2025 BMW M5 Roars To Life With 717-HP Plug-in Hybrid V8

BMW’s most powerful M5 ever is here. The seventh-generation M5 sedan has been revealed ahead of market arrival for the 2025 model year, with the big change being a plug-in hybrid powertrain under the hood shared with the XM SUV. The other big news is an M5 Touring (wagon), which will be coming to the USA. But the wagon is still a few months away, and the focus for now is on the G90 M5 Sedan, which is based on the latest G30 BMW 5 Series and will go toe-to-toe with the forthcoming Mercedes-AMG E63 (also a plug-in hybrid). When it arrives, it’ll have an MSRP of $119,500, excluding destination, but before then, fans will be able to get up close to the car at next month’s 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Before we get into the details, let’s address the elephant in the room: at 5,390 lbs, the 2025 BMW M5 is 1,045 lbs heavier than the model it replaces. With that out of the way, let’s get to the rest.

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M’s Signature V8, Now With Plug-In Hybrid Power

Under the hood, the new M5 has a familiar 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 engine (codenamed S68B44T0), developing 577 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque on its own. To this, BMW bolts an M Hybrid drive system, with a 14.8-kWh battery feeding an electric motor in the transmission capable of an extra 194 hp and 207 lb-ft (with a pre-gearing system amplifying this to 332 lb-ft in the transmission). Cumulative outputs rest at 717 hp from 5,600-6,500 rpm and 738 lb-ft from 1,800-5,400 rpm, with a redline of 7,200 rpm. An eight-speed automatic and M xDrive all-wheel drive enable a 0-60 mph sprint of 3.4 seconds and a top speed of up to 190 mph when fitted with the optional M Driver’s Package. A newly developed sport exhaust system is present to enhance the noise of the super-sedan, emitting the eight-cylinder symphony through a quartet of four-inch-diameter tailpipes.

Additional refinements have been made to the M xDrive system and Active M Differential to cope with the hybrid system, with the torque capacity of the transfer case increased to cope with the new augmentations. But the M xDrive system remains mostly unchanged, including its variety of modes that give you everything from controlled aggression to ass-out hooligan:

• 4WD – the default setting, benign but still sporty
• 4WD Sport – rear-biased for sporty driving
• 2WD – accessible only through M Dynamic Mode, with DSC disengaged. Purely rear-wheel drive with no stability control intervention.

Hybrid Capabilities For Both Performance And Pragmatism

The battery is mounted low in the chassis to lower the center of gravity but still adds unsightly weight to the overall package. But the benefit of hybrid power is a boost under acceleration or the ability to travel on electric power alone for up to 25 miles (estimated). When not in use, the battery can also power various ancillaries to relieve this load from the engine and improve overall efficiency.

The system is a plug-in hybrid, with a charge port located on the front-left fender and a maximum charging rate of 7.4 kW. But unlike the XM, the M5 can use its engine to recharge the battery as a generator, allowing you access to the full gamut of 717 hp whenever needed. Additionally, between 20 and 90 mph, pulling and holding the left-hand shift lever for more than a second deploys “Boost Control,” a dollop of power in which the powertrain and chassis switch to their sportiest settings temporarily to unlock maximum ferocity.

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The new powertrain has five dedicated modes to control the battery levels, deployment, and choice of power source:

• Hybrid – This default setting allows a mix of both ICE and electric, providing the full 717 hp to the driver. But the amount sourced from either ICE or e-motor depends on the specific drive mode from the M Setup menu (the usual Comfort, Sport, Sport Plus, etc).
• Electric – Emissions-free driving up to 25 miles. V8 only engages when the throttle is pressed into kickdown or manual mode is selected.
• eControl – Maintains charge in the battery at a constant level, relying on the engine as a generator.
• Dynamic (optional) – Included as part of the M Drive Professional package, both ICE and electric systems are engaged, with cooling optimized for track driving. Engineered for sustained use on track.
• Dynamic Plus (optional) – Similar to Dynamic, but instead of prolonged use on track, this mode deploys maximum power for a brief stint, as one would when attempting to set a Nurburgring lap record.

