Kings don’t go quietly into retirement. They don’t shuffle off into the sunset in linen jackets and tartan slippers. No, they go out in noise and fury, occasionally catching fire, which is why, when I heard that the new BMW M5, the seventh born in a long bloodline of four-door, petrol-powered Bavarian lunacy, was now part EV, my heart broke slightly. Not because I hate electricity. But because kings don’t sip tea. They swing swords.
The 2025 M5 is not so much a new chapter as it is a constitutional crisis. You see, it’s still technically the crown prince of the M lineage, but someone’s clearly been whispering into the royal ear about emissions, responsibility, and Greta Thunberg.
Long live the King?
So. Is it still an M5?
Yes. Absolutely. It wears the badge with conviction, delivers the pace with precision, and still will make a 911 sweat on a damp day. It is undeniably an M5.
Is it the greatest M5 ever made? No. That title still belongs to the snarling, naturally aspirated days of yore. This one is a different beast. Quieter. Cleaner. Cleverer. It’s the M5 that wears its crown with a conscience. And that, in today’s world, might just be the most revolutionary thing of all.
The Hybrid Coronation
Let’s address the wattage in the room first. Yes, the new M5 is a plug-in hybrid. Underneath that long bonnet, you still get a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8, but now it’s paired with an electric motor and a battery pack the size of Liechtenstein. Combined? You’re looking at 717bhp and 1,000Nm of torque, which means, in old money, enough grunt to tear the asphalt off the road and throw it into orbit via all four wheels. But and there’s always a “but”, this newfound firepower comes with a caveat. Weight! The new M5 weighs more than a V8-powered X5 SUV. That’s not a metaphor. It’s literally heavier than a house. And so, while the power numbers are nuclear, the experience is more… moderated. It’s like being given Excalibur but only being allowed to butter toast with it.
That said, performance isn’t a problem. You plant your right foot, and it responds by rearranging your organs alphabetically. The electric motor patches up any lag from the turbos, and the eight-speed gearbox shuffles cogs quickly and sensibly, like a butler on a Red Bull drip. 0–100 kmph takes 3.5 seconds, and 200 kmph takes 10.9 seconds. And the way it moves on the twisty roads of Uran?, It’s more… smooth. Calculated. Which is fine if you want your power to feel like it came out of a spreadsheet.
Right. So what’s it like when you actually drive it? Well, that depends on how much time you have because you don’t just start it and go. No. You start by configuring. There are three main drive modes: Road, Sport, and Track. But within those, you can adjust literally everything. Throttle response. Steering weight. Brake pedal feel. Chassis behaviour. Suspension stiffness. Brake regen strength. Drive mode (4WD, 4WD Sport, or rear-drive 2WD). Sound profile. Ambient lighting. Possibly even horoscope alignment. The good news is that once you’ve spent a solid week configuring all this nonsense, you can save two favourites to the big M buttons on the wheel. But even then, you’re never entirely sure you’ve found the perfect setup. It’s like trying to thread a needle with gloves on. You keep fiddling, and something always feels slightly off.
But once it’s right… Oh, when it’s right, it’s sensational. In 4WD Sport, with traction in its relaxed-but-not-off setting and everything dialled to fast but not furious, the M5 dances. Not in the light, nimble way of a sports car, but in the way a heavyweight boxer pirouettes just before delivering a knockout punch. But it hides its mass shockingly well, with beautifully managed body control and precise, clean steering. Active rear steer helps rotate the car through bends like it’s pivoting on a dime. And the brakes, good lord, the brakes could stop time. Steel ones come as standard, and carbon-ceramic are optional—they are monumental. Proper stompers. You press, and the horizon comes rushing to a halt. Pedal feel is adjustable too, as is throttle response, regen strength, and even brake regen, which brings us to the elephant in the room.
You can still slide it if you switch off everything, say a prayer to the gods of oversteer, and hurl it sideways. But most of the time, it feels like the car is keeping you in check. Like a royal advisor whispering, “Maybe not, sire. Let’s keep the tyres intact this time.”
