BMW M5 2018 review

Starting with the still-fresh G30 5 Series as an excellent basis, the new M5 retains the somewhat discrete looks of before, missing out on the pumped wheelarches of the smaller Ms and staying within cooee of lesser fives fitted with the M Sport pack. 

There is a host of bespoke bits for your money though, headlined by a more aggressive front bumper with larger cooling apertures. You also get the typical aero-shaped M door mirrors, extra ridges pressed into the bonnet, vented front guards, a chunkier rear bumper insert with quad exhaust outlets and a tiny lip spoiler on the bootlid. 

The new M5 retains the somewhat discrete looks of before, missing out on the pumped wheelarches of the smaller Ms.

There’s also 20-inch wheels which can be had in machined finish or all black for the same price, which wrap around blue (unspecified diameter) six-piston front and single piston floating caliper rear brakes. Carbon ceramics with gold calipers are available for an extra $16,500, saving 23kg.

For the first time, the M5 has scored a carbon fibre roof panel (unless you option the no-cost sunroof), which saves 1.5kg over the regular aluminium turret.

In fact, the whole car is 15kg lighter than before at 1855kg. This is despite adding all the extra AWD hardware and thanks to the G30 5 Series’ aluminium, high-tensile steel and magnesium-intensive body structure. 

This relative subtlety is carried over to the inside, with bespoke sports seats featuring illuminated M logos joining a chunky new gear selector and sexy little anodised red M1 and M2 buttons on the steering wheel. There’s also M-striped seatbelts for anyone concerned.

The M5's subtlety is carried over to the inside.

The perforated Merino leather seats are available in a choice of off white, cream or black themes.

All-wheel drive is nothing new for left-hand drive versions of BMW’s sedan line-up, but this most recent generation has extended this to right-hand drive models. 

The first to hit Australia was the M760Li V12 7 Series flagship, but the new M5’s M xDrive (sounds a bit like a Mazda sports car) system brings the extra versatility of being able to switch between 4WD, 4WD Sport and wait for it, 2WD modes.

The key distinction between each is the amount of power allowed to escape to the front wheels, and while BMW isn’t specifying torque splits, we can safely say that '4WD' is able to actively send lots of drive to the front when needed. '4WD Sport' clearly favours the rear wheels and forms the brilliantly calibrated 'M Dynamic Mode' in M5 guise, while 2WD mode disconnects the front wheels altogether and deactivates the stability control to pretty much leave you in the hands of your chosen deity.

Regardless of mode, the system works in conjunction with the 'Active M' locking rear differential used across the M range. 

The next biggest change to the M5’s drivetrain is the move away from the seven-speed (DCT) dual-clutch transmission in favour of an M-tweaked version of the eight-speed ZF torque converter auto found in most high-end longitudinal applications (BMW included) these days, including the Audi RS 6. 

Labeled ‘M Steptronic’ in M5 tune, it promises ‘similar’ shift speed to the previous dual clutcher while improving low speed response. It’s doubtful anyone who’s lived with an F10 M5 in everyday traffic will disagree with this move.

Like before, the new unit is able to be controlled manually via paddle shifters or sequentially via the selector, while also incorporating 'Drivelogic' shift speed options which can be controlled individually.

Providing the M5’s thrust in the first place is a slightly tweaked version of the previous F10’s hot-V twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8, which now carries the S63B44T4 designation.

The new M5 has a 4.4-litre V8 producing 441kW/750Nm.

Rather than the name of a Star Wars robot, this code represents 441kW/750Nm, with the latter available from just 1800rpm all the way to 5600rpm. This is 18kW/70Nm up from before, but is notably still 9kW and 100Nm shy of the new E 63.

The only key mechanical change for the S63B44T4 has been the adoption of an electronic oil pump, which allows fully variable control of lubrication to suit specific conditions. 

You simply can’t expect a car of this size and performance to sip fuel when you’re using it to its potential, but the new M5’s 10.5L/100km official combined fuel figure suggests you’ll get a decent range on the highway out of its 68-litre tank.

This is actually 0.6L more than the previous model’s official figure, but the difference is likely to be negligible in the real world. 

Impressively, BMW’s press material states that it will accept Regular 91RON unleaded if needed, but full-strength 98RON is recommended.

The first 50 F90 M5s to touch down in Australia will be Launch Edition spec, and wear a list price of $199,900.

This puts it $30,000 cheaper than the previous top-spec version, but $14,900 higher than the previous Pure entry point. We’d be very surprised if a Pure version of the F90 didn’t appear in the near future. 

There’s also an even more exclusive run of five First Edition models, but I’m afraid you’ve missed the boat on these already. 

The multimedia system can be used with an expensive Apple CarPlay option but no Android Auto.

The Launch Edition comes very well stocked, with highlights including a 16-speaker harmon/kardon audio system, leather-wrapped instrument panel, Alcantara headliner, velour floor mats, M-specific colour head-up display, smartphone-like ‘Display Key’ and power boot opening with hands-free function.

Reflecting Australia’s preference for maximum noise from its V8s, the console-button switchable 'M Sport Exhaust' system is also standard.

It’s worth noting that Apple CarPlay is still a whopping $623 option, however, and even then you only get a three-year subscription to the interface. There’s no sign of Android Auto either, due to BMW’s stance that its admittedly excellent iDrive proprietary system is superior. 

