BMW M5 Nighthawk 2015 Review

To tell you the truth, I’m still coming down from the high of putting some serious, sinuous road kilometres in with the BMW M5 30 Jahre last year .

As well as upping the equipment levels, BMW added still-more grunt to the 30 Jahre, along with some further dynamic and electronic system tuning. It was an incredible, multi-faceted companion.

For 2015, the BMW M5 Nighthawk sits alongside the White Shadow at the top of the M5 price list. But for these special-editions there are no dynamic tweaks to speak of.

Instead, they are more about status, with bespoke appearances as unique as the 10-run build of each we will see in Australia.

Priced at $235,930 when the regular production M5 – with standard Competition Package, remember – costs $229,540, the sinister Nighthawk shares that car’s engineering… not that 423kW, 680Nm, an Active M Differential, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and electronic damper control is anything to sneeze at.

Purchasers have the option of ‘frozen’ matte or metallic black paintwork and there’s copious carbon-fibre finishes; to interior trims, gear shifter and exterior mirror caps, for the first time in the M5.

Sitting on black 20-inch M Double Spoke alloys, the Nighthawk also gains full Merino leather upholstery – to the gorgeous M multifunctional seats and including the instrument panel – and nice touches such as four-zone climate, glass sunroof, TV functionality and Alcantara roof lining.

There’s a real love it or hate it mentality when it comes to BMW’s frozen finishes. It’s a debate that’s been brought afresh by our posting of the tested car on Facebook, awaiting its Sandown Park Raceway workout.

Personally, I like the matte look of this Nighthawk, especially with the deep terracotta interior trim. The carbon touches also provide a lift to what is now an ageing, though still pleasant, interior.

Before venturing onto the circuit there’s time to watch the Nighthawk lap in unison with the cut-price M5 Pure edition that’s also new to BMW showrooms you can click through to pricing and spec details.

Off the bat there is a couple of things evident, they both make the right V8 noises at low-rpm, but the Nighthawk’s Competition Pack exhaust is rowdier. Also, under braking for Sandown’s first left-hander, where the M5s approach at over 220km/h, the added grip and stability of the Nighthawk is demonstrated by its ability to brake nearer its limits without the tell-tale flashing tail-lights indicating the threshold is approaching.

Where the V8 has some external voice, the interior-piped soundtrack is similar to the M4’s six-cylinder unit in its artificiality. Its sounds like a warped computer sound file interpretation of what a turbocharged V8 should sound like and remains a sticking point on what is otherwise an astonishingly fast muscle car.

On the circuit, the full manual mode available in the dual-clutch transmission is demanded, though its long gearing means that even on the long Sandown straights you might just need five of the seven available gears. Actually, given the torque, most of the circuit can be accomplished in third and fourth gear, with occasional slips back to second keeping the turbos happily spinning.

Even with the Competition Pack and less power than the 30 Jahre of 2014, the Nighthawk still feels immense in its torque delivery, easily overcoming the rear tyres. As a result the stability control works overtime, through third and fourth gear, even in M Dynamic mode, thanks to the straight-line bumps in Sandown’s surface. There’s simply too much poke for the rear axle to handle.

Once you’ve lit the wick and felt it explode, it’s reassuring that the braking system hauls the big Beemer down with reasonable reliability... at least early on. And though the pedal grows long with sustained hard use (sapping confidence), and there’s the odd sensation of ABS pulsing as it struggles with sheer mass, it’s impressive that the M5 can take such punishment for such a sustained period; you’d be hard-pressed to reach its tolerance on the road.

Mass is also felt through the M5’s turn-in phase, where the nose is delayed momentarily before tacking towards your intended steering trajectory. The larger M5 lacks the razor-sharp turn of the M4, but again – given its size, weight and comfort levels – remains impressive and will quickly edge towards neutrality once throttle is applied.

Despite its sheer rarity, those gorgeous seats and the carbon-fibre trim add up to a package that is worth the extra spend over the regular M5.

Whether or not it’s worth $45K more than the less-powerful, lower-specified Pure is up to personal preference, but the Nighthawk is the big daddy for those after the full M5 experience... unless you can still find a 30 Jahre.