IT’S BMW WITH A CAPITAL ‘M’
Sedan exhibits art of performance
At first glance, the 2018 BMW M5 has an outward appearance that does little to draw attention to itself.
Certainly, the alpine white exterior helps the German luxury sedan blend in — an attribute that some luxury car buyers may find appealing.
But when you begin to absorb the details, you quickly realize that performance is paramount with this particular BMW. The M5 has a traditional four-door shape with a dignified grille trimmed in chrome and an understated hood emblem that are quickly overlooked when the eye takes in the details. Oversized 16-inch carbon ceramic disc brakes with gold calipers fitted behind “M” badged 20-inch double-spoked wheels are hard to ignore. Low-profile summer tires are tucked inside slightly bulging fender flares.
A hard-to-notice, but weight-saving black carbon fiber roof caps off the performance sedan. The “M” badging, which represents BMW’s performance division, continues to the interior on the headrests, steering wheel and shift knob.
If the exterior fails to get your attention, certainly the 600-horsepower, twinturbocharged, 4.4-liter engine that catapults the M5 from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds is
hard to overlook and will certainly garner unwanted attention from the police. Throaty exhaust notes are the reward when rapidly upshifting through the 8-speed transmission. The paddle-shifted M5 roars and rumbles as it continues to rapidly accelerate; fail to lay off the gas pedal and the Bimmer will be rocketing at double the speed limit before you can say the words “Driving to Endanger.” I hate to say it, but the BMW might have too much power.
At $120,095, which includes destination fees and the gas guzzler tax, the power is all part of the allure, and the car performs as engineered with agile handling combined with precise steering. The 553 lb.-ft. of torque produced by the M5 is channeled to the road via an all-wheel-drive system with a rear-wheel bias. The driver can customize the M5’s throttle response, suspension, and steering in a number of different ways to suit their performance needs. A pure RWD mode is also available for the highly skilled driver.
The M5 can also be very docile. A comfort drive mode takes the edge off, which was appreciated by my better half when we took the BMW out to dinner.
The M5’s interior is yachtlike, upholstered in light brown Merino leather. The seats are on the high end of the comfort scale with side wings that hug your sides and supportive thigh extenders. A mix of black paneling, carbon fiber and aluminum trim as well as aluminum pedals serve as reminders to the M5’s performance capabilities. Both front and rear seats were heated, along with ventilation in the front and rear sunshades. Fourzone temperature controls keep everyone in the cabin comfortable.
The 2018 M5 starts at $102,600, which excludes driving assistance and executive packages as well as the wheels and brake upgrades.
While some vehicle manufacturers flirt with phasing out sedans from their lineup, it’s reassuring to see BMW still producing the M5, now in its sixth generation. I’m at a loss to find any changes I’d like to see on M5 other than losing the multimedia screen awkwardly mounted to the center console. I’m sure driving purists would like to see a manual gearbox option, which was available on the model I reviewed in 2013, but I’d argue that the 8-speed M Steptronic transmission with its manualmatic shift modes is likely to improve your driving. The M5 is a good match to the Mercedes-Benz AMG E63 S and has been the subject of many comparisons.
The M5 requires premium fuel with 16 mpg city and 21 on the highway.