on the parking lot or something? You're so much quicker than everyone else on the road, also in the corners and everything, that it almost feels like you've got to take it on the racetrack. But I have to say, yes, in most driving situations, you will not feel that extra weight that much. However, this car is nothing for the racetrack.
I really have to say that because it is great and they try to hide the weight as much as possible, but I also say that about the Taycan Turbo GT or Tesla Model S Plaid, so heavy vehicles are not fun on the racetrack. It just stresses your body out too much on the racetrack. Lightweight is still everything.
And yeah, I got to say though, like when we did like a lot of accelerations and braking and so on, I'm still okay as a driver, but I have to say my stomach felt better. So I think we really have to differentiate between how intensively are you using that car? Are you using some of the acceleration? And you use it more as a daily driver and profit more from the comfort plus, then I think it's a good choice. You know, so because this comfort gain here in the new generation is really, really good. It is an easy, everyday driver as well. It can bite you definitely when you put it all the way down, pedal to the metal, and here are in the M modes and so on, so you got to be careful, especially when it's wet.
But of course, if you are a purist BMW M fan, no doubt about that, then the weight will still disappoint you, you know, because it doesn't feel that light when you really push it. Again, in most daily driving situations, I think we really have to differentiate between that, you know? When you are a BMW fan and want the great performance car, at the same time a lot of comfort, then a lot of, let's say, normal BMW customers will profit from that change and enjoy the comfort gains this car is giving you. When you are this purest BMW M customer and want the most lightweight possible and purest feeling of a BMW, finely tuned combustion engine, then it is a step back for you. Can't deny that. So, I think we really have to really differentiate this conclusion here. And me personally, what do I say? I like purist vehicles.
That's why I usually don't like plug-in hybrids that much. So I like, you know, like high displacement combustion engine. But I also like electric vehicles, both.
So I rather tend to decide between both and split that a little bit. You know, some blop, blop, blop from the exhaust here when we have to wait for the other cars. Yeah, carrying the horses around the corner, literally. But that's good for them when they're driving slower. So I'm usually not the biggest fan of plug-in hybrids.
However, what I really have to say is it's also enjoyable in the pure electric driving mode. And yeah, that at a rate, most situations don't feel it. But still, it's there. You know, can't deny that.
So I really have to say that the performance driving is very impressive, pretty cool. But strangely, I have enjoyed the Korma and hybrid driving experience even more with that one. You know, in that it speaks for the comfort of the vehicle, but I think it doesn't speak for the concept of being an M-vehicle.
You know what I mean? So yeah, I think our truth here for today is really that there's no single black and white answer to the question, is it better or not? You know, really differentiate between what do you expect from the vehicle? Yeah, why not? Could try to raise that one, right? Here, for example, though, when I'm driving at moderate speeds, nice from the noise installation, it's good, silent, comfortable from the suspension, set to the comfort mode. And then at some point, I don't care that much if it's, you know, driving electric or from the combustion engine. So this is a really nice and comfortable driving experience. Yeah. As I said, this car is really two sides because at any time, you can tune that button here, then let hell fly again. As for the fuel economy, if you go for the best fuel economy, really like cruise control motorway, 100 kilometers an hour, 60 miles or something like that, you can also drive with 10 liters on 100 kilometers, something like that, 23 mpg US, 28 mpg UK.
Then if you really use that performance and if you don't have a high charging, electric charging power, then it rather goes to 14 liters on 100 kilometers or maybe like 7 mpg US or 9 mpg UK worse. That's the thing, you know, it's still a performance car, of course. Yeah, and pricing 119,000 euros dollars without VAT base price, 144,000 euros including VAT base price and the vehicle as it stands here right now with all the options, 173,000 euros. And Lea is just shaking her head and yeah, in this case, she is really right. And then the big question is, is it better or worse than the outgoing generation? And I really have to say, it's both. So, you don't have a big progress in the acceleration figure and performance, at least not from standstill.
It's more like, you know, when you're in the higher speed regions. And of course, weight-wise, you do feel that when you would be on the racetrack or when you are in very tight corners with high speed. Then you do feel it and you just, you know, can't discuss it really because it's just physics.
The weight is there. However, if you have the electric version, the i5, it also drives really great. And in most daily driving situations, motorway and also normal speeds in the city, on the countryside, it's not that you put the car in such extreme situations that you would notice the weight that much. So, for the most daily drives, you do not notice this negative aspect of the weight that much that you would say, it's such a worse vehicle.
You know what I mean? So, they did the best to hide the extra increase in weight. Then, on the plus side, definitely the comfort. This one is driving-wise from suspension and also from the noise. You know, like riding at higher speed and so on. And also like the starting in the electric version. It's so much more comfortable than the outgoing model.
So, you really have to say that. If you are purest driver and the purest BMW M fan, this one will be worse for you. However, if you are the, let's say, average BMW customer and you're not focused on purest M driving fun, this will be, definitely for most customers, a better choice now. Because it brings so much more comfort to your daily drive. And I can, on the one hand, I'm not the biggest fan of plug-in hybrids, honestly.
So, I rather prefer pure combustion or pure electric. Then you can always argue, is it the best or the worst of two worlds? Yeah, and I think bringing two drives trained together, they're really smooth and the integration is awesome. But honestly, yeah, I'm not the biggest fan of plug-in hybrids in general. But here in this vehicle, it does work very well.
You really have to admit that. And then the thought is, of course, if you are more this purest BMW M fan, if the 5 Series would then be the ideal car for you, or if you, in general, would be rather picking a lighter BMW M car. You know what I mean? Yeah, so many thoughts about that.
But this is definitely my verdict for today. It is better for most and worse for some. That's the thing. What do you think about the all-new M5? Tell me in the comments.
And join us for more 5 Series reviews.
2024-11-28 07:55
