BMW’s legendary performance sedan enters the next generation.
The BMW M5 has been one of the most important examples of a luxury performance sedan for over 40 years, with robust power, excellent driving dynamics, and hair-raising speed packed into an elegant executive four-door body. As the benchmark for many of the world’s luxury performance sedans, the BMW M5’s seventh generation has now been revealed, and for the first time, it’s a hybrid.
Distinguishing itself from the standard BMW 5 Series is a sportier look with M-specific features, like wheel arch and side skirt extensions, an embossed “M5” logo on the signature Hofmeister kink, and a revised front apron. Inside, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, four-zone climate control, Merino leather upholstery, Bowers & Wilkins sound, and more combine performance-oriented and luxury features. Options include carbon fiber accents, Alcantara, a heated steering wheel, and more.
Following in the footsteps of the radical BMW XM SUV, the new BMW M5 sports a hybrid powertrain, more specifically a model-specific iteration of the M Hybrid system, which pairs a 4.4-liter M TwinPower turbocharged V8 engine (with a 7,200-rpm rev limit) with an electric motor, integrated into the 8-speed Steptronic transmission. With 585 horsepower and 553 lb/ft of torque coming from the engine, and 197 horsepower and 206 lb/ft of torque from the electric motor, the total system output is 782 horsepower and 759 lb/ft of torque, a staggering number for the otherwise refined luxury performance sedan.
Power goes to all four wheels thanks to M xDrive, and its performance-oriented rear bias is pronounced in its 4WD Sport mode. At the same time, a 2WD mode is also available, bringing power exclusively to the rear wheels for more fun driving experiences. At its fastest, the new M5 will get from 0-60 in under 3.5 seconds, while the top speed is limited to 155 mph, but can be brought to as much as 189 mph with the M Driver’s Package. With purely electric power, the new BMW M5 can reach 87 mph, with as much as 43 miles of all-electric driving range, showing a dynamic, high-tech character to the latest luxury performance sedan.
Throughout, the chassis is tuned specifically for performance driving, and the new BMW M5 uses its futuristic hybrid powertrain to reach greater performance heights than before. The public debut of the seventh generation of BMW’s signature performance sedan will take place at a legendary automotive venue, the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Taking place in July, production at BMW’s Dingolfing plant will begin in the same month, with a global market launch set for November, when wagon fans will anticipate the launch of the new BMW M5 Touring. With a fiercely powerful hybrid system, the all-new BMW M5 continues to cement its status as one of the world’s greatest luxury performance sedans.
Image Source: BMW
