[EUPremier]

Real World journalist reviews of G90:

The Irish Times on G90

Business Post reviews G90

[Greer]

Both these articles are subscriber only.

[EUPremier]

Irish Times on G90

An eco-friendly 727hp BMW M5 that’s cheaper to tax than a Toyota Yaris
The latest M5 adopts PHEV tech to deliver potent power and tax savings – this is something special

BMW M5: 'If you have six figures to spend, it’s hard to see why you would not have this in your garage'

By Michael McAleer
Tue Jan 21 2025 - 05:30

Have a guess what the motor tax is on a BMW M5 with a beefy bi-turbo 4.4-litre V8 engine under the bonnet? It’s €140. Yes, the annual motor tax for this €160,000-plus supercar is lower than a Toyota Yaris.

A scam? No, just the system at work, rewarding this Bavarian beast for its eco-credentials. Thanks to its plug-in hybrid format, the new M5 claims a CO2 emissions figure of just 37g/km and a mind-bending fuel economy figure of 1.7 L/100km (166mpg). Save the planet: buy a BMW M5.

Changes are afoot at European Union level to address the discrepancies between laboratory test results and actual on-road emissions. But for now, the M5 sidesteps those revisions.

We can be flippant about the nuances of the tax regime, but there is no messing about behind the wheel of the M5.

Striving for net zero will cost less than we thought, but it will not be plain sailing
With 727 thoroughbred horses under your watch, you know there is no room for messing about. This is the realm of Aidan O’Brien or Arab Sheikhs.

The potent new BMW M5 is not to be taken lightly: it demands respect. You might ignore its menacing stance, the telltale trim notes in the interior and even the extra buttons. But once you touch the throttle and bring it to trot you feel its force.

There is no question that this car packs a heavyweight punch. And yet treat it with respect and it obediently follows orders to the letter.

The all-wheel-drive system may be noticeably biased to the rear wheels – enough to give a little wiggle if you’re turning in with a heavy right foot – but the advanced traction management system in play here could keep a tanker on track in a hurricane.

It’s a rather apt analogy, for this beefy BMW is a hefty beast. The new M5 weighs in at a whopping 2½ tonnes. That’s into the world of full-fat SUVs.

Much of this can be blamed on the plug-in hybrid format, though the 4.4-litre block isn’t exactly feather-light either.

This brings us back to those emissions figures: can an M5 be that green? Yes, on paper, thanks to the ability to lean on the 195hp electric motor, supported by its 18.6kWh battery pack.

By opting for this format, BMW could downsize the V8 slightly. Previously the M5′s engine block – in its CS specification – put out 635hp. Now the V8 in the new M5 – called the G90 in BMW product code that’s oft referenced by the brand’s most ardent fans – puts out 585hp. The extra horses are courtesy of plug-in power.

That electric motor means you can waft along in full EV mode for up to 70km.

So can you discretely waft about town in an M5? Perhaps. But even the most motoring illiterate will recognise there’s something special about this BMW. There’s a whiff of menace and money about it. It’s not quite the stealth supercar that characterised the past M5s we held in such high esteem – even if it can whoosh along on electric, comfortably carting a family of four with luggage in luxury.

The cabin, though very similar to the regular 5 Series and its all-electric sibling, the i5, has some standout splashes of red that are hard to miss. For example, the red tab at 12 o’clock on the steering wheel, the red stop-start button and of course the little red memory buttons atop the centre of the wheel.

These little buttons allow you to preset two formats. This is where things get interesting and incredibly complex. Instead of letting its elite engineers hone the car to the flavours they think work best for their needs, BMW has opted to let the driver decide.

On the M5 you can adjust the suspension firmness, the steering weight, the throttle response, and even the kick from the gear changes on the eight-speed automatic box. For each, there is a variety of settings.

The idea is that you create two profiles that best suit your driving needs and then give each its own memory button. It’s a degree of personalisation, that on paper looks frustratingly complex, but it allows each owner to customise the car to their tastes.

This democratic approach to tech is something BMW practises in all its cars. For example, scroll through the myriad of apps available on its touchscreen and it’s comparable to the Apple store.

