BMW is just months away from launching the totally reinvented M5, which will add plug-in hybrid power for the first time and is tipped to be one of the German firm’s most powerful road cars yet.
Due on sale in the summer, the seventh iteration of the M5 will be one of the final combustion-engined cars from BMW’s M division.
The performance arm has not yet announced an end date on its ICE line-up, but it will put its badge on a pure-electric sports saloon based on the next-generation BMW 3 Series in 2026 and is anticipated to transition to an all-EV line-up in the coming years as its parent company fleshes out the new Neue Klasse line of electric-only models.
The new M5 is said to be 36mm longer and 70mm wider than today’s car, and it will be differentiated from the regular 5 Series by its markedly lower suspension, wider tyres (reportedly 285-section at the front and 295 at the rear) and aggressive styling.
The bodywork will incorporate downforce-boosting measures including a chunkier roof spoiler and beefy diffuser, while its arches will be swollen to accommodate its wider track. Large cross-drilled brake discs are likely to be housed behind bespoke performance alloy wheels.
Its powertrain will be based on that used by the XM SUV, the first bespoke M car since the 1978 M1 supercar, pairing the twin-turbo 4.4-litre ‘S68’ V8 with an electric motor housed in the eight-speed gearbox to give a maximum output far above that of even the hottest version of today’s super-saloon.
The top-rung Label Red version of the XM is the most powerful road-going M car yet, with 577bhp and 553lb ft supplied by the petrol motor alone, boosted by 194bhp and 207lb ft from the electric motor to give totals of 738bhp and 738lb ft – well clear of today’s track-focused M5 CS.
Even in standard tune the set-up produces 644bhp, which is enough of a hike over the petrol M5 to compensate in theory for the added mass of a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Sources suggest the M5 will launch initially with a bespoke state of tune, with 708bhp at its disposal compared with 591bhp in today’s Competition-spec car. That’s a substantial increase, but with the caveat that it’s tipped to weigh around half a tonne more, at 2435kg.
The main reason for the increase in kerb weight is the addition of a battery that’s said to have 18.6kWh of usable capacity. That’s down on the XM’s 25.7kWh unit but large enough, BMW CEO Oliver Zipse has suggested, for an electric range in excess of 43 miles.
The G90-generation M5 will be the first since the V10-engined E60 to be available in Touring form, meaning there will be two full-fat M estates on sale for the first time. Like the long-roof version of the M3, the M5 Touring will pack as much power and the same chassis set-up as the saloon, but it will have the requisite carrying capacity to double as a spacious family hauler.
The M5 Touring is due in production at the end of this year. It is tipped to be one of the most powerful estates on sale, with substantially more punch than the Audi RS6 and the new Mercedes-AMG E53. Only the Porsche Taycan Turbo S Turismo has more power, and then only in Overboost mode.
Taking the lead from its E34 and E60 predecessors, the G99-generation M5 Touring is aiming to achieve a balance between “sporting performance on the racetrack and superior ride comfort in everyday driving and over long distances”. In pursuit of that duality, it is being tested extensively in “urban traffic areas, country roads and motorways around Munich” while its chassis set-up is honed at the Nordschleife.
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