The popular M-powered sedan and its wagon sibling are rumored to get a 718-horsepower version of the XM SUV’s plug-in hybrid twin-turbo V8
May 4, 2024 at 7:37 am
- The 2025 BMW M5 is coming onto the market with plug-in power for the first time this year.
- The wagon option returns after more than a decade of absence and both body styles will come to America.
- The hybrid-assisted twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 is rumored to produce 718 hp.
This year will be a record year for new BMW M machines. The crew in Garching is preparing to surprise us with an M3 CS Touring, an M4 CS, a revised M2 and this, the brand new BMW M5.
The seventh-generation M5 isn’t expected to stray too far from the familiar recipe of supercar speed in a sensible premium body, but it will introduce some key powertrain upgrades that will intrigue and outrage fans in equal measure.
Related: It’s official, the new BMW M5 Touring confirmed for the US
Unlike its rival in the Mercedes-AMG E-Class, which downsizes from a V8 to an inline-six and more than makes up the deficit with hybrid assistance, the M5 retains the V8 power while adding an electric boost.
Rumor has it that the M5 will inherit the XM Label Red SUV’s 4.4-liter plug-in hybrid V8, albeit slightly detuned to preserve the unloved SUV’s position as the flagship of the M fleet. The Label Red makes 738 hp (748 hp), but BMW will reportedly reduce the output to 718 hp (728 hp) for the M5, although the sedan reportedly has the upper hand when it comes to torque, producing 760 lb-ft ( 1,030 hp) generates Nm) instead of 738 lb-ft (1,000 Nm).
If those numbers are correct, the 2025 M5 will make a whopping 101 hp (102 hp) more than the last M5 CS, but the downside is that the hybrid hardware that makes this possible also adds a bunch of unwanted pounds to the curb weight. According to reports, the new sedan will weigh in at a whopping 2,435 kg (5,368 lbs) – more than 454 kg (1,000 lbs) heavier than before – and the Touring wagon will be even thicker.
That’s right, after skipping two generations, the wagon option is back on the M5 menu, and the really good news is that both versions will be coming to America, where there’s never been an M5 wagon in the past and neither is the M3 Touring was missing. This was a huge success in Europe.
We hear the M5’s launch is scheduled for July this year, a schedule that tracks BMW’s decision to remove most of the paneling from its latest prototypes. These spy shots show off the front and rear LED lights in full, the shape of the lower bumper, and the pair of horizontal grille bars located within each kidney grille. They also show the charging port on the driver’s side fender just behind the front wheel.
Are you excited about the new M5 and would you choose the practical station wagon or the slightly slimmer and more traditional sedan?