It’s as if the engineers are afraid to make any hard calls on cutting back the options in case it might annoy someone who really loves to get their news from a global wire service read out by a robot voice.

If, after several months of tweaking the settings, you eventually get to drive the M5, then you’re in for a pleasant surprise. It may weigh the same as a mid-sized hippopotamus, but it gallops like a thoroughbred racehorse.

Unlike the myriad of EVs that rocket from a standing start, the M5 doesn’t run out of puff when it hits 100km/h. It’s only getting into its stride. The meatiest throttle seems to be available from 60km/h to 120km/h, which is where you really need it (and upwards if you find yourself on an unrestricted German autobahn or private track).

The beauty of the M5 is that at all speeds, this car feels rock solid. The ride quality is staggeringly good, while the steering is pinpoint accurate, helped by the rear-wheel steering system. Between these features – and the modicum of respect you need to hold for its immense power – the M5 inspires confidence.

And it’s agile, though not enough to make it as much fun as an M2 on Irish back roads, even with the Active M Differential conducting things for the rear wheels. Its footprint and heft are simply too big to match the agility of its smaller sibling on country roads. Then again, you are dealing with a car with an extra 250hp over the M2.

If you have six figures to spend, it’s hard to see why you would not have this in your garage. For a start, thanks to the current tax regime’s recognition that it’s a low emission car, you can pick it up for circa €50,000 less than the previous version.

It’s not quite the stealth and nimble supercar we loved in the past, but it can play its PHEV eco card, something its predecessors certainly couldn’t, and wins out under the current motor tax regime.

Lowdown: BMW M5

Power: 4.4-litre V8 twin-turbo 585hp (436kW) petrol engine combined with a 145kW electric motor supported by an 18.6kWh battery pack.

0-100km/h: 3½ seconds

CO2 (Motor tax): 37g/km (€140)

Official WLTP L/100km (mpg): 1.7 l/100km (138mpg)

Electric-only range: 70km

Price: €161,572 as tested (starts at €136,000)

Our rating: 4/5

Our verdict: A family saloon powerhouse that’s a winner on the road and in the tax regime

Michael McAleer is Motoring Editor, Innovation Editor and an Assistant Business Editor at The Irish Times

[EUPremier]

Business Post on G90:

MOTORING
The BMW M5 could be the performance bargain of the year
A move to plug-in hybrid power for the BMW M5 dramatically alters its market positioning, to the benefit of well-heeled Irish car enthusiasts
SHANE O’DONOGHUE

The new BMW M5 feels exciting to drive, as a sports saloon should
There is no question that €137,000 is no small amount of money. But as the starting price for the new BMW M5, it’s a a veritable bargain in the world of high-performance four-door saloons.
How exactly has BMW’s M division delivered this car with significantly more performance and ability than its predecessor, while offering it at a dramatically lower price? The answer is simple, and unique to the Irish market.
The new M5 uses a plug-in hybrid powertrain for the first time in the nameplate’s illustrious history. Rightly or wrongly, current European legislation surrounding the official emissions rating of a car results in laughably low values for the carbon dioxide emitted from plug-in hybrids.
So while the previous M5, powered by a relatively simple, petrol-fuelled V8 engine, was in the top band for VRT (vehicle registration tax), the new one is in the lowest. VRT is therefore just 7 per cent, versus 41 per cent for the old car. All this means that the only BMW M car that is more affordable than the M5 is the far more compact M2 coupe. No wonder BMW Ireland already has dozens of orders for the new M5.
Clearly, buyers are not put off by the M5’s new powertrain and the significant weight gain that has come with it. In truth, BMW M could not have justified producing another M5 without using some form of electrification so instead it threw everything in its armoury at the car to ensure it still feels like a proper M model.

