When the 2025 BMW M5 starts shipping in Q4 2024, it will be the most powerful version of the executive performance sedan ever sold. The new M5’s 717-hp hybrid powertrain is a significant step toward an all-electric version.
Why the M5 Hybrid matters
The 2025 BMW M5 hybrid power delivery may be an incremental advance, but it’s not a placeholder for the real deal. The market for all-electric cars is growing, but it is still quite small. The new M5 isn’t a solution for drivers who want better fuel economy — gasoline cost isn’t an issue for M5 buyers. M5 buyers will be attracted to its performance, including its suspension and handling braking, operating modes, assistance technologies, and much more.
It’s important to note that M5’s electric power exists to improve the car; the car doesn’t exist to support electrification. It’s wonderful that the M5’s hybrid powertrain improves the car’s performance significantly, but I seriously doubt that BMW engineers’ collective goal was to build a better hybrid. They focused on building a better car.
Notable features of the 2025 BMW M5
The new M5 has myriads of new or improved performance features, but it’s far beyond the scope of this article to cover them all. The hybrid powertrain is the headline feature, and I’ll stick to that.
The M Hybrid powertrain starts with a 4.4-liter V8 gasoline engine with two M TwinScroll turbochargers and a cross-bank exhaust manifold. The motor also has indirect charge air cooling, precision fuel injection, fully variable valve time, and variable camshaft timing. The engine creates 577 hp at 5,600 to 6,500 RPM and 553 lb-ft of torque across a wide 1,800 to 5,400 RPM range.
The electrical power system uses BMW Drive technology with a permanently excited electric motor integrated with the eight-speed M Steptronic transmission. There’s also a regen function to recapture energy for the 347.5V Lithium-ion. The battery has 14.8 kWh of usable energy and supports a maximum 7.4 kW charging rate. The electric motor creates a maximum of 194 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque. BMW ways the M5 can travel up to 25 miles solely on battery power.
When the two motors are both called on, the maximum output is 717 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque. According to BMW, all that power translates to 0-to-60 mph acceleration in 3.4 seconds. The top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph or 190 mph with the optional M Driver’s Package.
BMW will start production of the 2025 M5 in July 2024, and deliveries will start in November. The 2025 BMW M5 starts at $120,675, including destination and handling fees.
