BMW M5 2018 Review

Same, but different

The BMW M5 treads a decidedly different path to most performance weaponry.

Whereas go-fast icons including Porsche's 911 and Chevrolet's Corvette have typically stuck (with a few exceptions) to proven cylinder counts and evolutionary design change – in a bid to stay true to their originals – Munich’s bahnstormer has been much more experimental.

Over the past couple of decades, the BMW M5 has toyed with inline six, V8 and V10 powerplants, to varying success. In some ways, it’s almost as though BMW has been searching for the perfect balance.

In the new F90 BMW M5 launched in Australia this week, BMW has undoubtedly struck the right formula with a twin-turbo V8, clever underbody wizardry and, controversially, all-wheel drive.

The resulting proposition boasts an uncanny ability to infuse the luxury and cache familiar to 5 Series owners with the sort of performance that ensures the BMW M5 keeps pace with some of the fastest machines on the planet.

Simply, the F90 is M5 personified. But you probably already knew that; it has already received our glowing endorsement at its international launch and was just named the 2017 World Performance Car of the Year.

The new BMW M5 is good, no doubt. Is it the best yet?

What do you get?

The M5 arrives in Australia priced from $199,990 plus on-road costs. At that price, it is almost $15,000 more than the cheapest version of fast-ageing F10 predecessor, but considerably cheaper than its most direct rivals, the Mercedes-AMG E 63 (from $209,611) and Audi RS 6 ($248,726).

BMW justifies the price increase with a host of new standard features including wireless phone charging, a carbon roof, head-up display tailored by the M division, 20-inch alloy wheels (275/35 R20 section front and 285/35 R20 section rear tyres), LED headlights with selective beam, LED DRLs and much more.

Where the latest BMW M5 really makes its mark is under the skin. A reworked version of the M division’s 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 now generates 441kW of power at 7600rpm and 750Nm of torque between 1800rpm and 5600rpm.

It drives all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission to propel the high-tech German sedan to 100km/h in just 3.4 seconds, and onwards to 305km/h with the optional M Driver’s Package. It also sounds the goods, thanks to the standard fitment of a sports exhaust.

Visually, the BMW M5 can be distinguished by what is best described as an understated yet effective aero package comprising revised wing mirrors, larger front air intakes and a deeper rear diffuser combined with trademarked quad exhaust outlets (at least some things never change).

Merino leather seat trim and multi-function M electrically adjustable sport seats with illuminated M5 logos are standard inside, as is a Walknappa leather-covered instrument panel. Anthracite is used for the roof-liner.

On the safety front, the BMW M5 incorporates active cruise control with stop/go functionality for traffic jams, steering and lane control assist, evasion aid, autonomous emergency braking and front/rear cameras -- essentially allowing the car to control itself for up to 30 seconds at a time.

Predictably, there are options aplenty, as outlined in our pricing story. In honesty, some of these are simply ludicrous considering the $200,000 outlay. Apple CarPlay as an option? Tell ‘em they’re dreamin’…

The M5 is backed by an average three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and is available with BMW’s condition-based servicing schedule, designed to keep costs down.

Cultured cruiser

The updated BMW M5 is one of those cars that genuinely captures your attention from the moment you swing a leg over its brushed aluminium door sill – no mean feat, since we haven’t been able to genuinely say that about a BMW M car for some time.

The styling and presentation of the cabin is first class. From the luxo materials, premium displays and integration of the technology to the colours and lighting – this is a performance car that would feel right at home among purveyors of the fussiest variety.

Of particular note is the M5’s new gear shifter, its revised steering wheel design and the plethora of digital displays, including the instrument cluster, climate control suite and infotainment system.

As ever, the devil is in the detail, though: the BMW M5 we drove is dripping with options amounting to an extra $30,000.

The M5’s surfeit of riches suggests it might be a handful in regular driving. You know, all the usual hallmarks: tepid throttle response, lurchy transmission, heavy steering and stilted ride.

