2025 BMW M5 Road Test and Review

2025 BMW M5 ・ Photo by Brady Holt

The BMW M5 has always had a wide range of talents. It’s a roomy, posh four-door luxury sedan. But it’s also a monstrous performance machine. 

These days, the fastest cars on the road tend to be electric. But traditionalists still love the sound of a V8 engine. And after this sedan skipped the 2024 model year, the redesigned 2025 BMW M5 returns to deliver that roaring engine – with a twist. It’s now a plug-in hybrid, aiming to pair the benefits of an EV with the M5’s old-school flavor. The result is bigger, heavier, more complex, and slower than before. And yet, it’s even more appealing than ever for the right owner. 

For this review, we just spent a week testing the new M5 (priced from $119,500) to learn more about its pros and cons. Keep reading to learn what we found about this luxury performance machine’s new electrified twist. 

Big Boy

The 2025 BMW M5 is no small, lithe sports sedan. At 200.6 inches long, it has stretched more than 4 inches from the 2023 model. It’s nearly as long as a Toyota Sienna minivan, and it's longer than a 10-year-old BMW 7 Series (the brand’s full-size flagship sedan). 

Throughout its 40-year history, the M5 has been the performance version of the BMW 5 Series mid-size sedan. And as the latest 5 Series has grown, so goes the M5. This year’s model also gets a four-figure weight gain, to nearly 5,400 pounds. That’s roughly as much as a Ford Expedition, or as much as a BMW 3 Series sedan with a Mazda Miata on its roof. BMW says 882 of the M5’s new 1,000-plus pounds is from the big new hybrid battery, electric motor, and other hybrid components. 

The big new M5 also wears more extroverted front and rear ends than before. If you liked the subtle smoothness that characterized most of the M5’s four decades, the blocky new bumpers and illuminated grille might seem over the top. If you missed the angrier-looking M5 sold from 2004 to 2010, though, you’re more likely to welcome the latest looks. Meanwhile, the middle of the car is simple and smooth – without angry creases or wild swoops. Our test vehicle’s matte Frozen Deep Gray paint job keeps it all smooth. 

New this year is an M5 Touring performance station wagon. It splits the difference between the M5 sedan and one of the brand’s ultra-performance SUVs, like the BMW XM and X5 M. It's shaped for useful cargo hauling, yet low to the ground. 

2025 BMW M5 ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Old-Fashioned V8 Power

Many V8 performance cars have fallen victim to tightening emissions rules in recent years. But the redesigned 2025 BMW M5 sticks with eight mighty cylinders under the hood. 

This turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 makes 577 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. That’s a hearty output; it matches the last M5’s torque, though it comes up a bit shy of its 600 horsepower. More importantly, it sounds as rich and smooth as ever. This isn’t a sports sedan that whispers its way up to speed. As much as we love the effortless ease of a high-performance EV, we know that many driving enthusiasts pine for a more mechanical soul. BMW hasn’t forgotten that. And since BMW no longer sells a V8 in any of the “regular” 5 Series models, the M5 is the place to get it. 

Now, this engine hasn’t kept up with the M5’s growth spurt. BMW quotes a 0-60 sprint of just 3.4 seconds, a little behind the old model’s 3.1-second dash. Keeping the race close despite the weight gain, and helping it blast right off the line, is the new electric motor we'll discuss in a moment. 

2025 BMW M5 ・ Photo by Brady Holt

The Electric Twist

The 2025 M5 isn’t relying solely on its V8 when you accelerate. It can also draw from its new 194-hp electric motor. This isn’t the sort of EV power you’d get from a fully electric car, but it’s a healthy complement to an already-massive gas engine. 

When this motor works together with the V8, they produce a combined output of 717 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque. And because electric motors make peak torque right off the line, they get straight to work when you press the accelerator – no waiting for a turbocharger to spool up or the engine to start revving. The M5’s standard all-wheel-drive system puts all this output straight to the road. 

BMW promises that unlike some plug-in hybrids, you still make max power even if you’ve used up the battery’s charge. It keeps a “buffer” amount of charge so that you’re always ready for the next 0-60 sprint. And the gas engine, along with energy recaptured from the regenerative braking system, quickly replenishes some charge while you’re driving. 

2025 BMW M5 ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Economical When You Want It to Be

The other advantage to the M5’s new hybrid powertrain is fuel consumption. We know nobody is choosing an M5 to pinch pennies at the gas pump – but that doesn’t mean you necessarily want to spend more on gas. We’ve heard from some M5 owners who select a drive-mode setting where the V8 never switches off. But we’ve heard from others who are happy to run their mega-performance machine in all-electric mode when puttering around town or sitting in traffic. 

When you plug in your M5, you can travel an EPA-estimated 27 miles using solely electricity via the selectable electric mode. And we crushed that estimate to achieve 38 miles of all-electric driving while commuting in rush hour traffic – conditions where there was no room to unleash the V8’s fury anyway. The car charged overnight using our 120-volt household outlet, and it can fill up in about two hours on a 240-volt car charger. 

