The 2025 edition of the BMW M5 is fast, potent and muscular

There is absolutely no hiding that this car is enormous in just about all ways It’s long, it’s wide, it’s quite tall, it’s unbelievably powerful, and it’s heavy. The 2025 edition of the M5, often regarded as BMW’s halo car, this bona fide barnstormer is fast, potent and muscular, and rides like a dream. The external look is striking in this matte paint. Like a black hole but larger. There’s no mistaking this car for any other. Unlike earlier iterations of the M5 that were visually so similar to the 5 series, this is proudly unique. Crafted angles and vast expanses of German metal, augmented with lashings of carbon. Undeniably handsome, just about everything is dark, then step inside and dashes of red to remind you that you’re in one of Bavaria’s finest.

It’s not all a teutonic show of force here – stylish touches abound, like milled metal speaker covers and a rear window shade. Everywhere you look BMW proves it knows how to build a quality car. Noise control is excellent, with a high level of protection from the outside world, so you can listen to anything in perfect surround sound on the sublime Bowers and Wilkins hi-fi. Another piece of entertainment is the faceted light strip, starting on the driver’s door, swooping across the cockpit and dash and finishing on the passenger door. Depending on what you do with the car it displays light shows, warnings and more, favoring the red, light blue, dark blue M colours. Alcantara and soft materials throughout ensure driving comfort – unsurprisingly this model sports the ‘Merino’ highest grade leather. One of the best heads up displays in the business means referring to the dashboard less often, although that has more detail should you need it. Controls are of the highest quality and it retains the jog wheel for data entry.

The ventilated seats are highly adjustable and very comfortable – I almost felt a little dwarfed in them – everything in this car is sizeable. Back seats are very comfortable and spacious and sports mini USB slots for charging your devices. You’d have no problem on a longer trip in this car, you get there quickly in safety and comfort. The M5 is truly superb for its occupants.

New for 2025 is a full performance plugin hybrid drivetrain. There is a 4.4 liter V8 in the front from the previous model, aided by the electric motor. Total output is quoted as 535Kw although BMW understate their figures. This drives the 4wd system delivering high-grip excitement through all the rubber on those 20/21 inch rims. 1000 newton meters torque hurls this 2.5 ton monster to the legal speed limit in 3.5 seconds, yet don’t think that tells the full story; this car is designed for the autobahn, and when BMW give a top speed of 305 kmh, you suspect it can go even faster. Drive modes give you choice from electric through petrol to combined. Select the right mode and it will do the right thing. It’s very happy to flip to all electric, and with 68 km electric only range you often find that’s all you need.

The driving experience was eye-opening. A mighty sports car lurks beneath, yet electronics ensure a refined delivery of that mind warping performance. We took the car on a several hundred kilometer road trip, predominantly through secondary roads. And the remarkable thing is how it can be the fastest thing on the road, yet you don’t feel exhausted when you get there – you don’t feel you’ve been wrangling a sports monster – you arrive refreshed. This has always been the M5 recipe, yet this version takes it to a whole new level. It weighs 2445 KG, which is a ton more than the original M5 (!!) and yet you barely feel the weight unless you brake heavily into a corner.

Regular mode sails along nicely, no fuss, holding lanes, the right speed and distance. It will even change lane for you, tip the indicator to tell it where you want to go, and when the way is clear, it does everything else for you, checks the gap, keeps speed correct, adjusts to the new lane.

After a week of driving it, I was still learning about it. Like the secret towbar! and it kept growing on me, and I’ve heard exactly the same thing from others who’ve driven it. At first you think it’s good yet after a while you realise it’s great. With the M5, BMW has created the ultimate executive car with looks, performance and presence.