Which BMW M5 Generation Was the Best?

Picking your favorite car isn’t easy, especially when the subject encompasses 40 years and seven entirely different models. But that’s what bar fights are for!

BMW first introduced the mighty M5 sedan in 1985, at the relatively inauspicious Amsterdam Motor Show (which is still going by the way; tickets are on sale now for April 19–22, 2025). That car caused quite a stir when it came out. Who can forget that cover of Automobile magazine? Whatever happened to that cover model, anyway?

When BMW introduced its US-spec Touring model of the new M5 at Pebble Beach two weeks ago, it also rolled out all six previous M5 sedans as a lead-in. As event emcee Justin Bell read off stats, each model rolled over the ramp at the famed location, the first cars to do so for 2024. And each one brought back a slew of memories. Maybe you have a few.

But which M5 was best? Read on and decide.

M5 #1, the E28, 1988

Specs: 256-hp, 243-lb-ft 3.5-liter inline-six; 0–60 mph in 6.3 seconds; top speed 147 mph

This was the car that changed cars forever. Before the M5, sedans were large, heavy floaty things meant to take ad execs to work and three-martini lunches. When BMW introduced the first M5, sedans suddenly became as much fun to drive as the sporty coupes and roadsters before them, except that you were ensconced in a full-sized cabin with enough room for five people and a trunk full of luggage. Practicality finally met performance, and we have been better off for it since.

In 1988, it cost $48,270—the equivalent of $131,570 today.

Justin Bell described the era of the car’s launch (production started in 1984, though North America didn’t get it until the 1988 model year): Blockbuster movies include Die Hard, Coming to America, and Beetlejuice. Youngsters wore shoulder pads, track suits, and Nike Air Maxes for the very first time. And there was hair, so much hair...

Justin Bell on the first M5: “A super sedan that offered performance born from motorsports without sacrificing practicality.”

M5 #2, the E34, 1991–93

Specs: 310-hp 265-lb-ft 3.5-liter, then (outside of North America from 1992–95) 335-hp 295-lb-ft 3.8-liter inline-six; 0–60 mph in 5.6 seconds; top speed 155 mph

Using an evolution of the previous straight-six, which itself was taken from the mighty M1, this model offered 335 peak horsepower overseas. Its 0–60 time dropped from 6.3 to under six seconds. Hand-built at the M Werks in Garching, this would become one of the most sought-after M5s ever. It had first a five-speed, then a six-speed manual transmission and an electronically adjustable suspension. It was also the first M5 available as a wagon, or Touring model, though that version was never sold in the US.

It cost $56,600 in 1991, or over $136,000 in today’s dollars.

Emcee Justin Bell’s notes on the times into which this one was launched: “The World Wide Web was just getting started, and ‘notebooks’ had taken on a new meaning, with the first laptops being introduced to the market. Tina Turner topped the charts with ‘Simply the Best’—she could have been talking about the M5.”

M5 #3, the E39, 2000–03

Specs: 394-hp 368-lb-ft 4.9-liter V8; 0–60 mph in under five seconds; top speed 155 mph

The first M5 with a V8, the E39 featured individual throttle bodies for each cylinder, an arrangement shared with the Z8 roadster. It was the most powerful engine in the BMW lineup at the time. Car and Driver called it “the most desirable sedan in the world,” and they were right.

It offered a few technological leaps too, including a progressive redline to keep owners from over-revving their beasts after cold starts, as well as luxury features we take for granted now, such as dual-zone automatic climate control, head-protection air bags, and even satellite navigation.

This car cost just about $73,875 when new, or $135,730 in today’s money.

Signs of the times: Tiger Woods had just become a household name, people were wearing bucket hats and wedge sandals, and kids were playing a game called Snake on their Nokia phones, or trading Pokémon cards. This M5 even starred with Madonna and Clive Owen in the BMW film The Hire: Star.

M5 #4, the E60, 2006–10

Specs: 500-hp, 383-lb-ft 5.0-liter V10; 0–60 mph in 4.1 seconds (R&T); top speed 190 mph with M package

This was during the time all the F1 teams had V10 engines, so of course the E60 M5 had to have a V10 too, the first ever in a production car. Redline was a then-unheard-of 8,250 rpm. The E60’s block came from the same foundry that cast blocks for F1 engines. It was mated to a seven-speed paddle-shift sequential manual gearbox, inspired by the one the BMW Sauber F1 team used. The car also had adaptive suspension.

