The BMW M5 has always been the company’s way of saying “yes, we can make it madder” — eight cylinders, two turbochargers, and enough horsepower to send your insurance premium into orbit. Which is why, until recently, the word “hybrid” next to the M5 name sounded almost like an insult. The seventh generation, known internally as the G90, proves BMW would rather compromise than disappear — and the result is more interesting than most skeptics expected.

The recipe: the same 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 (now badged S68, an evolution of the old S63), paired with a 195bhp electric motor and a 22.1kWh battery (18.6kWh usable). Combined output lands at 718bhp, with the petrol engine alone contributing 553lb ft of torque available below 2000rpm and spinning all the way to 7200rpm. The sprint to 62mph takes 3.5 seconds, and top speed reaches 190mph with the optional M Driver’s Package — numbers that would make even the old V10 M5 tip its hat.

The irony is that in its quest to stay relevant, the car has grown heavier than ever: 2435kg claimed, 2373kg as weighed with a third of a tank and the optional carbon-ceramic brakes fitted — just 34kg shy of the hybrid four-door Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance. BMW’s answer was entirely reworked axles, widened tracks, and the first rear-wheel steering system ever fitted to an M5, plus switchable M xDrive with 4WD, 4WD Sport and pure rear-drive 2WD modes — for anyone who considers 718bhp with no stability control a sound life philosophy.

On a wide, smooth road, the M5 finds grip and balance that make its 2.4 tonnes feel almost irrelevant. The trouble starts on a bumpier B-road, where the weight makes itself known and the steering — direct, but short on feedback — doesn’t inspire quite the same confidence. Refinement, though, is a genuine strength: 68dBA at a 70mph cruise, quieter than the old M5 CS (73dBA) and the rival Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance (70dBA).

Inside, two-tone merino leather, a curved 14.9in digital display and the Interaction Bar’s LED strip compete for attention — the light bar occasionally beams more brightness into your eyes than onto the road ahead. BMW has finally given in to the flat-bottom steering wheel trend, though it’s still mostly round, and the red M1/M2 preset buttons remain. Autocar’s testers score the interior 8/10, but note it’s a modest step down from the previous generation.

The practical headline is the return of the Touring estate — only the third time in M5 history, after the E34 and E60/E61 — for a mere £2000 over the saloon. Boot space grows to 500 litres (versus 466 in the saloon), access through the tailgate is far easier, and the testers reckon the wagon actually looks more cohesive than the saloon with its drooping boot lid.

On paper, running costs look reasonable: 176.6mpg claimed, 38g/km CO2, a 42-mile electric range and an 8% BIK tax band. The concern lies elsewhere — predicted residual values that, according to Autocar’s sources, lag noticeably behind rivals like the Porsche Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid and Audi RS6 Avant Performance.

The final verdict is 7 out of 10, summed up as “a technical leap, though into troubling territory.” This isn’t the greatest M5 ever built, but it hasn’t sold its soul just to stay in 2025 showrooms either. Sometimes survival alone counts as an achievement.

Source: Autocar (https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/bmw/m5)