BMW M5 Competition 2018 Review — Australia

Of the minor criticisms you might have levelled at the current generation BMW M5, a dearth of horsepower has never been a shortcoming.

Arriving in Australia only seven months ago, the F90-generation M5 sported the sort of chest-thumping, laugh-inducing go-forward as a stein-swigging German at Octoberfest.

In all, 441kW and 750Nm – enough to launch the 2.0-tonne limousine to 100km/h from rest in 3.4 seconds.

It was enough for the M5 to truly stamp its mark at the launch of the regular model back in April, and re-affirm BMW’s M division as being properly back in business.

“Hold my beer,” came the unofficial response from the legendary tuner.

Now, we have a successor – and a more direct rival for the bahstorming Mercedes-AMG E 63 super-sedan. It’s called the M5 Competition, and it replaces the regular M5 within BMW’s Australian line-up.

There is good and bad outcomes from this. The good is the additional power, the installation of stiffer suspension, and additional equipment – the latter elements outlined in our full pricing story.

The bad? The new one-size fits all M5 Competition asks an additional $30,000 for the privilege, priced from around $230,000. In doing so, it arguably pushes the M5 nameplate into more obscure territory and begs the question of what BMW’s bahnstormer is trying to be: a go-fast limousine, or a supercar challenging sports sedan?

On the upside, BMW’s flagship sports saloon still undercuts arch-rival, the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S ($239,240 plus on-road costs), by almost $10,000 and outshines its 450kW power output, but not the big Benz’s official torque number.

A 19kW increase in power (to 460kW) overall probably best defines the M5 Competition. In percentage terms, it is an incremental gain on the regular package, which itself was already an impressive machine.

Engineers increased turbo boost pressure from 2.7 to 2.8 bar (absolute), then stiffened the engine mounts for a more direct response from the engine through to the powertrain.

A carryover torque figure of 750Nm presents on the specs sheet, but it is now available across a slightly larger rev bandwidth.

Unique to the BMW M5 Competition is a model-specific M Sport exhaust system, retuned M Steptronic eight-speed automatic transmission and revised rear-biased M xDrive four-wheel drive system with Active M Differential.

The modified drivetrain results in a 0-100km/h time of 3.3 seconds (0.1 seconds faster). While that gain is only marginal, BMW argues that 0-200km/h times are more indicative when talking this kind of performance. And the M5 certainly delivers, with an official time of 10.8 seconds -- down from 11.1 seconds.

The added firepower is supported by stiffer underpinnings aimed at improving the M5’s mid-corner poise and precision. The camber of the front wheels has been increased from 0.5 to 1.2 degrees to elicit sharper responses, the spring and damper rates have been stiffened by 10 per cent and the suspension lowered by 7mm.

Furthermore, the M5’s rear toe links have been fitted with bearing joints in place of rubber bushings, offering more responsive rear guidance through the bends.

Inside and out, one can begin to discern some of the specification upgrades between new and old, such as the M Carbon Engine Cover, 1400-Watt 16-speaker Bowers & Wilkins Diamond surround sound system and four-zone climate control.

Then there’s the soft-close front and rear doors, electric rear roller sunblind, roller sunblinds for rear side windows, ambient air package and BMW Gesture Control.

The full pricing and specification run down can be found here. Is it enough to warrant the extra $30,000? It’s a question few of us will ever need to ponder.

Our time behind the wheel of the M5 Competition was restricted solely to four laps at Sydney Motorsport Park.

That means we won’t be able to speak about an arguably more important area of testing – how the M5 performs on regular Australian roads. It should be said the outgoing ‘garden-variety’ model was ideally suited to the rigours of road driving – hence its success at this year’s Australia’s Best Driver’s Car award.

But for those interested in tracking their $230,000 limousine, the M5 Competition doesn’t disappoint.

From the outset of our hot laps, it is clear BMW’s brains trust has elicited more resolve from their 5 Series flagship, bringing greater grip and precision, but equally, the same uncanny predictability at the limit.

Arriving at the Eastern Creek’s fast turn one at a ridiculous speed, the M5 now settles into its long, arcing radius more confidently, hunkering down almost maniacally as the car’s grippy Pirelli rubber plies for adhesion.

The M5’s progress is tracked by thoughtfully weighted steering that offers decent feel and feedback, and reacts positively to driver inputs.

The German sledgehammer still feels its 1.8-tonne kerb mass, but movements are more measured and instil more confidence at the limit.

Then there’s the engine, which both enamours and flatters the driver with its ability to accelerate hard from any speed and in any circumstance.

In honesty, it is difficult to measure the added power from the seat of the pants, but the regular M5 never really wanted for more go-forward anyway. The delivery is linear and predictable from down low, with no semblance of delay.

Off the bottom, it feels as though a storm is brewing, the smooth, slightly digitised tones strengthening at about 3000rpm and then surging effortlessly to the rev ceiling.

This kind of spellbinding go-forward requires respect, but equally, it can be poked and prodded at in an unseemly matter thanks to the brilliance of the M5’s all-wheel drive system and stability control suite.

In the middling 4WD Sport mode, with the car’s MDM stability selection activated, the M5 facilitates lurid but controlled slides through turns two, five, six… in fact, anywhere you please.

At no point does the car feel as though it wants to spear you into the weeds, such is the swiftness of the stability control program and the linearity of the throttle response.

We never called the M5’s full-feral rear-wheel drive mode into action (doing so requires all stability control systems to be switched off) save for a brief stint on a wet skid pan.

In these conditions the M5 only increased driver confidence with fluid sideways slides and an accuracy that belied its big footprint and power outputs.

Whether these changes make the M5 Competition a more rounded performer than its predecessor remains to be seen, at least until we’ve sampled the newcomer on public roads.

Irrespectively, BMW seem to have answered the age-old enthusiast question: you can never have too much power.

How much does the 2018 BMW M5 Competition cost?
Price: $229,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol
Output: 460kW/750Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 10.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 242g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP