Experienced by Kimatni D. Rawlins, Automotive Rhythms
Feast your eyes on the all-new 2025 BMW M5 Sedan and M5 Touring, aka sports wagon. The venerable, high-performance AWD German machines are revitalized with more power, pronounced with more design highlights, and more importantly, enter the scene as plug-in hybrids to provide extra energy around town or when launch control is called upon. Both models are mechanically equivalent and operate similarly behind the wheel.
Also, don’t forget that you can get discounted new car pricing with a free quote through qualified local dealer partners.
A few notable M5 features include a carbon fiber or glass roof, the BMW Curved Display with M-specific content, an Interaction Bar with ambient lighting, M rear spoiler and diffuser, M multifunction seats and seatbelts, muscular side skirts, Merino leather upholstery, and signature M quad exhaust pipes in black or chrome.
The front fascia is dominated by the new BMW M kidney grille finished in black high-gloss, while athletic proportions combine with clean surfaces and sculpted forms to outline the aggressive stance. In South Carolina at BMW’s Performance Center, we spent significant time behind the wheel of both vehicles, with the M5 Touring leaving a lasting impression on us. The sedan has always been an industry game-changer, but we prefer the streamlined body, utility capabilities, and uniqueness of the sports wagon. As they say, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
There has been talk about the weight of the new M5, yet that narrative dissipates once you hit the accelerator and release all 717 Bavarian horses. And with its low center of gravity and an Active M Differential, the M5 feels as nimble as ever. Unless you are a pro driver – say Connor De Phillippi or Nick Yelloly – and racing your M5 in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship where weight matters, please cut out the “it’s so heavy” talk, particularly if you haven’t driven it!
According to BMW, M is the most powerful letter in the alphabet, which thousands of loyal aficionados appropriately agree on. Whether it’s numerical superiority or German ingenuity, there is something magical, compelling, and artful about the BMW M performance division and its multitude of technological advancements. M also equates to emotion and motorsports, and with decades of performance and racing engineering under its belt, BMW M continues to innovate and inspire with roadrunners such as the 7th generation M5 sedan, your privileged acknowledgment within the M club. For example, the M5’s powertrain is derived from the BMW M Hybrid V8 GTP racecar.
For versatility, the M5 Touring can exit the pit lanes and head straight to Home Depot to pick up supplies for that bathroom renovation your family has been awaiting. Rear storage is cavernous allowing for sports equipment, work supplies, luggage, pets, and much more. Yet, this model is no stranger to the brand as the first BMW M5 Touring, based on the second generation (E34) M5 sedan, was launched in 1992.
BMW’s latest M5 has entered the electrified era and now features plug-in architecture. The high-powered sedan and wagon are endowed with a model-specific M Hybrid system producing 717-horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. A combination of the high-revving 4.4-liter M TwinPower Turbo V8 (8,000 RPM), a 194-horsepower electric motor, BMW’s 8-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic and Launch Control, and M xDrive AWD empowers M owners with higher levels of performance experience. The 2025 BMW M5 blazes from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and can top 190 mph with the M Driver’s Package. However, BMW should increase the all-electric range from just 25 miles to at least 50 miles (75 is preferred).
When I first tapped the right pedal while in Sport Plus mode, the M5 felt assertive as it peeled off with vigor. But with all M cars you can arrange the response of the engine, M Servotronic steering, transmission, suspension, and braking to your liking through the M Drivers Setup screen. Therefore, if your M5 Touring is a daily, it can be manually altered to ride smoothly and softly. Correspondingly, once you grip the thick, flat-bottom M Sport steering wheel with BMW M GmbH-themed stitching, you will begin to embody the skillsets of Phillippi or Yelloly. The rapidity of the Steptronic’s gear shifts is poetry in motion with six Drivelogic speed settings: three for manual mode and three for automatic mode.
Of course, what speeds up must slow down. Stopping power from the upgraded $8,500 M carbon ceramic brakes is pinpoint. Furthermore, they cut down on annoying brake dust. But you don’t necessarily require this upgrade since the standard M Compound brakes are sufficient, and Dynamic Brake Control and Cornering Brake Control enhance the vehicle’s de-accelerating reaction times. About 1.5% degrees of rear-wheel steering from the standard Integral Active Steering adds a bit more dynamism to high-speed maneuvering. Keep in mind that the M5 can only be ordered with summer tires, so winter or all-seasons must be purchased separately if the vehicle resides in colder regions.
Inside the sports performance cockpit the environment is therapeutic and simultaneously provocative. M branding is omnipresent whether it’s the M multifunction seats, the familiar circular iDrive controller, or the center control panel that houses the M HYBRID, M MODE, and M SETUP tabs. Though the 18-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system is spectacular, I’m unsure about the busy speaker grille pattern. In addition, the 27.2″ BMW Curved Display is angled toward the driver and incorporates iDrive 8.5, which operates BMW Maps navigation, the M-specific content, climate control, the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant, communications, and more.
As stated, the M5 is customizable to emulate your preferred driving style. The M Setup tab lets drivers adjust each setting: M Sound, M xDrive, M Hybrid, Brake, Steering, DSC, Chassis, Drivelogic, Energy Recovery, and Drivetrain. The typical selection is Comfort, Sport, or Sport Plus. But the M XDrive adjustments are 4WD, 2WD, or 4WD Sport (diverts more torque to the rear axle). M Sound is new for this model and put me in a state of nirvana when I amplified it. If you want to alter the hybrid system, go into the M Hybrid menu to select Hybrid for ultimate comfort, Electric to take precedence over the gas engine, or eControl. More importantly, here is where I programmed the illuminated M1 and M2 buttons (finished in M Red Metallic), with each representing two different attitudes. I set M1 for relaxed driving in town and on main roads and M2 as my escape mechanism when I felt like legally ripping up asphalt. Lastly, a new BOOST function in the M Drive Professional package provides instant speed bursts when the M5 is already moving between 20 and 90 mph.
Built at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing in Bavaria, Germany, the M5’s MSRP is $119,500 plus the $1,175 destination and handling fee. To elevate your M car flow with the optional $5,000 Isle of Man Green Metallic or $3,600 Frozen Deep Grey hue, the $3,100 M Carbon Package (includes the M Carbon roof), the $2,500 M Driver’s Package, and the $1,850 Executive Package which features the BMW Iconic Glow Kidney Grille. Thankfully, BMW Ultimate Care offers three years of complimentary routine maintenance on all vehicles, including M Cars. However, you’ll have to absorb the $2,600 gas guzzler tax!
With the future of mobility shifting to zero emissions, expect more plug-in hybrids from BMW M as the performance brand continues introducing electrified powertrains in upcoming M models. For now, revel in the potency of the 2025 M5 Sedan and M5 Touring.
