2025 BMW M5 G90: 750-Horsepower Bavarian Super Sedan Will Be the Last of Its Kind

Sometimes sleek but always imposing, with an aura that whispered secrets of boardroom battles won and highways conquered, cars like the BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E 63 in Europe, the Cadillac CTS-V in the U.S., or the Jaguar XF-R in the UK have always stood one cut above your average sedan. These were not just cars; they were statements of achievement and ambition wrapped up in steel and leather.

That said, the era of the super sedan is heading toward an inevitable demise, mostly because of the rise of crossovers, but not until some go out with an almost primordial bang. Before every performance model out there becomes an electric sledgehammer on wheels, some carmakers are busy planning the magnum opus of their ICE sedan lineage.

One such carmaker is BMW, which is currently on the last leg of its development for the seventh generation of the M5, the last ICE-powered iteration of the legendary nameplate.

The upcoming 2025 BMW M5 G90 aims to continue and improve on the performance legacy of its predecessors, only this time in a much less inconspicuous manner.

It will be the last time the age-old recipe of a big V8 up-front will be used by BMW M, so the Bavarians must ensure they do everything right before the curtain closes.

The seventh M5 faces an enormous challenge because its predecessor, particularly in its CS version, is arguably the pinnacle of the M5 lineage, at least when it comes to performance and driver enjoyment. In other words, it must live up to the M5 F90's legacy and simultaneously significantly enhance its environmental performance, which is a huge mountain to climb.

Energized Dino Juice

If it isn't already clear, the upcoming M5 G90 generation will mark a historic milestone as BMW's first hybrid M sedan. To ensure the model remains marketable in today's electrified era, the Bavarians have taken a page out of AMG's recent hybrid playbook but with a twist, ensuring that they won't completely alienate their fans.

That twist is not switching to fewer cylinders as the ill-fated Mercedes-AMG C 63 has done but keeping the monstrous V8 alongside an electric motor and battery combo.

This hybrid V8 combination is familiar because the controversial-looking XM super-SUV was actually the first M car to use it, and this time, the technology will trickle down to a sedan for the first time.

Don't expect a package that is too different from the XM, although the M5 G90 is likely to learn most of its powertrain's lessons from the limited-edition XM Label Red.

I say this because the, let's say 'entry-level' BMW XM has a nearly identical output as the M5 CS F90, so it wouldn't make any sense to add so much complexity to a powertrain and not improve its output considerably.

As you know, the BMW XM Label Red combines a twin-turbocharged, 4.4-liter V8 that delivers 577 HP (585 PS) and is augmented by an electric motor delivering 194 HP (197 PS). Because the electric motor is placed in the 8-speed automatic transmission, the two outputs don't add up in a traditional way, with the result being a still massive 738 HP (748 PS) and no less than 738 lb-ft (1,000 N) of torque sent to all four wheels.

All that oomph can send the 2.8-ton SUV from 0 to 62 mph (100 kph) in 3.9 seconds, so you can imagine what it can do with the lower (and somewhat lighter) M5 G90. Sub-3-second 0-60 launches were already attainable by the recently defunct CS, so the new one is likely to feel ballistic when accelerating from a dig.

The electric motor is said to get its electron juice from a battery slightly smaller than the one used on the XM, though. According to a recent insider leak, the 2025 M5 has a lithium-ion battery with a usable capacity of 18.7 kWh, almost 7 kWh less than the gargantuan XM. Coincidentally, that is the exact capacity of the 5 Series G60 plug-in hybrid battery.

This shouldn't necessarily translate into a lower electric range because of the increased aerodynamics and lower weight. In other words, expect the first-ever hybrid M5 to be able to cruise silently and exhaust-less for up to 50 km (31 miles) in the EPA cycle or up to 90 km (56 miles) WLTP.

The sad part is that even in hybrid or 'ICE' mode, you won't be hearing a thunderous V8 anymore because of increasingly restrictive exhaust sound laws in the EU.

The Elephant in the Garage

Taking the powertrain solution from the lardy BMW XM comes with its own set of problems, the biggest one being the weight. To put things into perspective, the XM weighs 6,173 lbs (2,800 kg), albeit part of its humongous weight comes down to the massive 29.5 kWh (gross) battery and the shortened X7 platform it uses.

So, it's a full-size SUV with a full-size battery and a V8; nobody was expecting it to be a featherweight.

Then again, the last time a new BMW was lighter than the preceding model was when it introduced the M5 CS, which weighed almost as much as the smaller M3 Touring Competition.

Sadly, there is no way lighting will strike twice, judging how the regular 5 Series G60 is, on average, about 220 pounds (100 kg) heavier than its predecessor, depending on the powertrain. To give more context, a modern 520d G60, powered by a tiny four-cylinder, is already heavier than the M5 CS.

Add four more cylinders, an electric motor, and a 20-something kWh (gross) battery on top of that, and no amount of CFRP (Carbon-fiber Reinforced Plastic) can save the 2025 BMW M5 from weighing less than 5,070 lbs (2,300 kg) in its future CS version and around 5,291 lbs (2,400 kg) in the Competition spec.

