BMW M5 2025 Review

Surprisingly, given just how much technology has gone into the 2025 BMW M5, it’s at least $10K cheaper than the model it replaces, the F90 M5.

Now in seventh-gen form, the all-new G90-series M5 is priced from $259,900 before on-road costs and soon, buyers will have the choice of the M5 Touring (wagon) for just $4000 more.

From styling to power to packaging, a fair bit has changed but the new M5 still packs impressive credentials and you’ll be glad to know there’s a lot of tech and equipment here for your $260K outlay.

The last M5’s 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 has been upgraded and is now accompanied by a 145kW electric motor and 18.6kWh lithium-ion battery, making the new M5 not just a hybrid, but a plug-in hybrid (PHEV).

Peak outputs are an incredible 535kW and 1000Nm.

With all that comes the ability to drive it as an EV, at least for around 60km (the official claim is 68km but BMW tells us 60km is more realistic) at speeds of up to 140km/h.

Charging is said to take around two hours using three-phase AC power, or 11 hours with a regular power socket at home.

Standard equipment includes staggered 20- and 21-inch light alloy wheels, adaptive suspension, M xDrive all-wheel drive, rear wheel steering (up to 1.5 degrees), Active M differential, and an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission.

Adaptive LED headlights, M carbon exterior package, the ‘Iconic Glow’ exterior package (LED contour lighting around the front grille, plus puddle lamps), Comfort Access, heated front and rear seats (and heated steering wheel), wireless phone charging, and M seats are also standard.

Then there’s the fancy M seatbelts, quad-zone climate control, BMW ConnectedDrive, Merino leather trim, and 18-speaker Bowers and Wilkins surround sound system.

Good news in the safety department too, with a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating across BMW’s 5 Series range, along with safety aids including autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane assist, rear cross-traffic alert, and speed sign recognition, to name a few.

All M5s come with BMW’s five-year warranty while the two service packages that are offered for the same period are capped at $5059 or $8152 (the latter extends to brake pads/discs all round, and windscreen wipers).

It might’ve gone green – at least partially – but the 2025 BMW M5 is still very mean.

On paper, the previous-gen F90 is the better sports sedan. It’s faster, lighter, and smaller than the new M5.

According to plenty of fans, the F90 looks a whole heap better than the new car too, but we disagree. We like the G90’s bold new exterior and sharp lines.

What we like way more, however, is driving the big, brutish sedan.

Even though our time with it on the Australian media launch was brief, it becomes very clear very quickly just how much talent the M5 has; from outright pace, to comfort, and everything in between.

Leaving town and hitting some open country roads, the M5 is quiet – save for some tyre noise at higher speeds – and plush, floating over lumps and bumps without hassle.

But prod the throttle and a different character emerges. The speed on offer is ferocious and if you went in with no preconceptions, numbers or specs, you’d probably believe it was the quickest M5 yet.

It’s relentless, too; the speed piles on so quickly and just keeps building right up until you finally lift your foot, which is amazing considering its circa-2.5-tonne mass.

There’s a lot of car to haul here – in fact, some 450kg more than the previous M5 – yet somehow, the new M5 masks it.

And although it’d likely be a different story around busy cities or narrow-laned roads, to us, it seemed to hide its size too, despite growing in all key dimensions: it’s 113mm longer, 67mm wider, 37mm higher and the wheelbase has stretched another 24mm.

Blasting around the iconic Mount Panorama circuit, the M5 felt thoroughly composed, its Hankook rubber holding up surprisingly well even after hard laps with several different drivers at the helm.

The stoppers are just as impressive, particularly the M carbon ceramic brakes (an $18,500 option). Even the stock brakes pull it up with ease.

Sure, you start to feel its weight the more you push it but overall, it’s a surprisingly nimble and capable track day companion. And one that has no qualms keeping up with supercars more than twice its ticket price – at least on the straights.

The standard fitment of an M Driver’s package ups the sedan’s top speed to 305km/h, but the extra weight sees the new M5’s 0-100km/h acceleration time increase to 3.5 seconds (up from the predecessor’s 3.3 seconds).

Again, you don’t notice it.

It’s hard to believe – and even more difficult to express – just how good the new M5 is. You need to experience it to believe it.

Driving around in pure EV mode is a bit of a laugh, too.

Nothing.

Ok, fine, the 2025 BMW M5 isn’t perfect and for the first time in M5 history, the power-to-weight ratio is worse instead of better – a fact purists are quick to point out.

Again, once they get behind the wheel, we dare say that argument will be quickly forgotten.

For all its fresh tech, you could also argue it’s not as user-friendly as the previous car. There are so many drivetrain configurations and mode options that there’s almost too much choice.

There are powertrain modes – electric, hybrid, eCONTROL, dynamic and dynamic plus – then there are the M modes (comfort, sport and track) as well as customisable set-up options where you can adjust steering and chassis feel, how much brake re-gen you get, and much more.

Some will love the array of options, others will pine for the good old days where just a few drive modes were offered.

Thankfully, you can pre-configure the M1 and M2 buttons on the steering wheel for quick access.

And like us, you’ll probably appreciate its throaty tone from outside the car, while still wishing it was just a bit louder.

Those in the market for a high-performance sedan will find an incredibly well-rounded offering in the 2025 BMW M5.

It’s one of those cars you think about long after you get out of it.

Yes, it’s fatter and (only just) lacks the 0-100km/h acceleration speed of its predecessor, but all that’s easily forgotten once behind the wheel of this blindingly fast and incredibly capable machine.

It doesn’t feel big or heavy or cumbersome. You can tootle around town in EV mode and not use a drop of fuel. You can cart around four adults with room to spare. You can savour back roads, blast around a race track, and then drive back home in comfort mode without giving the neighbours something to complain about.

There are so many things to love about the new M5 and I adore them all.

2025 BMW M5 at a glance:
Price: $259,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: 4.4-litre V8 twin-turbo petrol-electric
Output: 430kW/750Nm (electric motor: 145kW/280Nm)
Combined output: 535kW/1000Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Battery: 18.6kWh lithium-ion
Range: 68km (ADR Combined)
Energy consumption: 25.6kWh/100km (ADR Combined)
Fuel: 3.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 68g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2023)

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