2025 BMW M5 Touring Review: Unleashing Hybrid Power While Bearing Extra Weight
BMW’s 40-year legacy with the M5 lineup has set standards in automotive performance and luxury. The 2025 M5 Touring marks a bold evolution: it combines an aggressive hybrid powertrain with a suite of advanced technology features, yet its additional weight raises questions about handling and driver engagement compared to previous generations.
Historical Context and Market Legacy
Back in 1984, BMW introduced the original M5 by fusing the understated elegance of the E28 5-Series with motorsport-inspired engineering from the M1 supercar. This innovative blend established the M5 as a versatile performer—a luxurious sedan that could double as a spirited sports car. For decades, competitors have tried to emulate this balance, making the M5 the benchmark in big, fast four-door vehicles.
Today, with the Touring model now arriving in the US, the approach is doubly ambitious. Not only does BMW seek to take on European stalwarts like the Audi RS 6 Avant, but it also attempts to redefine performance priorities in an era influenced by stringent regulations and shifting consumer expectations, where style and on-road presence sometimes seem to outweigh pure driving dynamics.
Engineering Marvel: Hybrid Powertrain Meets Technological Innovation
Under the hood, the 2025 M5 Touring is powered by a 4.4 L twin-turbocharged V8 engine capable of 577 hp (430 kW) and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm) of torque. For the first time in an M5, it incorporates a permanently excited synchronous electric motor integrated into its eight-speed transmission. Delivering an extra 194 hp (145 kW) and 207 lb-ft (280 Nm) of torque along with a 14.8 kWh battery pack that supplies approximately 25 miles (40 km) of all-electric range, the hybrid system brings the overall output to a formidable 717 hp (535 kW) and 738 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) of torque.
However, this engineering marvel comes with a trade-off: the additional components push the curb weight to nearly 5,400 lbs (2,449 kg), which is roughly a thousand pounds heavier than its predecessor. Despite this, the M5 Touring hits 0-60 mph in a blistering 3.4 seconds, although it is two-tenths slower than before. Manufacturers and automotive experts debate if such power gains justify a compromised power-to-weight ratio, especially as the car’s presence begins to mirror that of a low-slung SUV rather than a nimble sports sedan.
Chassis, Suspension, and Handling Analysis
BMW has not spared any effort in refining the chassis of the new M5 Touring. Its M-tuned adaptive suspension, paired with additional structural bracing, massive front brake discs with six-piston calipers, four-wheel steering, and torque vectoring, underline the intense engineering prowess behind this model. These features are aimed at maintaining precise control on the road despite the car’s enlarged proportions.
Yet, the added weight creates palpable challenges. In technical evaluations, mid-corner bumps can instigate multiple suspension oscillations before the vehicle stabilizes, with the steering feedback often feeling muted during dynamic driving. Experts suggest that while these compensatory technologies help tame the car’s mass, the suspension’s harshness—even in relaxed modes—can detract from the driver’s experience, evoking memories of a less encumbered, more agile M5 of previous years.
Infotainment and Interior Technological Experience
The latest generation of BMW iDrive debuts a prominent 14.9-inch touchscreen, which now serves as the command center of the interior. The design is sparse, incorporating a few capacitive buttons, a rotary controller—which marks the end of an era—and a volume dial on the center console. Although digital, many operations such as adjusting fan speed or fine-tuning the chassis damping require navigating through an app drawer-like menu with ambiguously named icons.
In response to this interface complexity, BMW champions voice commands as the optimal way to manage settings without diverting attention from the road. Drivers can modify throttle response, brake regeneration, and multiple suspension settings, among others, through a series of presets accessed via M1 and M2 buttons on the steering wheel. While these high-tech features aim to customize the driving experience, experts caution that the overload of configurable options sometimes masks the inherent compromises made to adhere to modern emissions and noise regulations.
Deeper Analysis: Balancing Performance and Regulatory Demands
BMW’s current strategy reflects the broader pressures of an automotive landscape where performance enhancements collide with increasingly stringent European emission and noise standards. The M5 Touring’s aggressive modifications demonstrate how manufacturers are using hybrid systems and digital technologies to fulfill regulatory mandates while still offering a visceral driving thrill. However, the engineering compromises—specifically the challenges induced by extra mass—are a recurring theme in performance vehicles adapting to these new norms.
Engineers and industry analysts are watching closely to see how BMW and its peers reconcile the inherent tension between raw performance and environmental responsibility. The M5 Touring is a case study in how forward-thinking hybrid architectures can be both beneficial and a potential hindrance when scaled up without proportional refinements in chassis dynamics.
Expert Opinions and Future Outlook
- Performance Enthusiast View: Some purists lament the ascent of digital enhancements that, while impressive on paper, cannot fully recapture the analog precision of older, lighter models.
- Engineering Perspective: Experts praise the innovative hybrid integration but underscore that the additional weight represents a significant engineering trade-off that affects the vehicle’s day-to-day dynamics, especially on twisty roads.
- Market Impact: With competition heating up—such as Audi’s RS 6 Avant and emerging all-electric counterparts like the i5—the market sentiment seems split between appreciating the improved electric torque delivery and longing for a purer driving experience.
Looking forward, the 2025 M5 Touring may signal the end of an era. Its blend of advanced technology, hybrid power, and expanded practicality is clearly aimed at setting new benchmarks. However, for enthusiasts who prize an unfiltered, lightweight driving feel, the current design might prompt a nostalgic yearning for simpler times. As automotive innovations evolve, the balance between raw performance and tech-driven convenience remains a pivotal challenge for manufacturers.
Conclusion
In summary, the 2025 BMW M5 Touring is a marvel of modern automotive engineering that successfully marries hybrid power with high-tech features and expansive utility. Yet, its hefty curb weight and the consequent impact on dynamic handling challenge the traditional values cherished by M car enthusiasts. As BMW shifts its focus towards status and technological sophistication, the performance purist might find that the pursuit of more does not always equate to a better driving experience.
This review encapsulates both the accomplishments and the compromises that define the current generation of performance sedans, setting the stage for ongoing debates about the future direction of automotive performance in an era of rapid technological and regulatory change.
Source: Ars Technica