M5 legend blends old and new

Photo: Richard Bosselman

ROAD TEST

It's a new era, and this is no error.

That’s the message from BMW on why it has chosen to configure the latest version of a famous performance weapon, the M5, with plug-in hybrid power.

As much as the fanbase might have mixed views about why this super sedan had to change, they can be reassured of one factor. That for all the new degree of good electric brings out, this machine is still fabulously bad.

Yes, you might think the engine — still a V8, mind — sounds a bit flat and reckon that the car, as a whole, is right at the outer edge in terms of complexity. On the other hand, the M5 remains a technical titan and still has a full out "driver’s car" feel.

And there’s definite wonderment from discovering that, yes, it can actually be economical (for an M5). Plus it looks fantastic, not least in the test car’s surely high-fuss Frozen Gray paint.

This latest M5 is a fascinating blend of old and new. V8 petrol is all about thunderous, thumping thrust ... but historically is never great for thrift. And, in respect to emissions? Don’t even go there.

Photo: Richard Bosselman

Electric delivers power aplenty, but is often damned for lacking soul. Plus, the harder you go, the faster it depletes. If full-on is your driving style, even the biggest batteries struggle to meet demand.

For 40 years, since the original E28 version was launched using the 3.5-litre straight-six engine from the BMW M1, the M5 has ruled the high-performance sedan world by drawing energy from petrol alone. Yet it quite simply cannot survive in the here-and-now without heading down a different path.

The beating heart of the beast offers familiarity with a twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine that on its own musters up to 436kW of power and 750Nm of torque, the latter from just 1800rpm. The trick this time round is that it operates in conjunction with a 145kW and 280Nm electric motor mounted inside the car’s ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox. Maximum power and torque figures when the petrol engine and electric motor are operating in full accord are 535kW and 1000Nm.

As much as keeping the serious petrol engine and adding serious electric involvement, with plug-in recharging, is a new turn, at least there are still eight cylinders for a car that otherwise continues very much as it always has, on its own terms, laying down its own "supercar in a sedan body" lore.

With its electric motor powered by an 18.6kWh battery, this M5 can purportedly run for close to 70km on electricity alone, tipping a useful wink to eco awareness. The primary point of the electric assistance, though, is to make the M5 even faster, even more accelerative and even more stomping than before.

Fully unleashed it is breathtakingly brutal, yet at the same time as it claims a 0-100kmh sprint time of 3.5secs, BMW can also "hand on heart" say the M5 is capable of returning a fuel consumption of 1.7 litres per 100km. The smaller print with this figure from the official WLTP test, is that to stand any chance of seeing it involves keeping its battery topped up all the time and adhering very strictly to the testing protocol. Not likely? In which case, the more relevant count might be the depleted battery consumption figure, of 10.3 litres per 100km.

I saw something near that on test. I also saw old historic habit, with instant return results in the 20s. Well, it’s an M5.

Photo: Richard Bosselman

Driving it for reasonable distance at relevant speeds in pure electric was always possible during the whole week of test, all the same. It all comes down to how well you acquaint yourself with the car’s operating options.

As simple as it is to set up shortcuts to allow it to be either an angel or a demon at the press of a button, it is nonetheless a highly complex car. There are so many permutations.

As much as the M5 is very obviously a hotted-up version of the brand’s regular 5-Series/i5, it nonetheless presents as something far more special; a precise and involving weapon.

With the cabin, the performance thematic demands a red engine stop-start button, and BMW M Sport red, blue and purple flashes everywhere you look, from the touchscreen to the fabric of the seatbelts to the little illuminated logos inset into the front bucket seats. Being an M it also gets carbon-fibre galore.

The cabin proper is roomy and comfortable; anyone brave enough to ride along in this rocket will find decent head and legroom in the back. Overall quality is extremely good.

The big feature is of course that massive, curved twin-screen digital layout atop the dashboard — 31cm for the instrument display, and 38cm for the infotainment screen. M5s are not in any way "soft" cars, but the ride is very firm. On the move, jolting means the click-wheel "iDrive" controller is your go-to. Try stabbing at a screen and the chance of hitting the wrong prompts is high.

The car’s M-ness in respect to operability means it has paddle shifters in carbon fibre, M1 and M2 memory buttons on the steering wheels and buttons on the centre console that trigger "road", "sport" and "race" modes. The first two are legitimate for public environs. The latter really not.

Fiddling with the driving modes also changes the suspension firmness, the steering weight, the throttle response, and whether you want extra snappy responses from the eight-speed automatic gearbox. On top of this, you can sort the instruments in multiple ways, all with M-specific graphics and details.

Photo: Richard Bosselman

I also set up the memory buttons for two extremes of operability; the first was basically tailored towards as extreme performance as I dared — so, basically, a lot of settings in sport and sport plus — and the latter was for relaxed hybrid-rich driving mode, which of course is the new territory.

As new as an M5 with ability to run wholly in electric is, even when it is pulling fully or mainly from the battery, it still feels brisker than any everyday EV. The only commonality is that it is totally quiet.

I found I could escape our sub-division wholly in electric mode and then involve the engine coming up to the 100kmh sector our lane feeds into.

You would wonder if this might be a bit of a stress for the engine, not least given this would be an engagement coming at the start of day, but BMW’s engineers have clearly thought about that and refined the drivetrain accordingly so that the engine isn’t rudely awakened from dormancy. Even then, the engagement is pretty seamless; you are more aware of the engine’s background roar as it awakens rather than any jolting as two become one. Once the engine warms, it is even smoother.

The engineering is pretty amazing, really. Another neat tweak is that it will pre-position in a gear to allow it to deliver a punch of 450Nm of torque for brief periods, if that is all you want.

You can also charge the battery pack as you drive. That’s worth considering because the car can only charge at up to 7kW on AC power, it takes hours to replenish.

In briefing for the M5, M boss Franciscus van Meel admitted a multitude of options were considered — including smaller engines with fewer cylinders and a non-plug-in hybrid system — before concluding the V8 was integral to the appeal of the car and that a useful electric range was desirable in Europe especially.

The challenge from then was to make the hybrid system powerful enough, and the chassis of the M5 competent enough, to overcome the significant weight gain of a plug-in hybrid system — some 500kg.

Photo: Richard Bosselman

The car’s mass is significant at 2510kg. That’s a full-on SUV count for a four-door sedan, whose heritage has been built on not just massive "kapow", but also scalpel-sharp handling and precision.

Conceivably, the kilo count is why it has so much wallop, but to be fair, the car carries its tonnage really well. Yes, there are occasions when you are aware of it being a giant paperweight, but unlike the heavier-again XM, it escapes feeling ponderous and, when driving hard, it still feels fleet and intuitive. The mass is only really noticeable when braking hard and, even then, the car keeps very good balance and turn-in.

What you become grateful for is how well planted and resolutely stable it feels. Even when surfaces are poor and the ride is set to the almost circuit-tuned sport plus mode it doesn’t jump around.

Fans of predecessor M5s will be pleased the V8 is still able to sound off loudly, with a satisfying snarl at lower revolutions, but be disappointed it lacks the jagged chatter of the old mill. They could well also need convincing about why a car that was complex enough in previous forms is much, much more so now.

Even so, the M5 is a legend. There’s nothing to say this one is not worthy of the badge.