BMW M5

BMW offers three distinctively different high-quality leather upholstery options in the M5 – Merino Black, Merino Aragon Brown and Black and Merino Silverstone with Black, all of which come with M interior trim finishers in aluminium carbon theme with chrome inserts. The cabin exudes quality of the highest order, which along with the contrast stitching over the seats, steering wheel and door panels, further adds a fine sense of sportiness around the cabin.

As expected, the dashboard layout of the BMW M5 is the same as that of the regular 5-Series, with the three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel, full-TFT instrument console and a driver-facing centre console. The M5 has a large trapezoidal touchscreen infotainment system at the top and a hexagonal two-part lower centre console with AC vents in the upper housing and buttons for audio and four-zone automatic climate control below it.

However, to make the occupants in the cabin feel more exclusive, especially the person behind the steering wheel, the BMW M5 gets M multi-functional sports seats with illuminated M5 logos, an M leather steering wheel, a red finish for the engine start-stop button, M mode switches and lower centre console inserts. The cabin also gets an M gear selector switch, carbon fibre texture around the transmission lever, M specific instrument console with a dedicated track mode of display and door sill finishers with M5 Competition logos. In the track mode, the instrument console displays boost pressure, tyre pressure levels and G-force of lateral and longitudinal acceleration.

Like in the previous-generation models, this particular version of the BMW M5 is a sportier-looking version of the regular 5-Series sedan, with a host of minor tweaks and elements contributing to its overall appearance. Despite the minimalism in the changes, the BMW M5 looks well-distinguished and has the aura of a performance car.

At the front, the BMW M5 has a one-piece M kidney grille, which has flap-type M three-dimensional double vertical slats and is finished in a gloss black theme.  Other visually distinctive elements over the regular 5-Series include a black M5 Competition logo and sportier-looking air dams in the middle and sides of the front bumper. The horizontally-laid headlamps placed adjacent to the grille feature laser LED illumination with double L-shaped daytime running LEDs.

The side profile of the BMW M5 looks very similar to the 5-Series, but there are a couple of visual differentiators here as well. The ground clearance is a bit lower, while both the variants of the M5 have 20-inch M lightweight alloy wheels, the patterns of which differ in both of them. The BMW M5 also has a gloss black finish for the M side gills on the front fenders and outside rearview mirrors, both of which are designed to enhance the overall aerodynamics of the car.

The rear profile of the BMW M5 also has a few minor but easily-visible changes and add-ons, which include a slim M rear spoiler over the boot lid, dual M-specific tailpipes on either side and a massive diffuser surrounding the exhaust ports. All these elements at the rear have a gloss-black finish to them.

The BMW M5 is a proper driver’s delight with a high-order chassis setup, which has been engineered to offer an impeccable and uncompromised driving experience. The BMW M5 has M xDrive all-wheel drive system with active M differential and drive modes like 4WD, 4WD Sport and 2WD (in DSC mode). The lower centre console has an M Mode button, using which one can toggle between multiple drive modes on offer – road, sport and track.

The M setup of the M5 fine-tunes the dynamics of the car further, with well-tuned and differentiated settings for the engine, transmission, steering and damper characteristics. Adding more drama to the driving dynamics setup of the M5 are M Servotronic steering with two settings, M Compound brakes with red callipers and M Sport exhaust system with Sport and Sport+ modes.

The BMW M5 is brought to life by a monstrous 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine, which is currently one of the most powerful engines from a European car maker. Paired with an 8-speed M Steptronic automatic transmission, this bonkers engine develops 630 PS of power and 750 Nm of torque, with the more premium M Competition variant claiming a higher 635 PS of maximum power output. BMW claims an electronically-restricted top speed of 250 kmph and 3.3 seconds for the 0-100 kmph sprint.

Along with the basics for a car of high cadre like the BMW M5, such as electronic stability control, traction control, ABS with EBD, adaptive headlamps and six airbags, the BMW M5 also features advanced driving aids like forward collision warning, lane departure warning, front automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, rear cross-traffic alert, blind spot monitoring and automatic high beams.

The seventh-gen 5-Series-based BMW M5 follows the tradition of offering more hardcore performance and driving dynamics over the already well-heeled regular 5-Series sedan.