A far cry from the everyman hero that was the first-generation M5, the seventh-generation G90 M5 is a tech-heavy, modern-day supercar slayer. Kyle Kock got to feel the prowess of the latter on track…
Image: Peet Mocke
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What exactly constitutes a sleeper? Years ago, the answer would have been straightforward; a somewhat nondescript vehicle with a mighty engine and just the slightest of visual cues hinting of its performance potential – bar a few exceptions here and there. There are many vehicles that would have fitted the mould. But 40 years ago, there was nothing that epitomised the sleeper label quite like the BMW M5.
Although BMW had experimented with the 535i, then the fastest sedan available in many markets, including here in South Africa, it was only in 1984 that BMW M decided to shoehorn a revised version of the 3.5-litre naturally aspirated inline-six that had done service in the legendary M1 sportscar into a 5 Series, with a couple of tweaks here and there. If you didn’t have one with the optional and ostentatious-for-the-time M body kit, your M5 would have blended in with traffic effortlessly while still being able to give a 911 Carrera a hard time in just about every measurable performance test.
Fast forward to the present and I’m standing in the pit straight at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in Cape Town, awaiting my turn behind the wheel of one of the three seventh-generation M5s made available to media to drive around the track ahead of the fourth iteration of BMW’s M Fest here in SA. Unlike the first three M5s, this one visually flaunts its intent and ability by way of massive vents up front, with its radiators on full display through a gaping maw of a front bumper. Even the kidney grilles, which are some of the largest featured on a modern BMW, feature slots that channel much-needed cooling air to the hybrid powertrain, but more on that later.
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Wider fenders house staggered size 20-inch front and 21-inch rear alloys fitted with 285/35 ZR20 and 295/30 ZR21s, respectively. What really gives the game away, though, are the M5 logos embossed into a panel on the C pillar, bootlid and quad tailpipe arrangement. Even so, the only other 5 Series model for sale in South Africa, the 520d (with M Sport trim) looks every bit as extroverted, but as is expected with M, there are just enough hints as to what this really is.
You’d have to be particularly eagle-eyed to notice the optional carbon fibre-reinforced plastic bootlid spoiler and roof of the M5, but the larger front and rear ventilated discs with bright red calipers (gold, if you’ve ticked the carbon ceramic option) are not so subtle, regardless of the wheel design behind which they’re trying to hide.
Image: Peet Mocke
I get the sense that BMW doesn’t care if everybody knows this is a M5 – because it certainly seems that way given the stunned reactions from onlookers – especially in a market as crazy about fast BMWs as South Africa. Indeed, the M share of the total BMW sales in Mzansi eclipses that of any other market in the world.
Most importantly, does it FEEL like a M5 should or, even better, can it eclipse the achievements of its predecessors? Around the billiard-smooth track tarmac, I will admit that the M5 hides its weight very well. This is, after all, a near 2.5-ton machine and yet it composes itself under braking and under acceleration after accurately clipping apexes in a manner unbecoming a car of its size.
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Cleverly, BMW has worked an active four-wheel steering system into the new car’s underpinnings that lends up to 1.5 degrees of turning assistance depending on the speed. Although it can’t completely mask the M5’s considerable mass, it does a great job of tightening its line on initial turn-in. Adaptive dampers in each corner also kept the M5 planted on the faster corners at Kyalami. The execution is close to flawless, considering that in addition to a new V8, there’s also an array of floor-mounted batteries to hustle around.
That sentiment was shared by former BMW works driver and CAR’s track ace at large, Deon Joubert, when the M5 arrived in Cape Town for our shoot. With ‘drift mode’ activated, sending drive exclusively to the rear wheels, the M5 danced around the Killarney oval with armfuls of opposite lock, Deon marvelled at how balanced the chassis was overall. Although there are enthusiasts out there who would prefer the snappier response of say, an a short-wheelbase car such as the M2, the M5’s length helps communicate the rear axle’s movement that bit more.
With most of the dynamic twisties out of the way, it was time to benchmark some of the M5’s performance claims well outside city confines. Sliding into the driver’s seat there’s a sense of familiarity to the instrumentation and switchgear, but there are a few more buttons that occupy on the centre console and healthy application of carbon trim on the facia. Even the flat-bottomed steering wheel is shared with the lesser 5 Series, though M colour stitching, a red 12 o’clock stripe, and conspicuous M1 and M2 buttons for the left and right thumbs decorate the M5’s tiller.
Though thickly bolstered and grippy enough for all sorts of body types when the driving gets enthusiastic, the heated front seats are comfortable enough for cross-country tours; exactly what a super sedan should be fitted with. And of course, there’s enough room to seat two adults quite comfortably in the rear.
Image: Peet Mocke
Trying to preserve as much of the hybrid system’s charge, and feed some energy back into the batteries, I happily turned the drive mode to ‘comfort’ and put the hybrid system into eControl, which sets energy-harvesting parameters in such a way that careful driving can charge the 14.8 kWh battery by up to 80%. Running through the drivetrain modes, EV nixes the petrol engine for a carbon-free commute of up to 65 km and speeds up to a little over the national limit; Hybrid adjusts drive between electric and turbopetrol V8, and then Dynamic and Dynamic Plus, which keeps the drive and cooling systems optimised for high output or to maximise output as and when necessary, respectively.
This is just the start of configuring the M5 to suit your driving needs. The setup button reveals even more settings adjustments in a system of configurability that’s the closest to a video game that I’ve experience in a vehicle. Everything from the aggression of the shifts to the suppleness of the suspension, steering weight, exhaust tone (filtered into the cabin by way of the standard Bowers and Wilkins sound system), brake bite, how much all-wheel drive you think you need, how much energy recovery you want from the hybrid system and how many electronic nannies will assist you can be configured – with M1 and M2 buttons serving as shortcuts for pre-configurations of all the above settings.
BMW’s brand new S68 engines shares the same 4.4-litre displacement as its S63 predecessor that featured in the previous two generations of M5, but there are crucial differences that necessitated a change in nomenclature, such as the new oil pump and external oil cooler, electric VANOS variable valve timing, new turbochargers, new crankshaft and of course a 48-volt mild hybrid system attached to the 8-speed ZF-sourced automatic transmission.
The combined outputs tell a lot of the story, as they needed to be this high to propel the M5’s 2 435 kg frame with such vigour. From a power-to-weight perspective, the new car is slightly down on its direct predecessor, but when accelerating either off the line or overtaking the stats become academic.
Looking at the G90’s ancestor next to it on an early morning shoot, I can’t help but be amused at sheer size difference. There’s nearly a ton separating the two, but also double the power and almost triple the torque. Maybe the M5 has become gadget-heavy, but it really has kept up with the times. It’s still visceral, even more entertaining and undoubtedly recognisable. It’s still a M5.
Find the full feature in the January issue of CAR Magazine.
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