New BMW M5 officially revealed: Where to from here?

New BMW M5 officially revealed

“Who needs a supercar when BMW’s new M5 and Mercedes AMG’s E63 are around?”

Let’s just begin with that 0-100 km/h time of 3.4 seconds. Like. Uhm. What? Basically, if you’re a speed chaser, you don’t need a supercar. With cars like the new M5 around, the only real reason you would want a supercar would be because you would like the aesthetics and attention that comes with a car such as that. That is understandable because for some, nothing beats being in a Ferrari or a Lamborghini. For those, however, who happen to have children and other dependants and a general lack of R6 million, these new age super saloons will do you just fine.

Predictable looks:

Unlike the likes of the M4/M3, the look of an M5 has become quite predictable. Many renderings of the car look very similar to the finished product. BMW has always kept the design of the car understated, with slightly wider fenders and flares here and there and of course the signature four exhaust pipes we’ve seen on every M5 since the E39. Let’s not lie to ourselves though, the G90 M5 looks good. The 5 Series range in general looks great so it’s not mind blowing to see that the M5 has followed suit. Where the G90 really shines with regards to its design, however, is the interior. I mean, look at those seats. Mmm mm mm!

The good stuff:

Besides the way it looks, the real reason we care so deeply about the M5 is because of its ability to hunt supercars, as well as the fact that it can probably kill you if you’re not nice to it. Anyone who drove the F10 will attest to its ability to humble even the most skilled, should you be brave enough to stand toe to toe with it with no assistance activated. The G90, though, may be the most controllable M5 yet.

The reason why this will be the most forgiving M5 is because it has M xDrive fitted to it. This system is 4WD but allows for all the power to be sent to the rear wheels, depending on the mode you’re in. As a result, in 4WD mode you can confidently exploit all 441 kW & 750 Nm from its 4.4 litre Twin Turbo V8 and not run into a tree of sorts, as the rear slides uncontrollably and your hands are all over the place trying to remember how Chris Harris does it. We all knew that this next M5 was going to have a 4WD system because you simply can’t have so much power in a RWD car and tell an average driver to go and play. That does create a problem for those that want to enjoy some skids, or rather the idea of skidding around town, however. So, to keep everyone happy, the G90 can toggle between different modes. It’s funny how we read about this setup months ago from BMW, but Mercedes-AMG were the first to do it in the segment with their E63 S, which I’m sure grinds the people at BMW. Anyway, it doesn’t matter who did it first, what matters is who does it best. From what we hear about the E63 S, the system works amazingly, not interrupting in anyway. You can be sure that the G90 will do the same, though, as BMW loves a good drift.

Besides going sideways, the benefits of having a 4WD car are simple, more traction all the time. In real world conditions, nothing beats being able to put your power down and having confidence in your car, something these new super saloons will allow you to do.

All in all, the G90 M5 is the fastest production BMW to date. The question is, where to from here? Are we really going to have a sub 3 second super saloon sometime in the future? Maybe even in the G90 generation, especially since BMW loves their special editions. Who knows? All we know is that we live in a crazy, power-hungry time. What matters most is not the figures but rather how the car will make you feel behind the wheel. There’s something very satisfying about a large car that can handle in a way that defies physics and keeps you entertained at the same time. The real fight between this car and the Mercedes-AMG E63 S is not which is the fastest, but rather what’s the most entertaining. Time will tell…

BMW M5 Pricing in South Africa

The M5 will be available in South Africa during the first quarter of 2018 with a approximate price of R1.8M. The BMW M5 First Edition, featuring a unique Frozen Dark Red Metalic Paintwork will also be available in very limited quantities in SA, with only 400 being produced worldwide. The cost of the First Edition is approximately  R300k on top of the standard model.