Heavy set men in suits jump into a waiting sedan. Behind the wheel, a sultry blonde drops the clutch, skillfully muscling the saloon through cobblestoned European streets. The metallic symphony from the straight-six crescendos as the next cog is deftly selected.
1998’s screenplay, Ronin was a great movie. But the five or so minutes where a Peugeot 406 struggles to keep up with the fleeing e34 M5 is a car lovers wet dream. The anticipation weighed heavily as this writer’s week with the 2025 BMW M5 drew near.
With the popularity of the smaller M3, right back to the original E30, it’s easy to assume the 5 Series was a late addition to the M car lineup. In fact, it was the first sedan to wear the coveted M badge, in the form of the M535 in 1979.
Today’s M5 is a very different animal. It’s big. In fact, in comparison to the e34 it’s almost 30 centimetres longer in wheelbase and overall width. You could theoretically park the e34 within the outer bounds of its newer G90 sibling.
The exterior design does nothing to hide this, in fact it’s accentuated at every angle. The uninitiated would walk past it, if not for the Individual Sepia II metallic shade which transforms from a dark aubergine to a stunningly bright gold depending on light.
If it’s not to one’s taste, there are nine other options. Glorious carbon fibre presents across the roof, rear view mirrors and the boot lip spoiler. The glossy weave complements chunky guards and canards that flank quad-exhaust tips beneath the rear bumper.
Down the side sit concave staggered 21-inch rear and 20-inch front wheels. It’s understatedly angry, if that’s possible, and our initial uncertainty soon grew to adoration. The size translates to a spacious and comfortable cabin.
Carbon fibre adorns the dash, complimented by stainless steel trims across speaker grills. Amongst the dash and door trims sit illuminated panels that change from Blue to Red depending on drive mode, or can be adjusted to a range of different colours.
Among these details lays acres of Individual Merino Black leather, which seemed a little stiffer and more pedestrian than we would’ve liked, with wear already presenting on the driver seat.
Despite this, both driver and passenger seats offer ample electric adjustability including seat pad length and even bolster width, along with heating and ventilation. Storage is well catered for throughout the cabin and an electric boot lid reveals a 466-litre space.
Ahead of the driver sits a thick-rimmed flat-bottom steering wheel with customary red and blue “M” stitching. The spokes hide gloss black shifters that connect to the 8-speed M-Steptronic Gearbox.
They feel lovely to the touch, with a satisfying action that unfortunately gets lost in the maniacal combination of sound and thrust that accompanies their use (more on that later). Atop the centre console sits a 14.9-inch infotainment screen.
That extends across to a 12.9-inch driver screen. In typical sensible BMW fashion, the cabin has a good selection of button-ware for key functions. Although we were perplexed by the choice of air conditioning vent controls.
Aside from the screen, the driver has access to the biggest head-up display we’ve come across. The rear row is left wanting for nothing, with ample leg room for adults owing to that titanic wheelbase.
Devices can be charged using a combination of wireless up front and USB-C ports front and rear. But the single biggest departure from M5’s of old comes in the form of the plug-in hybrid powertrain.
It’s drawn an understandably questionable response from BMW fans and commentators worldwide. Cognitive dissonance presents at a press of the red starter button, and the resulting silence that comes with electric startup in the default drive mode.
This did prove to be an asset during a certain early departure, a benefit that this car-person appreciated (as did the occupants at home). Interestingly, in EV mode it seems to either shift gears or the motor is modulated to feel that way.
It’s accentuated by BMW’s IconSound, which provides an “acoustic accompaniment to the workings of the electric motor”. In other words, there’s fake sound, but it’s not too bad for what it is.
Choosing Dynamic or Dynamic+ mode before startup results in a muted but exotic sounding exhaust note as the 4.4-litre twin turbo V8 comes to life. When driven in any type of anger its combination with turbo spool is a true feast for the senses.
It’s the by-product of a combined 534kW and 1000Nm, undisputedly large numbers. But it’s the way that power becomes available that is most exciting, and it owes in part to the 145kW/280Nm electric motor that sits within the gearbox.
It feeds off an 18.6kW battery for an electric range of 69km at speeds of up to 140km/h, or when in concert with the petrol engine, provides supercar levels of performance. With traction control disengaged and Dynamic mode selected, you can utilise launch control.
A firm foot on each of the two pedals engages the track-friendly function, while releasing the brake sees the staggered 295 and 285 section rubber scramble for traction, before throwing occupants into their seats and propelling the 2435kg M5 into the horizon.
It dispatches 100km/h in 3.5 seconds on the way to a 305Km/h top speed. The ferocity that presents is the best kind of wrong for a sedan of this size. Now prodigious straight-line performance is one thing, but you’d be forgiven for thinking this is a one trick pony.
Surely all that heft and size couldn’t translate into anything positive when a bend presents, right? We can tell you it’s simply not the case. The way the M5 shrinks around the driver is a true credit to BMW’s engineering team.
Adaptive M suspension with electric damper adjustability, combined with the 4-wheel-steering system sees sharp turn in, mid-corner stability and stratospheric all-wheel drive characteristic exit pace.
There’s no way that even an accomplished driver could explore anywhere beyond 7/10ths on a public road, nor should they try if they appreciate their license. The by-product of this focused performance is that even the softest ride settings can be described as firm.
On the freeway, it’s far more composed, other than tyre roar from course-chip bitumen. This gave reason to choose our favourite playlist via wireless Apple CarPlay (Android Auto is available) and turn up the excellent 18-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system.
Afterall, one could have a garden-variety 5 Series if comfort was the priority. Generally, this writer would make a passing comment about fuel consumption in such a car, because, who cares? Nothing really prepared me for the figures I saw though.
During a 60/40 blend towards city driving in the M5, it averaged 10.9-litres/100km throughout the week, and a jaw dropping 7.5-litres/100km on a 300km return trip from Sydney to the Southern Highlands.
Take a moment to look back at the performance figures earlier in the article, and then re-read those numbers. There’s a long list of safety features too. As expected, calibrations across functions like lane keep assist were well refined and unintrusive.
Starting from $259,000 plus on-roads, it’s a steep ticket price. But for the lucky few, it blends non-descript and frugal city driving with supercar-smile inducing performance. The 2025 BMW M5 going PHEV isn’t a disappointment either.
In fact, it’s the reason why I now believe hybrid powertrains have a place in performance cars. Yes, it adds weight, and it will be use-case dependent. But it’s changed the way this petrol-head thinks.
You can find out more on the BMW Australia website or from your local dealership. To get a low rate finance quote, talk to Australia’s best reviewed car finance broker; Credit One. To see a great range of vehicles for sale, check out OnlyCars.com.au.
Our test vehicle was provided by BMW Australia for independent review purposes.
