Yahoo Autos 2025 BMW M5 Prototype: The Flagship M Sedan Goes PHEV
On paper, the performance stats are underwhelming. Acceleration? The claimed zero-to-60-mph stunt is an ultra conservative 3.4-second romp (we blitzed 60 mph in 2.6 seconds with the 627-hp 2022 M5 CS). Top speed? 155 mph without the optional BMW Driver's package, 190 mph with it. Or the same as the previous generation. Horsepower? 717 ponies. Maximum torque? A total of 738 pound-feet churned up by the 577-hp twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 and the supplementary electric motor. An electric motor in the M5? Yep. Like the XM, the seventh-gen M5 is a plug-in hybrid. A 14.8-kWh underfloor lithium-ion battery powers a 194-hp motor housed within the eight-speed automatic. Fully charged, the new M5 can travel up to an estimated 25 miles on electricity alone. With a fully drained energy pack, however, fuel economy is unlikely to rise beyond the 17 mpg averaged by the nonhybrid predecessor.
We're on the Salzburgring circuit, a regional racetrack tucked away in the northern foothills of the Austrian Alps. With the right foot firmly planted and the driver's confidence meter fully charged, the vocal V-8 and its energetic sidekick produce relentless forward thrust. The digital speedometer reads 141 mph at the end of the flat-out uphill section before the charcoal ribbon slows to a corkscrew right-hander flanked by a vast gravel trap.
Taking off like a shot is one thing, maintaining the flow and managing the momentum is a different type of challenge altogether. That's where the substantial weight penalty enters the equation. With a factory-stated curb weight of 5390 pounds, the new M5 is over 1000 pounds heavier than the last M5 Competition we tested, a similar amount more than the last Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing to cross our scales, and roughly 700 more than the chunkier Audi RS7. Some of body fat is in part due to the larger dimensions, as this architecture also underpins the electric i5. The 2025 M5 eclipses the M5 Competition by 4.2 inches in length, 0.9 inch in wheelbase, 2.7 inches in width, and 1.6 inches in height. The tire width has increased by 10 millimeters and the wheels now measure 20 inches up front and 21 inches at the rear rather than 20-inchers all around as before.
The powertrain kicks off in Hybrid mode, but there are four others: Electric (good to 87 mph), eControl (BMW-speak for battery saver), Dynamic, and Dynamic Plus. On top of all this, one can individually adjust the throttle mapping, transmission, chassis, steering, brakes, all-wheel-drive system, and energy recovery. Other options include the M Dynamic competition driving mode (MDM), three levels of shift firmness, and the scalable stability-control system. Another layer of DNA calibrations lets you dial in the Road, Sport, and Track modes. On the Salzburgring, the preferred mix is Dynamic Plus, MDM, Track, and the transmission in manual for the most involving drive.
We're behind the pace car, a black M4 Competition xDrive, driven by powertrain expert Bernd Beubisch. The track is wet in places and damp in others. The deal is to complete two sets of five hot laps with a cool-down pit stop in between. Instructions come over the radio: "Don't switch off DSC, do not select 2WD. Instead, use 4WD Sport for the best handling balance. Enjoy! Over and out."
Although the 523-hp M4 enjoys a massive weight advantage over the M5, the latter is quicker off the mark. The smaller car gains ground under braking, through the chicane, and in the long high-speed corners where the big beast experiences more body roll and tire scrub. "Don't overdrive the front end," advises the squawking voice. "Instead, open up the steering early and make full use of the curbs as you power out of the Nockstein kink. It's a handful, this car, but it does stick, and it will pull through with a vengeance."
How does the new M5 compare to its predecessor? The initial impressions suggest that 4WD Sport permits a little more rear torque bias, the electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential feels more playful and progressive when you start pushing harder, the longer wheelbase and the wider track make for more tenacious roadholding. The biggest surprise and the key confidence-inspiring factors are the riveting front-end bite and the relentless cornering grip that follows. Credit a stiffer body structure, reinforced suspension mounts, a beefed up tower-to-bulkhead assembly, and a massive underhood crossbrace. Still, there's no denying that the new M5 is a big and heavy animal, commendably stable but somewhat less chuckable, a mammoth mix of mass and momentum, a car that wants to be steered with both hands rather than two fingers.
Three factors define the car's dynamic prowess. First, the M suspension, which uses steel springs and adaptive dampers, doesn't bother with active anti-roll bars. Another asset is the four-wheel steering, which is less interested in tightening the turning circle than in making this mighty mauler more malleable at the limit. Last but not least are the extra-cost carbon-ceramic brakes, which bring superior stopping power and muster all the stamina one could ask for.
After the lunch break, the Salzburgring presents itself in bone-dry condition—an invitation to test the launch-control feature. With the V-8 burbling at idle, a unique pre-gearing stage of the eight-speed M Steptronic transmission momentarily boosts the available take-off torque provided by the electric motor from 207 to 332 pound-feet. The initial action is thus 100 percent electric, but one blink of an eye later the combustion engine helps to summon the maximum aggregate energy. The accompanying soundtrack is dominated by the sonorous V-8, which boasts two electronically controlled exhaust flaps and four large-diameter tailpipes, with BMW IconicSounds generating a subtle synthetic backup.
After 10 laps, we just about got the hang of the new M5, but sadly that's when our time came to an end. The brief Salzburgring experience left us with mixed feelings. The blistering acceleration is an unquestionable strong point, but the weight issue is ever-present. Out of the M5, we hopped into the M4 CS, which we found far more rewarding. How come? Perhaps a circuit is the wrong habitat for a tech-stuffed biggie like the M5. Perhaps this car works better as an open-road high-speed cruiser. Or perhaps we simply have not seen the full talent spectrum of the new cream-of-the-crop 5-series just yet.
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