It even looked distinct from the outside, more so than previous M5s. Compared with the regular contemporary 5-Series, it had new front and rear clips, a 0.9-inch-wider front track, its own vents on the sides, new M alloy wheels, and four tailpipes for the sports exhaust system. The Chris Bangle design at first polarized opinion but soon developed into what BMW called a character car with high recognition value.

This one, too, came as a Touring, or wagon, but not for us.

The price when new was $85,595, or $135,428 today.

Around the time it arrived, the first tweet was sent on Twitter, and Pixar released Cars.

M5 #5, the F10, 2013–16

Specs: 560-hp, 500-lb-ft 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8; 0–60 mph in under 4.4 seconds; top speed 190 mph with M Drivers package

How do you top a V10? Simple: by making a V8 with more power. Upon its debut, this one produced 560 hp between 6,000 and 7,000 rpm. With available 20-inch Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires and an Active M Differential distributing torque between the rear wheels, the car managed a Nürburgring lap time of 7:55.

In 2014, BMW introduced the M5 Competition package, good for 575 peak hp, with revised bushings, springs, dampers, and anti-roll bars that lowered the car almost half an inch. The following year, a not-for-the-US Competition Edition came out with 600 hp and 516 lb-ft. In this generation’s final year of production, BMW made a 30th Anniversary M5 edition that made 600 hp. The F10 was almost 200 pounds heavier than the E60, though. Nothing’s perfect.

The price when new was $90,695, or $123,986 now.

Some cultural touchpoints for the time: The selfie was invented, and everyone was glued to their TV sets watching Breaking Bad.

M5 #6, the F90, 2018–23

Specs: 600-627-hp, 553-lb-ft 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8; 0–60 mph in 2.6–2.8 seconds; top speed 190 mph in Competition and CS trim

This edition M5 added BMW’s M xDrive all-wheel-drive system and saved a slight amount of weight compared with the previous model. That lowered its Nürburgring lap time to a remarkable 7:35.9 in Competition form. This car also set the Guinness World Record for the longest drift, at 232.5 miles.

BMW said the car “demonstrates the sovereignty of a business sedan with the dynamism and maximum performance of a high-performance sports car in the most compelling way.” Dynamism!

The M5 CS, introduced for 2022, goes even further. Thanks to two twin-scroll turbochargers, BMW’s High-Precision Injection and Valvetronic fully variable valve control, it makes 627 hp. Then, with its carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic hood, front splitter, exterior mirror caps, lip spoiler, and rear diffuser, it cuts curb weight down by a claimed 230 pounds compared with the M5 Competition of the same era. Driver and passengers ride in bucket seats, the better to survive the Nürburgring.

The price when new for a 2018 model was $104,595.

Cultural touchpoints? COVID hadn’t entered the lexicon at launch time, but an American had entered the British royal family.

M5 #7, the G90, 2024–

Specs: 717-hp, 738-lb-ft twin-turbocharged hybrid V8; 0–60 mph in 3.4 seconds (claimed); top speed 190 mph with Driver's package

This one is not in production yet, but 40 years on, it looks like BMW has made yet another promising M5. Again with the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8, now packing hybrid electric power to assist the internal combustion, this one makes 717 hp and 738 lb-ft. It sends that power and torque through the BMW xDrive AWD system to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic.

The electric motor adds 194 hp and up to 207 lb-ft of torque to the whole system and can hustle the BMW along without internal combustion for roughly 25 miles. Feeding that electric motor is a 14.8-kWh battery pack. All in all, this powertrain bests its predecessor by 117 hp and 185 lb-ft. The drawback to the hybrid powertrain is weight, with BMW saying this new M5 tips the scales at 5,390 pounds. Expect complaints about that. But adding a hybrid may have staved off some environmental concerns among the public and allowed us to keep getting an M5. So life’s full of tradeoffs.

This new M5 rides on a 118.3-inch wheelbase, which is slightly longer than the outgoing model. The car is also available as a wagon, or Touring, in BMW parlance, making kid hauling and camping trips downright thrilling.

The sticker price starts at $120,675, with the 2025 M5 Touring starting at over $122,675.

Cultural touchpoints? Just look around.

Matthew Skwarczek contributed to this report.