5 TO THE POWER OF M (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 105

BMW's M5 is the yardstick against which all serious performance saloons are judged, a car that in F90 sixth generation form got all-wheel drive for the first time. From this car's launch in 2018, the company insisted that the bespoke 'M xDrive' set-up was compatible with its brand values: it was certainly needed to control the prodigious output of this model's refettled 4.4-litre V8. A trick rear diff gets the power to the tarmac, there's an uprated auto gearbox and a myriad of drive mode settings to make this the most configurable performance car of its period. Here, we consider it as a used buy.

Modelsword count: 10

5dr executive saloon (Petrol - V8 625hp [M5, M5 CS])

Historyword count: 409

BMW invented the executive super saloon with their M5 and though Audi's RS6 and AMG versions of Mercedes' E-Class have offered stiff competition in recent years, for many, this remains the definitive motorsport-bred business blaster. Time to rate this 'F90'-series sixth generation version. From the outset in 1984, the M5 model line was all about straight six power, normal aspiration and rear wheel drive but over the years, all these original staples evolved as BMW sought to reinterpret what the ultimate super saloon should be. A V8 engine arrived for the 'E39' third generation version in 1998. And turbocharging was adopted for the fifth generation 'F10'-series model of 2011. With the launch of the MK6 F90 M5 in 2018, we got 4WD too, though BMW reassure buyers that they could turn it off if they wanted to and slide the back around. The main reason all-wheel drive traction was needed with the F90 version lay with the news that engine output from the twin turbo V8 unit that was carried over from the F10 model had in the F90 reached 600hp - 39hp more than its predecessor. Or, to put it another way, the kind of power an F1 car developed back in the Seventies. In a leather-lined, four-door business-minded saloon that will attract very little pavement comment, but will out-perform some McLarens and Ferraris. You can see the appeal. That power hike required the installation of a tougher torque-converter auto gearbox, just one of the things you've to control via the exhaustive suite of driving modes you'll need to master if you're to get the most from this car. Virtually every dynamic element of this super saloon can be tweaked and personalised to suit your driving style - to an even greater degree, BMW claimed, than was possible with this M5's arch-rival of the period, the Mercedes-AMG E 63. The standard 600hp F90 M5 lasted only until 2019, when it was replaced by the M5 Competition, which got a small power hike to 617hp and a 7mm drop in ride height. There was a light model refresh in 2020, which saw small styling tweaks, a bigger 12.3-inch central touchscreen, a digital dash and new M and Track modes. An even faster limited edition M5 CS model arrived in 2021 with 635hp, a 7mm ride height drop, a new aero kit and a 70kg weight reduction. Across all F90 M5s, only the saloon body style was ever offered here.

What You Getword count: 323

You'd have to know your BMWs to recognise this F90 M5's exalted status. The wheel arches are gently teased over M Double-spoke 20-inch alloys, through which you glimpse the high performance braking system. In addition, there are M-specific mirrors and M5-branded side gills - but that's about it for the model-specific changes. Unless you happen to be admiring the car from an upper window. Then you'll be able to take in the lovely 'CFRP' 'CarbonFibre Reinforced Pastic' roof. Across all F90 M5s, only the saloon body style was ever offered here. It says a lot about the quality of the seventh generation 'G30' BMW 5 Series that it only took a bit of fairly minor fettling to make this cabin feel entirely appropriate to a car with a six-figure price tag. And to a supersonic saloon with Ferrari levels of performance. The primary contributor to that lies with the M multifunctional sports seats, which grip you tightly, use soft fine grain Merino leather and feature an 'M5' logo beneath the headrest. You also get a red starter button and anthracite-coloured alcantara headlining. And the main controls are nicely finished - the bespoke red-striped stick you get for the eight-speed M Stepronic auto gearbox and the thick three-spoke M leather steering wheel with its important two red Memory-setting buttons you'll want to programme to your preferences at the earliest opportunity. Through it, you view an M-branded set of graphics in the standard 'Digital Cockpit' instrument binnacle screen. And in the rear? Well there's still a fraction less space than you'd get in a rival E 63 or RS 6, but the differences aren't very great and this BMW betters these two rivals when it comes to ceiling height. Raise the aluminium boot lid (rather pointlessly electrically operable) and you'll find a usable luggage area, which for this generation model boasted a small 10-litre increase in size to 530-litres thanks to the longer rear overhang.

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