BMW M5 2018 Review - International

All you really want to know is whether the new BMW M5 is better than the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S. The answer? Yes.

And at this stage I’m supposed to introduce the ‘buts’ and the qualifiers – about how we will have to drive the cars back to back. Sorry but, quite simply, with the F90 M5, BMW M has rediscovered its big-car mojo and then some.

And AMG should be afraid. Because even with fewer kiloWatts and Newton-metres, the new AWD M5 is an E-beater. The fact there’s an even more powerful, even more capable M5 Competition on the way should be far from good news for the burghers from Afalterbach.

More than just brute force

The secret to the new M5’s appeal is, unlike the other super-execs (think E 63 S, Audi RS7, etc), it is not simply about brute force. It’s not quite a scalpel (can any car this big be so categorised?) but it’s so very far from being the blunt instruments that have defined this segment.

We drove the new German battlewagon in Portugal last week on a mix of surfaces and everything from narrow, single-lane farm feeder roads right the way through to the best multi-lane super highways the Central European Bank can buy. And then we lapped Estoril, Portugal’s original grand prix track.

And while the performance at the track was attention grabbing and addictive, it was the M5’s poise on the narrow, pockmarked backroads that really impressed.

These are roads that frankly no 441kW large-footprint executive super saloon should ever feel at home upon. Indeed, the M5’s direct competitors would have all felt like real handfuls on them. And the last generation of M5, the rear-drive F10, would have sweat-induced had you even attempted to go quickly.

In contrast, the new M5 felt barely larger and easily as planted as its excellent baby brother, the M2. And guess what, it rode better and probably had markedly better grip to boot.

Chassis secrets
The secret to the new M5’s poise is its chassis. BMW M has stuck with conventional steel springs and electronically-adjustable adaptive dampers but has brought all of its development engineers’ experience to bear.

There’s been hundreds of thousands of kilometres put under the wheels of development mules to arrive at the current mix of spring and damper rates, anti-roll bar settings and steering ratio and weighting.

There’s no magic technical fix, just good old fashioned nous and hard work.

The result is a car that in Comfort setting rides far better than the car it replaces (or competes with) yet has a very high degree of body control and a feeling of real precision.

Jack the settings up to Sport or Sport Plus and the big four-door is autobahn- and, then, racetrack-ready.

Even on those potholed one-lane roads near Gradil, I didn’t experience one hard-edged crash, nor bash – and we were arguably driving much faster than was prudent.

On the tollway back from Malveira to our Estoril base, the body control at what in Australia would have been go-to-jail speeds was fine in Comfort and exemplary one stage firmer.

All four one
And then there’s the benefits of the new M5’s ground-breaking all-wheel-drive system -- perhaps the car’s most controversial aspect.

Even inside the halls of BMW M, the move to all-wheel-drive for the M5 has been controversial. In the end, the lure of better straight-line performance (the new car is 1sec faster to 100km/h), coupled with added security at speed on road and track was compelling.

The M engineers, however, have been steadfast in their belief the system — called M xDrive — should still deliver both the choice of driving in rear-wheel drive and (perhaps even more important) that the M5 should still always feel like a rear-drive M car no matter the setting.

M xDrive leverages hardware from BMW’s SUVs in terms of the mechanical centre transfer case but pairs this with a super-fast computer controller and the performance division’s highly-acclaimed electronically-controlled torque vectoring M Differential.

The code that M’s engineers have developed to control the logic of the drivetrain is one of the operation’s most closely guarded secrets, insiders say.

Drive is metred by a specially adapted eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Some enthusiast might lament the move to all-wheel drive and the departure of the F10’s seven-speed M-DCT dual-clutch … Until they drive the new car.

M xDrive offers three modes: 4WD, 4WD Sport and 2WD. These are ‘mapped’ to different stability control settings, from normal to MDM (M Dynamic Mode) and good old-fashioned OFF.

The end result is a total of five combinations of drive modes that satisfy the needs of everything from nanny-state wet/icy road safety through to 100 per cent racetrack hoonigan… There’s also the ability to ‘tune’ the speed of the autobox’s shifts a la M DCT.

You need to access the iDrive menu system initially to program your choices, which can then be saved to one of the two steering wheel spoke-mounted M buttons.

Choose MDM mode and 4WD Sport and it’s like you’ve been gifted the talent of one of BMW M’s factory drivers. Uber fast lap times are child’s play and lurid tail-happy slides feel almost like second-nature…

Open heart surgery
The track star endowing properties of the M xDrive will get the lion’s share of attention in launch reports of the new M5 but it would be remiss of me not to write about the bent eight under the bonnet.

While the core of the engine is based on the same 4.4-litre V8 that featured in the F10 M5, the devil is in the detail. Changes were focused on unleashing more horsepower but also to prepare the engine for even more dynamic use.

Hence there’s a new oiling system that combines an electronically controlled main pump with a secondary unit that ensures oil supply even during high G on-track extremis. M says this delivers the benefits of a much more complex dry-sump set-up at a fraction of the cost and weight.

The turbos are now larger and, for the first time, feature computer controlled wastegates which precisely and instantly control boost and effectively make turbo lag a thing of the past.