The interior has chunky sports seats and a unique steering wheel featuring carbon-fibre gearchange paddles and bright red driving mode buttons
It may have a large electric motor and battery, plus the capability to drive nearly 70km on electric power, but the M5 retains its charismatic twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine. So, it sounds like an M car should, all thunder and noise when it's in its sportiest settings.
It goes like one, too. The electric motor works in conjunction with the engine to produce staggering peak numbers of up to 727hp and 1,000Nm of torque. And while the 0-100km/h time is stunted by the car’s weight, 3.5 seconds is still an astounding number. More to the point, it feels astounding despite the traction advantages of all-wheel drive. And just as importantly, the M5 feels exciting to drive, as a sports saloon should. You soon forget all about what’s powering it.
Saying that, there’s perverse pleasure in ambling around in an urban environment in the M5’s electric mode, emitting nothing and making precious little noise. It’s perfect for those that don’t want to draw attention to themselves, though you’ll need to resist the allure of the brighter paint colours offered to maximise the car’s stealth mode. In darker hues than that pictured the M5 may slip by unnoticed, though if it’s parked up next to a regular BMW 5 Series it’s clear how much brawnier the body of the M5 is.
The interior gets the usual BMW M makeover as well, with chunky sports seats and a unique steering wheel featuring carbon-fibre gearchange paddles and bright red driving mode buttons. The M5’s centre console isn’t the same as that in a 5 Series, either, while the digital instruments and large touchscreen come with bespoke graphics and menu options.
As ever, the M5’s cabin is as much about luxury as it is sportiness, and despite the bargain price, buyers won’t find it wanting for goodies. The standard specification is lavish by any measure, though of course BMW allows customers to spend what they like on personalising the car.
Personalisation of the driving experience is included of course, as has been a hallmark of BMW M cars for several generations now. Press the simple Setup button between the front seats and up pops a menu on the touchscreen. This allows quick selection from a dizzying array of settings to alter the characteristics of the powertrain, the suspension, the steering, the brakes, the sound, how much brake energy regeneration is produced and more.

It’s a little overwhelming for the uninitiated, but no doubt a source of joy for an owner to take their time to get used to. And anyway, two favoured groups of settings can be saved and quickly accessed via the red buttons on the steering wheel.

As this all alludes to, how the M5 drives very much depends on which settings you’ve chosen. While there is always an underlying firmness to the suspension, it’s undoubtedly a car you could use every day on Irish roads. It cruises on the motorway comfortably and quietly and could in theory be cheap to run so long as you plug it in to charge up the battery often. But fans of BMW M cars will be happy to hear that the M5 still feels like one when everything is turned up to the max.

The huge torque output should dominate proceedings, but it’s the steering, balance, body control and driver engagement that stick in your memory after a drive on a challenging road. The M5 is incredibly competent, arguably not requiring a talented driver behind the wheel to deliver its performance, and yet the driver feels part of the equation at all times. As it always has been for the nameplate.

Some will lament the use of a plug-in hybrid system this time around, but in truth, the M5 has been on a path of constant reinvention since its inception in 1984. The first two generations used straight-six petrol engines, the third a V8 and the fourth a V10 that linked the car with Formula One. The fifth adopted turbocharging while the sixth introduced all-wheel drive to cope with the spiralling performance output.

Now, as we welcome the seventh iteration of the M5, the move to plug-in hybrid power is possibly the biggest change yet. But rest assured that BMW M hasn’t forgotten how to make a brilliant sports saloon. And more Irish buyers than ever can afford to put one in their garage.
Get your order in quick before the new government realises.

[EUPremier]

Originally Posted by Greer

Both these articles are subscriber only.

Apologies. They sometimes allow foreign IPs a sneak peek.

I’ve added the body text of both articles to two separate comments on this thread.

[Greer]

Thanks a lot for sharing the articles.

[thaalrasha]

eco friendly ... they sure are, i'm taking an EV charging spot with a twin turbo V8 XD

[EUPremier]

Originally Posted by thaalrasha

eco friendly ... they sure are, i'm taking an EV charging spot with a twin turbo V8 XD

Lol.
Did you hit 2000km yet and get out of jail?
I’m only on 1100.

[thaalrasha]

Originally Posted by EUPremier

Lol.
Did you hit 2000km yet and get out of jail?
I’m only on 1100.

I'm at 1800km at the moment, i have a bit less than 100km to go to the service center so i'll be right about 2000km by my appointment next week... then i'll really be able to push it, can't wait to see what it's really like !