BMW Group Malaysia, the official distributor of BMW and MINI cars in the country, launched the new BMW M5 during the BMW M Track Experience 2018 at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) recently.
Since the introduction of the M5, in 1985, the car has always featured a rear-wheel-drive drivetrain.
As the M5 progresses to its sixth generation, the supersedan has gone all-wheel-drive with a massive 600hp.
We had the opportunity to test the powerful premium business sedan on track.
The new BMW M5 is powered by a 4.4-litre BMW M TwinPower Turbo V8 engine mated to eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic technology.
It provides 600hp at 5,600 to 6,700rpm and a torque of 750Nm from 1,800 to 5,600 rpm.
BMW claims that the M5 can complete the century sprint in 3.4 seconds and has a top speed limited to 250kph. It has a fuel consumption rating of 10.5 litres per 100 km (l/100km).
The car measures in at 4,965mm in length, with a width of 1,903mm and height of 1,473mm. The M5 weighs 1,855kg, and has a fuel tank capacity of 76 litres as well as 530 litres of boot space.
Compared to the seventh generation, or G30 5 series, the F90 M5 has a chassis upgrade, a M Servotronic steering system that includes three driving modes (Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus), adaptive M suspension, additional steel X-brace, aluminium transverse strut, stiffer mounts, firmer anti-roll bars and many more.
The standard BMW M5 is equipped with ambient lighting, four-zone climate control, heads-up display, 10.25-inch navigation system with BMW gesture control, BMW ConnectedDrive services, 16-speaker Harman Kardon surround sound system, aluminium carbon and dark chrome trims, Aragon brown/black Merino leather upholstery and front powered leather bucket seats with memory function.
As for safety features, the M5 is equipped with dynamic stability control, automatic stability control, dynamic brake control, cornering brake control, active cruise control, anti-lock-braking system, M dynamic mode, flat tyre indicator, lane departure warning, eight airbags and Isofix child seat mounting points, among others.
There is also the Performance Pack for RM30,000, which includes a carbon-fibre engine cover, M seat belts, and M Sport exhaust system.
Apart from that, the company offers the Advance Safety Pack for RM15,000, which comes with Driving Assistant Plus to enhance the standard safety features.
Last but not least, there is also the Premium Entertainment Pack for RM55,000. It upgrades the Harman Kardon sound system to a Bowers and Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System, and installs a rear-seat entertainment professional system for the rear occupants.
Three colour options are available — Marina Bay Blue metallic, Donington Grey metallic and the Singapore Grey metallic.
The F90 BMW M5 is priced at RM942,759.86 on-the-road, excluding insurance. It has a five-year unlimited mileage warranty with free scheduled service programme, two-year tyre warranty programme for its run flat tyres, BMW roadside assistance and accident hotline, BMW Group Loyalty+ mobile app — BMW White Card Elite and BMW Service online.
THE DRIVE
We drove the new BMW M5 for four laps and was blown away by its performance.
The looks of the F90 M5 can be deceiving: if one removes all of the M5 and M badges, it looks like a slightly aggressive G30 5-series.
Nevertheless, it is a totally different machine when you are behind the wheels. It is a fun, powerful, agile supersedan disguised as a business sedan.
Getting in the M5 feels more like getting into a 7-series, being more lavish than a 5-series.
The steering wheel has two red M buttons labelled M1 and M2 located right in front of the paddle shifters that gives the driver a quicker access to the preset drive modes.
From the exit of turn 15 to the first corner of the SIC, the BMW M5 has no issues dashing to its limited top speed of 250kph. The engine and exhaust roars loudly as the rev meter touches the red line even in the normal 4WD mode. In the 4WD Sport mode, the exhaust sounds even louder.
The eight-speed M Steptronic transmission shifts its gears smoothly and quickly. With the Drivelogic system, it allows the driver to change from an efficient and comfortable drive, to a faster and shorter shift times which is useful on a race track.
On the corners, the M5 sits tightly throughout the corners in 4WD mode, is very easy to control, and provides an accurate feedback on the road conditions, as well as the wheel direction.
Switch it to the 4WD Sport mode, and the system delays and softens the intervention of the stability control, as well as the engagement of the driving force to the front wheels.
In this mode, we get more sideways fun, thanks to the engine’s enormous torque and the system sending more torque to the rear wheels for some controlled drifting fun.
With some throttle input, it is easy to get the M5 sliding.
Nonetheless, the front wheels will engage and straighten out the car at the crucial moment. Overall, the M5 is a supersedan with well-balanced and communicative handling that is fun to drive.
This new M5 allows the driver to fully disable both the stability control and the drive to the front wheels, to switch it to a pure rear-wheel-drive mode. Due to the time constraint, we didn’t get a chance to try that on track.
There is generous space in the M5, it provides plenty of shoulder room, knee room, elbow room and head room. The bucket seats are comfortable and hug the occupants securely during corners.
Overall, we find that the M5 is dynamic, fun, powerful and luxurious supersedan, with the only obstacle being the steep price of entry to own BMW’s ultimate 5-series sedan.