Thankfully, the reality couldn’t be starker. The M5 breathes easy in regular driving, softly separating occupants from bumps in the road and offering an enjoyable experience at the hands of any driver.

It delivers the kind of feedback and accuracy of hydraulic BMW steering racks of old. There’s an added artificialness mixed in, but for a modern electric system, it feels the goods.

The BMW M5’s sporty premise isn’t completely infallible; the ride yields some firmness over pitter-patter bumps, jolting occasionally over sharper undulations, and the twin-turbo V8 will do zero to jail time in an instant with no turbo lag – even in efficiency mode.

But the combination of clever adaptive dampers and renewed noise insulation has done wonders to the car’s everyday amenity.

All-wheel drive is another boon (surprisingly) for the driver. Along narrow, single-lane backroads on the outskirts of Melbourne, the system operates benignly to offer a rear-biassed feel, shuffling power to front wheels only when necessary.

Another improvement is around fuel use, as the claimed 10.5L/100km mileage is achievable when you’re dollying about town.

Equally, the car’s throttle response is effortless, the engine working harmoniously with the much improved automatic gearbox to deliver a calm and resolved wave of torque that is devoid of any turbo lag or hesitation in daily conveyance.

The BMW M5’s generates acres of power and torque early in its rev range, presenting barely any semblance of delay. Once the electronic parameters are met, the engine is quick to rev out to its meaty mid-range, signing off just above 6500rpm, just before its 7000rpm cutout.

Track tamer

Most BMW M5s of old are best described as lead-tipped arrows when driven in anger, a reflection of their large, heavy, front-engined layout.

That sentiment cannot be extended to the F90. No, it’s much more capable, endowed with a wider breath of ability not only on the road, but the track.

At the national launch at Sandown Raceway, the trouble wasn’t garnering speed from the engine, it was trying to give the car in front, a BMW M4 GTS driven by Bathurst winner Steven Richards, enough breathing space – at least in a straight line.

Along the back straight at Sandown, yours truly was forced to lift no less than two times in order to let Mr Richards loose in front. At speeds exceeding 200km/h, the M5 sits remarkably flat and poised, and it washes off speed adeptly thanks to the use of carbon-ceramic brakes (optional, naturally).

But it’s no one-trick pony. Through the corners, the M5 had no trouble keeping up with the GTS – BMW’s most track-focussed model ever – despite its size and weight disadvantage.

The irony here is the F90’s brilliant ability to shrink-wrap itself around the driver to feel much smaller and nimble than it actually is.

The turn-in response, mid-corner poise and mechanical grip truly belie the M5’s five-metre length and 1855kg kerb mass. And when pushed, the all-wheel drive system chimes in with a swiftness and composure that boosts driver confidence.

The M xDrive AWD system leverages hardware from BMW’s SUVs in terms of the mechanical centre transfer case but pairs this with a super-fast computer controller and an electronically-controlled torque vectoring M Differential.

M xDrive offers three modes: 4WD, 4WD Sport and 2WD. These are ‘mapped’ to different stability control settings, from normal to MDM (M Dynamic Mode) and good old-fashioned OFF.

Thankfully, the BMW M5 hasn’t lost its penchant for shredding rear tyres. In 4WD Sport ‘MDM’ mode, the electronic nannies will give you enough leeway for a fleeting sideways flick, before reining everything back in.

Going the full monty involves flicking the car to ‘2WD’ mode, a setting that can only be engaged with the electronic systems turned off. At this point, the M5 will happily become a playful tyre-shredder, destroying its rear rubber at will to a chorus of white smoke and sonorous V8 sound.

Verdict

No question, this is the performance car that genuinely reaffirms BMW’s legendary M division.

Besides the universally loved BMW M2 Coupe, you’d probably need to go back to the E90 M3 of the late noughties to find a similar precedent.

As for previous BMW M5 benchmarks? The F90 arguably exceeds all of them. The aspirational, uber sports sedan is such once again. Now, cue the comparison with the Mercedes-AMG E 63…