As always, there’s a variety of options available, including the aforementioned $16,500 carbon ceramic brakes, a $2250 carbon fibre engine cover, a $6400 Bowers & Wilkins 16-speaker audio upgrade, and a variety of colour and trim options via BMW Individual. 

Just when Australia loses its home-grown performance sedans, the M5 continues to offer decent seating for five adults, and a large 530-litre boot that'll manage family holidays and beyond with a 40/20/40 split fold. 

Other par for the course items include two cup holders front and rear, bottle holders in each door, and ISOFIX child seat mounts in each outboard position in the rear.

The M5 continues to offer decent seating for five adults.

In lieu of a spare tyre, the M5 rides on runflats with a puncture repair kit as backup. 

For those needing to tow things real fast, the new M5 is rated to pull an impressive 2000kg unbraked.

Try all that with a Ferrari Enzo, which is still 0.2s slower 0-100km/h.

The new M5 is yet to be tested by ANCAP, and the maximum five star rating awarded to the 520d doesn’t officially carry across to the performance flagship.

It may retain all of the safety equipment of the lesser models, but its all-wheel drivetrain and bespoke under-bonnet hardware can’t guarantee the same crash performance. 

This standard safety list includes AEB, dual front and driver’s knee airbag, full-length side and head airbags. 

The active cruise control system works in harmony with lane guidance and front and rear cross-traffic monitoring to allow up to 30 seconds of semi-autonomous driving at a time. 

One BMW strong point is the 'eCall' system, which automatically detects incidents when a certain g-force is registered. The system then attempts to contact you by phone, and if there’s no response, it automatically alerts the emergency services with an estimated severity of the incident and the GPS coordinates of your location. 

One other freebie that might help you avoid ever needing eCall is the BMW Driving Experience course which is thrown in for M buyers, to show you what your M5 is capable of with professional guidance.

The new M5 is covered by BMW’s standard three year, unlimited kilometre warranty.

Service intervals are condition based, meaning the vehicle will alert you when a service is required. 

To add some certainty to the cost of ownership, a capped service plan is available for the first five years or 80,000km for $3641.

Back to the full throttle, 90 degree bend scenario, the new M5 proves itself to be pretty much idiot proof at Turn 12 on our second lap of Sandown. Floored at the apex in 4WD mode to get the best out of Pit Straight, it just gets up and goes without any fuss. 

We only had time for three hot laps per session, which gave us one lap to properly warm up, one lap to push it in full 4WD mode, and one lap to see what happens when the leash is loosened in 4WD Sport. 

The full nudie run 2WD mode was kyboshed by the party police for our brief stints, but 4WD Sport liberates a healthy dose of tail wagging all around, which converts the experience from admiration of sheer speed to smile-inducing indulgence. 

BMW clams the F90 is quicker than the F10 around a racetrack even in 2WD mode.

Approaching Turn 12 in the same fashion, the rear steps out quite nicely, and the front wheels (and remaining traction aides) step in at just the right time to make you feel like you’ve played a role in pulling it straight again. 

It’s hard to avoid superlatives when describing something with 441kW, 750Nm, a 0-100km/h claim of 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 305km/h when the M Driver’s Package is optioned, even before you consider we’re talking about a large sedan with all the creature comforts for five adults.

The 0-100km/h time is only a small part of the story here. It’s the 0-200 in a claimed 11.1 seconds that you feel on the track, and we were nudging 250 along the back straight. 

Through the twisties at either end of the track, the M5 does a great job of changing direction for its size. It’s clearly not as nimble as something like an M2, but its one very agile big sedan. 

The cars we used on track were fitted with the optional carbon ceramic brakes, which seem well up to the task of managing the M5’s 1855kg, and showed no signs of fading over three laps of the fast circuit.

BMW claims the F90 is quicker than the F10 around a racetrack even in 2WD mode, so it’s hard to describe the new model as anything other than a net gain. 

That’s without considering it’s on-road performance of course, but the M5 is instantly impressive as an everyday performer. 

It does make quite a racket from the exhaust on start-up, which brings a bit of a supercar vibe, and like the previous model it’s more of a techy bark than the Merc’s offshore powerboat roar. This perception doesn’t change, and I’d wager BMW’s approach would be easier to live with in the long term.

Plonked straight into Melbourne urban driving for our road drive loop, it is instantly clear how much of a benefit the new transmission is. 

Gone are the sometimes jerky and slow automatic shifts, as are the occasional robot noises as two clutches reveal the complexity of their jobs. The new model simply gets along like any other 5 Series would, comfortably, responsively and without fuss. 

It retains the same adjustability of the old model, with individual controls beyond the driving modes for  shift speed, throttle responsiveness, engine acoustics, stability control, steering and suspension. 

Your favourite combos can be saved for ready access behind those M1 or M2 buttons, and if you’re not happy with your own M5 calibrations, you can always pick one of the default modes instead. 

Left in full comfort mode, the ride quality is really quite liveable. You can tell it's a performance car, but it probably won’t drive you mad using it for the daily commute.

And, when you find yourself stuck in motorway traffic you can while away the hours marvelling at the semi-autonomous mode for 30 seconds at a time.