The F90 will be replaced this year with a plug-in hybrid twin-turbo V8 sedan. Codenamed G90, the newcomer will be joined by a station wagon that – believe it or not – will be sold in the US as well.
BMW has recently published a video depicting the G90 and roomier G99, showing their mettle on a frozen lake in Sweden. Even at -31.5 degrees C (-24.7 degrees F), both start up and switch gears perfectly fine. Few customers are willing or will have to drive in such conditions, but still, the German automaker had to make sure that all mechanical and electronic bits can take such abuse in such extreme cold.
Attached in the photo gallery, one particular screenshot from the video reveals a landscape-oriented touchscreen infotainment system with gloss-black bezels. Just under it, you have three physical buttons for the hazards, max A/C for the windshield, and max rear window defogger.
The aforementioned setup is eerily similar to lesser 5ers and the zero-emission i5, which is hardly a surprise. Although pixelated to keep prying eyes from seeing the M-specific graphics, the digital instrument cluster should mirror that of the 5 Series and i5 as well. The cluster measures 12.3 inches and it's dubbed Information Display, whereas the 14.9-inch touchscreen is called Control Display.
Wider than both the 5er and i5, the M5 twins further sweeten the deal with an M-specific AWD system. M xDrive comprises an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch in the transfer case, and it further sweetens the deal with a rear-drive mode. In the current-gen M3 and M4, there is no fixed torque split between the front and rear axles because M xDrive continuously shift it between them.
Photo: BMW M on YouTube
The sweet spot, however, is the Sport setting. Not only does it allow more slip out back for extra oversteer, but it can also get you out of trouble by sending more power to the front axle when required. Similar to the M3 and M4, as well as the sedan-only F90, the G90 and G99 use ZF's 8HP tranny.
A torque-converter automatic that premiered in 2008, the 8HP is universally praised even today as being one of the best automatics in the biz. BMW has a special relationship with said transmission, for BMW knows how to calibrate it for both comfort and sportiness unlike any other automaker that currently uses the 8HP. The party piece of the 2025 model year M5, on the other hand, is the plug-in powertrain with 700-plus horsepower on deck.
Hearsay suggests 718 horsepower all told, 577 for the combustion engine, and 194 for the electric motor. The battery, meanwhile, reportedly packs 18.6 kilowatt hours. In regard to curb weight, chances are the sedan could tip the scales at a staggering 2,435 kilograms or 5,368 pounds. Thankfully, the rear tires measure 295/35 by 21 inches.
The heaviest and most powerful M5 ever will enter production in two phases. In the first instance, the sedan will start rolling off the assembly line in July 2024. The heavily anticipated M5 Touring will follow suit in November 2024, meaning that the first units should be ready for customer delivery in the United States market in the first part of 2025.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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