High-pressure (350 bar) direct fuel-injection is a first for the V8 in M guise and both intake and exhaust systems are new. The latter delivers the M5 a proper V8 signature even in its quieter setting. Open, it sounds like a high-tech racing sportscar (think Gibson V8 LMP2 car) with the encore performance being a flat, fat ‘blatt’ at every high-rev up-change.

The numbers are still behind the E 63 S at 441kW at 5600-6700rpm and 750Nm over 1800-5600rpm (the AMG peaks 450kW and 850Nm) but the building blocks are there for M to claim back the bragging rights with the abovementioned M5 Competition.

I could mention 470kW and 900Nm but that would be pure speculation…

Launch or First first?
Aussies will get two choices new M5 when the car arrives in March or April 2018.

The Launch Edition will be priced from $199,900 plus ORCs and limited to 50 units. Just five examples of the confusingly named M5 First Edition will also be offered (from a global production run of 400). The First will set you back $229,900 plus ORCs.

As BMW M’s flagship saloon, the M5 wants for little in either guise. The Launch Edition include active cruise control with auto steering and stop/go, evasion aid, autonomous emergency braking, front/rear cameras and technology allowing it to control itself for up to 30 seconds at a time.

Merino leather multi-function M electrically-adjustable sport seats are standard, as is a leather-covered instrument panel. An electric glass sunroof is a no-cost option but M car aficionados won’t tick it. Doing so means ditching the gloriously pukka carbon-fibre roof – a first for the big M in this generation.’

A high-spec infotainment system is a given with all the BMW ConnectDrive features you’d expect. Click here for more on the whole 5 Series tech suite.

While the Launch Edition has a wide range of colour choices (white with black wheels as per usual for me please Mr M), the five ultra-exclusive First Edition M5s coming Down Under are all Frozen Dark Red metallic matte in colour.

Black alloys and dark highlights for the grille, side gills, rear spoiler, door handles and exhaust outlets and a white leather interior add a more than a hint of, well, gangsta to the First.

These will go some way to addressing concerns for those who have already criticised the M for been too conservatively styled. BMW M counters saying the M5 is a “business saloon” – yeah, sure…

Other First features include include a carbon engine cover, special floor mats with white piping and red stitching plus the addition of the optional Indulgence and Innovation packages which boost spec with items such as massaging seats, TV tuner, seat ventilation, rear sun-blinds and advanced gesture control.

You may as well tick the (expensive) option of M carbon ceramic brakes. They were stunningly effective at Estoril.

Both M5 editions roll on 20-inch alloys with 275/35 R20 front and 285/35 R20 rear tyres. The choice of tyre size is instructional and gives another entre into the M engineers’ mindset. Slightly smaller rears than the last generation actually help deliver that rear-drive feel they so wanted to keep.

The car’s far from devoid of traction, however. At 3.4sec for the 0-100km/h the M5 is now the quickest M car and matches its arch-rival. The double ton comes up in 11.1sec, according to the manufacturer. Top speed is more than 300km/h.

Track star
We didn’t see 300 during our road drive or track test in Portugal but 250km/h was achievable with some intent on the (relatively) short Estoril main straight. More impressive was the M5’s manners on the other sections of the storied layout.

The last car I drove at Estoril was Honda’s amazingly capable NSX. I think I may have lapped quicker in the M5… Yes, it’s that good.

Big, fast sedans can often register a couple of quick track lap before brakes and (especially) tyres cry enough – at which point the whole the thing turns from mauler to marshmallow.

Not the M5, in fact, after a six-lap stint the car was just as precise, pacey and predictable as the first flyer.

BMW mandated we use 4WD Sport and MDM mode for the Estoril laps. This delivered a reasonable safety net for less skilled but allowed serious speed if you so desired.

And that speed was delivered with sort of balance and feel you’d expect of gripped-up and sorted M3 or M4 rather than their larger sibling.

It’s only when you’re ham-fisted that the M5 deviates from its rear-drive bias and feel. Then you sense some of the drive being transferred to the front and the car pulls you out of strife and rapidly towards the next apex.

Really up the pace and precision and rear breakaway is progressive, and proper RWD-style slides are a tweak of the throttle away. MDM won’t allow stupid slip angles and isn’t a total panacea but you’ll need to be doing something really wrong to get into serious strife.

Best of all, when driven with precision you can use small amounts of rear-wheel slip to point and position the M5 in a way no car this large and heavy (it’s lighter than the F10 but still approaching two tonnes) should be able to accomplish.

And at the corner exit not one of those kiloWatts or Newton-metres are wasted. Boy, is this thing quick…

Next steps
At the very start of this launch review I stated the M5 is a better mousetrap than the E 63 S and I stand by that assessment.

In this generational change BMW M has addressed all of the weak points of its sedan flagship. This new car is faster, more precise, more rewarding to drive and ticks all of the luxury boxes you’d expect.

And it sounds so much better to boot. And don’t lament all-wheel drive M fans, embrace it.

So does my pronouncement mean there’s now no need to pit the two ultra-fast, ultra-sporty all-wheel-drive uber-sedans head to head? Hell no — I can hardly wait.

But the M5 will win…

2018 BMW M5 pricing and specifications:
Price: $199,900 plus ORCs (Launch Edition, see text)
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V8
Output: 441kW/750Nm (estimate)
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 10.5L/100km
CO2: 241g/km (approx)
Safety rating: Not tested