Road test review: BMW M5 Competition
Friday, 9 April 2021
BMW M5 COMPETITION
Base price: $234,300
Powertrain and economy: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, 460kW/750Nm, 8-speed automatic, AWD, combined economy 10.6L/100km, CO2 243g/km (source: RightCar).
Vital statistics: 4936mm long, 1472mm high, 2992mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 530 litres, 20-inch alloy wheels.
We like: Relentlessly fast, superb chassis, relatively decent on fuel, still has those understated M5 looks.
- We don't like: Ride quality on the stiff side, almost too fast, and as good as it may be, it’s hard to recommend a V8 in 2021…
BMW has rounded out its 5 Series refresh with the top-rung M5 Competition. I know, I know – it’s a V8 sedan in 2021. Basically sales-proof in this world of efficient small SUVs, right? My answer to that is this: do you really care?
Of course not, this is a new M5! It’s a big middle finger to cookie-cutter small SUVs via tyre-shredding, V8 goodness, right?
Well, it's not really all-new, it’s just a facelift. The bones are the same as the 2019 M5 Comp, headliners there being the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 and the fully variable xDrive all-wheel drive system. The new additions are things we’ve already covered, like better active safety stuff and a slightly tweaked design both inside and out.
**READ MORE:
* Road trip review: BMW M550i Pure
* Road test review: BMW X5 M Competition
* First drive review: BMW X5 M and X6 M
* Why the BMW M5 is our Top Performance Car of 2018
**
Power for the Competition-spec M5 is 460kW/750Nm, 19kW more than in the cheaper and less equipped ‘Pure’ variant, paired with an eight-speed automatic. Other Competition-spec upgrades include a sharper suspension tune, a blacked-out grille, rear spoiler and a rear diffuser insert.
As you might expect from that spec-sheet readout, this is a fast car. Scratch that, this is an insanely fast car. That engine is more like a nuclear bomb, such is the ferocity at which it spits out kilowatts. Burying the throttle in Sports Plus mode results in all four wheels pushing off from the road like a lion taking off after some poor wildebeest. BMW says the Comp hits 100kmh from a standstill in 3.3 seconds
The noise is appropriately feral too, with Sports Plus opening the M-spec exhaust to its fullest. The 2021 M5 is actually neutered a little in the sound department (thanks, emissions standards) but it still sounds epic.
In fact, you can think of this M5 as a four-door M8 Competition. The two share similar performance and, annoyingly, similar stiff rides, but the M5 has two more doors and so can terrify twice the amount of people at once.
That price tag is quite high though… Is it worth paying that much?
Honestly, I don’t think so. I think the best 5 Series is the M550i, which loses out on the better part of 70kW of power, the trick suspension, variable xDrive and the loud exhaust system as well as the other standard M stuff (carbon bodywork, sharper steering etc).
But in return, you get a much more comfortable ride, an Eco Pro mode, and $85k still in the bank. Plus, the M5 is almost too fast, doubly so if you’re not interested in track days.
If it were my money, I would get the M550i and spend a bit of that saved cash on a better exhaust. I suppose there’s always the $189,900 M5 Pure but the comfier ride of the M550i is tough to beat, especially as an all-round bruiser.
Any other cars I should consider?
The standard M5 opposition. Audi’s RS 7 and Mercedes-AMG’s E 63 are the primary rivals, all still using V8 power. If you want something a little different (and vastly more powerful), wait for the tri-motor Tesla Model S Plaid, due here next year.