The seventh-generation BMW M5, codenamed G90, is by far and away the most controversial – and considering the history of the hotted-up 5 Series, that is saying something. It’s the first to feature a plug-in hybrid powertrain, which not only adds significant complexity but also a heaping amount of mass.
Sure, the power and performance figures make for some stunning reading. The S68 4.4 litre twin-turbocharged V8, allied to an electric motor integrated in the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission, makes a sum total of 727 PS and a whopping 1,000 Nm of torque.
With M xDrive all-wheel drive, this behemoth flings itself to 100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds and, thanks to the M Driver’s Package that’s standard in Malaysia, hits a top speed of 305 km/h. Paradoxically, it also can drive in fully electric mode for up to 69 km on the WLTP cycle.
But the G90 also now weighs half a tonne more than the outgoing F90, tipping the scales at a scarcely believable 2,510 kg. To give you a sense of perspective, the M5 is now closer to the 3,500 kg weight limit of a Class D driver’s licence than it is to the original E28 M5’s featherweight 1,430 kg.
It’s the experience behind the wheel that matters most of all, however, so despite everything pushing against it, can the new M5 – which, by the way, now costs a staggering RM1,188,800 – still deliver the prerequisite thrills? Yours truly finds out on the roads in Munich, as you can watch in the video review above.
GALLERY: G90 BMW M5 in Malaysia
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
The ultimate M5 will always be the E39. Those that came after the E60 M5 are larger, heavier, more complex, more indirect, etc. compared to the driving purist centric objectives of earlier M5s.
obviously m2 and m3 were made available to fill that niche