There perhaps is no better example of the sports saloon archetype than the BMW M5. This is a car that has, since its debut in 1985 (based on the E28-generation 5 Series), been an enticing blend of sports car performance with saloon practicality.
Now in its fifth generation, the M5 has received the mild cosmetic upgrades also applied to the rest of the 5 Series range. Specific to the facelifted model are lovely 20-inch wheels and huge, black-tinted chrome twin exhaust pipes. Unfortunately, the above two items are cost-optional and $20,000 to the M5’s price, though that’s a bargain relative to the car’s price tag of $546,800. However, the upgraded M5 does get adaptive LED headlights, a head-up display and a Bang&Olufsen sound system as standard.
Apart from that, the kind of person who likes to indulge in “spirited driving” will be glad to know the facelifted M5 also comes standard with the Competition Pack. This sees the twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 develop 15bhp more, for a total of 575bhp.
The Competition Pack isn’t limited to just a few extra horses, as it also has some tweaks to its suspension, including a 10mm lower ride height, beefier anti-roll bars and different suspension bushes. The electronic stability control software, too, has seen some re-calibration, which makes it “even more acutely geared to sporty handling characteristics”, which I take to mean a higher intervention threshold.
So much for that, but in most other respects, nothing much has changed. There’s still a bewildering array of on-the-fly choices to be made when it comes to the car’s suspension, steering and gearshift speed, as each parameter can be independently adjusted (for example, suspension in Sport+, steering in Sport and the transmission in its “slowest” setting).
Complicating that a little further are the M5’s sport mode presets, dubbed M1 and M2. The former is the milder of the two, while the latter mode sets all the drivetrain parameters in Sport+ and turns on the M Dynamic Mode (which allows a little slip to occur) for the electronic stability control.
In the latter mode, the V8 exhaust note also gets more intimidating, while a huge tachometer readout dominates the head-up display. The car’s responses sharpen up accordingly – a sensation akin to a big German Shepherd tugging at the leash.
Supposing you decide to “turn it loose”, the M5 will reach 100km/h from a standstill in 4.2 seconds (0.1 of a second quicker than before), with a lovely growl from the mighty V8 motor to accompany that.
It must be emphasised, however, that the hardcore M2 mode calls for maximum concentration. Due to its hair-trigger nature and the M5’s massive reserves of thrust, the car in that mode isn’t recommended for daily commuting, the faint of heart, or less accomplished drivers.
That said, and despite BMW’s claims of the electronic stability control systems being uprated along with the chassis and engine, I noticed it intervenes rather abruptly when the tail starts to step out of line even a little. Turn the electronic safety net off and the M5 becomes quite a beast, though it’s always controllable, owing to the accurate and feedback-rich steering.
However, you can safely leave everything in Comfort and you still won’t be missing out on too much, though even then, the M5’s sporting bent shines through. The ride is a little on the firm side, there’s some patter over uneven surfaces, and road noise over coarser surfaces (no thanks to the massively wide Michelin tyres) can get intrusive.
Still, that’s not exactly news. All the above has been a known quantity since the M5’s launch in 2011, but a common complaint was that it felt a trifle big when driven quickly over narrower back roads.
So, does the facelifted M5 cure that complaint? Well, it’s a tall order, considering no significant revisions to the chassis have been made, but BMW has made a valiant attempt anyway. Thanks to the recalibrated suspension, it now rides lighter on its feet (despite the supposed increase in suspension firmness), yet hasn’t given up anything in body control. But let’s not forget this is still a fairly large car, measuring 4910mm long and weighing 1870kg, so a nippy little bantamweight the M5 isn’t.
Aside from that and the aforementioned cost of the car itself, there are other literal costs, too, especially when it comes to how much the M5 costs to run. Its official fuel consumption figure is quoted at 10.1km/L, but real-world figures are likely to be in the region of around 5.5km/L unless one drives with an extremely light foot. Such “un-M5” driving could possibly see you return 7km/L, but I can assure you, a guy who’s willing to spend over half a million dollars on a car can afford to not drive it like he was competing in an economy rally.
All told, the M5 still serves up more of the same, with it being as practical as it is spectacularly rapid. Not much has changed, but then there was nothing desperately wrong with its original formula anyway. The M5 is a fine car, and with the mild tweaks, is now finer still.
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE 4395cc, 48-valves, V8,
turbocharged
MAX POWER 575bhp at 6000-7000rpm
MAX TORQUE 680Nm at 1500-5750rpm
GEARBOX 7-speed dual-clutch with manual select
0-100KM/H 4.4 seconds
TOP SPEED 250km/h (governed)
CONSUMPTION 10.1km/L (combined)
CO2 EMISSION 232g/km
PRICE INCL. COE
$546,800 (after $10k CEVS surcharge)