Yes, you read that correctly; the new M5 will not only be the most powerful BMW sedan ever but will also be one of the heaviest, so expect to pay a premium on the extra tires and brake pads that you will need replacing if you drive it like it's meant to be. Then again, this story isn't new for most modern cars that have started popping up in recent years.

Putting Pen to Paper

All that oomph and heft has to be transmitted through all four wheels to the tarmac, so expect M engineers to do their magic and hide some of the pounds with clever differentials, suspension, and brakes.

Already shown on the XM, active anti-roll bars and shocks powered by a 48-volt system can mask a lot of pitch and roll, even on an elephant. On top of that, the new M5 will also have rear-wheel steering for the first time ever, so the Nurburgring sedan lap record might have a new holder in a few months.

As with the M5 F90, all-wheel-drive will be standard thanks to an M-developed xDrive system offering a so-called 'Drift Mode' by decoupling the front axle via an electronically controlled multi-clutch arrangement.

In true M tradition, neither straight-line nor cornering performance should be a concern compared to its predecessor. Still, if M engineers don't do something similar to what AMG has done to battery cooling, maximum performance won't be available for too long, with efficiency being prioritized.

As Tesla and others have shown, it is mighty easy to extract power and deliver immediat performance from electric motors, but traditional battery technology doesn't allow a good marriage between offering range and performance at the same time. High temperatures can throttle their outputs quite fast, as I also found out after several launches with the otherwise extremely sporty BMW iX M60.

Managing the extra weight is definitely something that M engineers can do well, so we'll just have to wait and see what they do about the other issues that come with electric motors and batteries on sports cars.

Family Vacation with the M5 Touring in the U.S.

Despite the market for station wagons being completely annihilated by the rise of crossovers and SUVs in recent years, there is a specific type of wagons that continues to find customers in the most unusual places.

One of those places is the United States, where cars like the old Cadillac CTS-Wagon, Audi RS6, and the Mercedes-AMG E 63 Wagon have sold like hotcakes over the years.

To be fair, they sold like hotcakes for an extremely niche product, as super SUVs are still the king everywhere in the world.

BMW is not exactly new at this fast-wagon game, as the M5's long line of predecessors also includes the E34 and E61 wagons, and in recent years it also introduced an M3 Touring for the first time.

With the M3 Touring selling three times better than BMW had expected while not available on the fast wagon-hungry American market, the upcoming M5 Touting G99 has been confirmed to bow down in the U.S. as well, starting with 2025.

This information is semi-official, as it hasn't been posted in a press release but told by BMW's head of design, Domagoj Dukec, at an event.

Unfortunately, like the M5 sedan, the M5 Touring will not only be as fast as a missile but will also weigh as much as a sports SUV, with at least 110 lbs (50 kg) being added on top of the M5 sedan's weight to make it a long-roof.

That said, taking a family trip with a 750-horsepower BMW wagon doesn't sound so bad, no matter how many pounds it has.

When is the 2025 BMW M5 launch date?

BMW hasn't specified an exact date for the launch of its newest and fastest super sedan, but production is set to begin in July 2024, so the official reveal could come a little bit earlier than that.

What will the 2025 BMW M5 weigh?

Considering it pairs a huge chunk of V8 with a big battery and an electric motor, don't expect it to weigh much less than 5,291 lbs (2,400 kg) in standard guise.

Will there be a BMW M5 CS again?

There is definitely potential for the CS moniker to arrive on other future M models as well, but it usually does after the LCI (Life Cycle Impulse) or how BMW names its models' facelifts.

Will there be an electric BMW M5?

As it happens, the current 5 Series G60 also has an all-electric brother in the form of the i5. It's not officially confirmed, but a full-blown i5 M with 700+ HP is apparently also in the works.

How much will the 2025 BMW M5 cost?

Until 2023, when it went out of production the BMW M5 was starting at around $111,000 in the U.S., so you can add at least ten grand to that number for the new one.

What is the electric-only range of the 2025 BMW M5?

While a thoroughbred M car, the new M5 is still a plug-in hybrid with a seemingly large battery, so you can expect a range of around 50 km (31 miles) in the EPA cycle or 90 km (56 miles) or so in the WLTP.

What are the 2025 BMW M5's competitors doing?

Well, the Audi RS6 Avant is already out of the question, as Audi will soon be done with RS products powered by internal combustion engines. Mercedes-AMG has a new E 63 and E 63 Wagon in the works for later in 2024, but they will be powered by an inline-six paired with electric motors, not a V8.

What should you choose between a BMW i5 M60 and the new M5 G90?

Until the not-yet-confirmed i5 M hits the streets, BMW is already selling the i5 M60, which offers 593 HP (601 PS) on tap from two electric motors, so you could say it has plenty of oomph. That said, the i5 M60 is neither a true M car, nor does it have the performance and feel of the new M5.