But… Something’s Missing
And yet, despite all this, despite the speed and competence and engineering brilliance, there’s something missing. A kind of... fizz. That intangible, slightly dangerous excitement defined the E39, the V10, and even the last-gen F90. Part of it is the weight. Part of it is the complexity. But mostly, it’s the fact that everything feels managed. You are not the hero here. The software is. Your foot tells the computer what it wants to do, and then the code decides whether to grant your wish. It’s astonishingly clever. But also slightly cold.
This is not the M5 that dances on the edge. This is the M5 that goes fast, looks good, saves the planet, and doesn’t spill your coffee. It’s polished. And maybe that’s the problem. Sometimes, you want a bit of grit.
Now, let’s be grown-ups for a second. The M5 costs ₹1.99 crore (ex-showroom), which is a not-insignificant hike over the previous ₹1.62 crore model. But it’s also just ₹4 lakh more than the AMG C63, which, let’s not forget, has only a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and sounds like an angry Dyson. So, from a value standpoint, this M5 actually starts to make sense.
You get all-wheel drive, V8 power, electric range, luxury, tech, safety, and brutal performance in one package. In EV mode alone, it’ll do over 40km of silent, gearbox-shifting smoothness, handy for sneaking past sleeping children or smug EV owners.
It’s comfortable, stable, and subtly aggressive in darker, matte colours. And it’s a car you can live with every day, which is more than you can say for most supercars with similar performance.
Inside the Castle
Now, on the inside, you’d expect the throne room of the M5 to be a place of majesty, of considered design, of understated excellence. It is not. It’s a place where everything is massive. The steering wheel is like holding a Christmas ham - I love the chunky steering. The seats are the size of grand pianos and finished in two tones of black and red with a glowing m5 badge. They get the M multifunctions and are extremely sporty, with wide bolsters to hug you in place. Even the M buttons on the wheel are comically oversized, as if built for a Viking with boxing gloves.
And because every component has been inflated to Michelin Man proportions, you actually lose usable space. Rear legroom? Acceptable. Boot? 466 litres, but it’s narrow and invaded by the rear wheel arches like two old dogs sleeping in the boot. In short, it’s roomy but not in a clever way. It’s roomy in the “I bought a sofa that doesn’t fit through the door” kind of way.
Tech-wise, it’s very BMW. A pair of screens dominate the dash, curved and stuffed with iDrive 8.5, one of the most needlessly complicated systems ever devised. There are 57 icons on the home screen alone. Many of them look exactly the same. It’s like trying to operate a blackberry using emojis. You’ll find yourself spending more time poking at pixels than looking at the road.
But when you do find the right screen, there’s a lot to admire. The resolution is sublime. The heads-up display is massive. The driver assist systems are as smooth and unobtrusive. And then there’s the auto parking system which can remember and reverse up to 200 metres of a complex route. Like a dog fetching a stick, only smarter and less likely to pee on the driveway.
The Royal Wardrobe
Now, let’s talk about what it looks like, which is... angry. The G90 M5 has grown broader shoulders, deeper intakes, and more chins than Henry VIII after a buffet. From the front, the grille is now partially closed off. BMW says this improves airflow, but it also makes the car look like it’s mid-sneeze. Go for the carbon pack, and it becomes even more dramatic. Carbon splitter, carbon roof, carbon mirrors, carbon spoiler. Around the back, quad pipes are neatly punched through a furious rear diffuser and shout ‘royalty’ louder than a Bugatti at a barbecue.
And the proportions are unlike the long-wheelbase 5 Series sold in the country, the M5 gets the standard wheelbase. It’s 3,006mm long between the axles, which makes it more agile and compact... relatively speaking. In truth, it’s still wider than the average Bombay-galli and longer than most of the cars parked outside Soho House. But at least it looks the part. This is definitely not a subtle car.
Engine: 4.4-litre Twin-Turbo V8 + Electric Motor (Plug-in Hybrid)
Power Output: 717 bhp
Torque: 1,000 Nm
0–100 kmph: 3.5 seconds
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Electric Range: ~40 km (claimed)
Price (Ex-showroom India): ₹1.99 crore