Stiffened Chassis With Bespoke M Tuning

The CLAR architecture that underpins the new M5 is ubiquitous throughout BMW’s lineup, but get its own special upgrades for use here. M-specific bracing improves longitudinal and torsional stiffness with a package including a front shear panel connected to the spring towers and bulkhead, bespoke tower-to-front-end struts, and additional bracing in the center and rear sections of the engine bay. Underfloor bracing at the rear of the car turns the trunk into a structural element, and stiffer mountings for the suspension and steering components have increased torsional rigidity.

Double wishbone front and five-link rear suspension have been tuned specially for the M5, with model-specific kinematics and elastokinematics that BMW says make it neutral up to the limit and linear both up to and beyond that point. Additionally, large castor and kingpin angles with a lowered roll center are said to blend comfort and athleticism. Various components are made from aluminum, reducing unsprung mass. Adaptive M Suspension makes the most of the lightened components, minimizing roll through corners and maximizing grip by virtue of electromagnetic damper control.

Braking is handled by standard M Compound brakes with carbon ceramic items optional. Drilled discs at all corners measure 16.1 inches in diameter up front and 15.7 inches at the rear, with six-piston fixed and single-piston floating calipers, respectively, painted blue (standard), red, or black. The optional carbon ceramic setup reduces weight by 55 lbs while increasing the front discs to 16.5 inches in diameter and featuring gold-painted calipers. These are housed within staggered 20-/21-inch wheels in the Style 951 design.

The steering is BMW’s speed-sensitive M Servotronic setup on the front axle, with a rigid connection to the front axle subframe for better feedback and sharper responses. It’s an electronically power-assisted setup (EPAS) with varying degrees of assistance and weighting the driver can choose from. New to the M5, however, is Integral Active Steering – BMW speak for rear-axle steering, with up to 1.5 degrees of functionality to add stability at speed and maneuverability at low speeds.

M Styling Cues Outside And In

The new 5 Series is quite a looker, especially compared to BMW’s more contentious offerings. But the M5 dials the new design up to the max (until a CS arrives in a few years’ time) with flared arches and side skirts (wider overall by three inches at the front and 1.9 inches at the rear compared to the regular 5 Series), a new front bumper and model-specific grille, a rear diffuser housing quad tailpipes, a spoiler atop the trunk lid, and a new C-pillar treatment. As is the current design trend, darkened housings for the headlights and a darkened kidney grille dominate the front end, with the grille bearing a double bar running horizontally and sporting the M5 badge. Optionally, the grille surrounds can be illuminated.

At launch, BMW will offer 11 paint options, with one solid and ten metallic hues, but buyers will also have access to the BMW Individual paint palette. Highlights include:

• Isle of Man Green metallic
• Marina Bay Blue metallic
• Frozen Deep Grey metallic (matte finish)

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Sumptuous Luxury Meets Sport

The cabin sees the fitment of a new M steering wheel with a flat bottom and BMW tri-color stitching, with a red 12 o’clock marker for a sporty feel, but the standard heating contrasts this with a dose of luxury. Naturally, red M1 and M2 buttons let you jump to pre-programmed M drive modes, and the shift paddles behind the wheel have a new design. The seats are central to the experience of every M car, and here, they’re BMW’s M Multifunction Seats available in four shades as standard:

• Black Extended Merino Leather
• Silverstone/Black bi-color
• Red/Black bi-color
• Kyalami Orange/Black bi-color

From spring 2025, BMW will also add a new option of BMW Individual Full Merino Metallic leather trim in Black/Dark Violet bi-color and Taupe Grey/Deep Lagoon Pearl Effect bi-color. Each of these options is bathed in natural light thanks to the standard fitment of BMW’s Sky Lounge Panoramic Roof, measuring 32×33 inches. However, this can be swapped for an optional M Carbon Roof.

Based on the latest 5 Series, you get a slew of features like the BMW Interaction Bar on the dash, standard ambient lighting, and the latest BMW Curved Display, comprising a 12.3-inch instrumentation display and a 14.9-inch infotainment screen housed behind a single piece of curved glass. This runs BMW Operating System 8.5 (with over-the-air update functionality) and enables functionality like native app installation and even video streaming and gameplay when parked. But the gauges have an M-specific design, which includes M Shift Lights at the top of the display. A head-up display adds another layer of convenience and features its own specific M array of functions.