But unlike an EV, you never have to plug in the M5, as long as you’re willing to pay for gasoline. Without plugging in, we averaged 22 mpg on premium gasoline in similarly mundane driving conditions. This demolishes the EPA’s dismal 14 mpg projection. (The government imposes a $2,600 gas-guzzler tax based on that rating.) 

When you drive the M5 like the performance machine it is, you’ll get that mileage in the teens. But if this is your daily driver instead of only your weekend ride, it probably won’t cost you as dearly as the estimates suggest – especially if you plug it in. 

2025 BMW M5 ・ Photo by Brady Holt

High Handling Limits

We mentioned that the BMW M5 is a big and heavy sedan. And yet, it doesn’t feel like a clumsy boat of a car when you push it hard. Two factors help it retain its historically high handling limits. 

First, BMW has long been a master of suspension engineering. The M5’s adjustable sport suspension is tautly tuned for responsiveness without devolving into bone-crushing stiffness, and rear steering helps further offset the vehicle’s length. And secondly, most of the weight gain is from the hybrid battery, which lives under the floor. As with an EV, this extra weight at least keeps the M5’s center of gravity low.

It doesn’t drive like a dream in everyday conditions. Even set to its comfort mode, the ride is sports-car-firm rather than luxury-coddling. And until you’ve pushed it hard enough to appreciate its extreme handling limits, you’re more likely to notice the artificial-feeling steering. But this BMW remains a track star. 

2025 BMW M5 ・ Photo by Brady Holt

High-Tech Dashboard

Inside, the previous-generation M5 had a traditional-looking dashboard with a screen stuck to it. Now, the screens are the dashboard. A 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster connects with a 14.9-inch infotainment touchscreen to create a single panel that spans two-thirds of the dash. Even the graphics are all angular. 

In addition to all the screens and rectangles, you’ll also find shiny black trim between the front seats and backlit blue and red strips of trim on the dash and door panels. Our test car’s red leather ensures that no one would find this interior a soothing place of tranquility. But other folks will appreciate the flash from their performance car. And everyone can enjoy the high-quality cabin materials. 

Just come prepared for a learning curve. You’ll often need to dive through multiple menus, and you get few physical buttons with dedicated functions. At least the turn signals are blessedly simple by modern standards. 

2025 BMW M5 ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Spacious Luxury

We’ve mentioned that the new M5 is as big as a BMW 7 Series used to be. That means it’s a spacious family car as well as a powerful yet economical performance machine. 

The front sport seats are built to keep you in place while you’re cornering, not coddle you. But they’re comfortable and have plenty of room to stretch out, especially if you’re not on the heavy side. Our test vehicle includes the optional $1,850 Executive Package that includes both heated and ventilated front seats along with heated rear seats. 

Speaking of the rear seat, the M5 isn’t quite limo-like on the inside. Rear passengers can’t stretch their legs out. But they’re not cramped like in the typical high-performance car. BMW also quotes a generous 16.5 cubic feet of trunk space (more than you’d get in a Toyota Camry), though the narrow trunk doesn’t seem quite so ample in the real world. The cargo winner is the M5 Touring wagon, with 27.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat and 57.6 cubic feet with the rear seat folded down. 

2025 BMW M5 ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Three High-End Cars for the Price of Two

The redesigned 2025 BMW M5 sedan is three cars in one. It’s a snarling V8 performance car. It’s a usefully roomy luxury car (especially in cargo-friendly Touring form). And now, it’s even an economical hybrid, at least when you plug it in and aren’t in a huge hurry.

Now, as we mentioned, the M5 starts at $119,500. You also pay a $2,600 gas-guzzler tax and an $1,175 destination charge. With options, including the $1,850 Executive Package, $1,700 for adaptive cruise control, $3,600 worth of Frozen Deep Gray paint, and a couple other add-ons, our car came to $136,325. 

So in effect, you’re getting those “three cars” for the price of two. A BMW 550e is a six-cylinder plug-in hybrid that’ll be nearly as quick (4.1 seconds to 60 mph) and as agile as the M5 in everyday driving, and it starts at a comparatively gentle $74,800. Or there’s the fully electric i5 M60 ($84,100, 0 to 60 in 3.7 seconds). Both have the same body as the M5 sedan. 

However, neither has the same at-the-limit handling tenacity or the potentially intoxicating V8 rumble, and neither is available as a wagon. And the fully electric i5 M60 can only go 239 miles before you need to recharge its battery.

The M5’s appeal lives in a small niche – and not just because of its high price. But this big, technologically complex four-door lets you go fast and make noise without necessarily sacrificing interior space, luxury, or even fuel efficiency. 

2025 BMW M5 ・ Photo by Brady Holt