The Beefy 717-HP 2025 BMW M5 Compared to Every Other M5

Engine: 3.5-litre straight six

Power: 286 hp

Weight: 1,589 kg (approx.)

Drive: Rear-wheel drive

Notes: The original. It’s aging gracefully, but drive one today and you’ll be shocked how slow 286 horsepower feels. It took 6.5 seconds to get from 0-100 km/h. Of course, at the time, it was a rocket and the straight-six is still a thing of beauty. A close relative of the engine from BMW’s M1 supercar, it’s a very exotic piece of mechanical engineering. 

Engine: 3.5-litre (later 3.8-litre) straight six

Power: 315 hp (later 340)

Weight: 1,670 kg (approx.)

Drive: Rear-wheel drive

Notes: For the first time, the M5 became available as a station wagon, or “Touring” in BMW parlance. Fewer than 1,000 examples of this M5 wagon rolled off the line, making it highly collectable today. The basic engine remained the same, but the straight-six was tuned and enlarged to its limit. A very handsome car.

Engine: 4.9-litre V8

Power: 400 hp

Weight: 1,812 kg (approx.)

Drive: Rear-wheel drive

Notes: Some say it’s the best sedan ever made, are we just might agree. A perfect mix of performance and comfort. BMW’s old straight-six had already been tuned to its limit and competition from AMG was heating up, so M Division built its first V8 and what a thing it was. Upon its release, this M5 made more power than Ferraris and Porsches. All these years later, it’s debatable whether any M5 since has surpassed this one in terms of interior quality. More than 20,000 were produced, making it by far the most successful M5 up to that point.

Engine: 5.0-litre V10

Power: 507 hp

Weight: 1,848 kg (approx.)

Drive: Rear-wheel drive

Notes: Put pedal to metal in this M5 and you’ll swear there’s an old Formula 1 car tailgating you. As BMW explains, “Since Formula 1 was also running with 10-cylinder engines at that time, the M5 E60’s engine blocks came direct from the F1 foundry of BMW.” The sensory mismatch between this large family sedan and the screaming V10 is gloriously strange. We love and, it’s sad there’ll never be another M5 like it.

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8

Power: 560 hp (later 575)

Weight: 1,870 kg (approx.)

Drive: Rear-wheel drive

Notes: Out went the V10, and in went a V8, only this time (for the first time in an M5) the engine was paired with turbochargers. After the glory of the old V10, fans were a little upset at the muted tone of the twin-turbo V8. It was all in the name of reducing fuel consumption, but there’s no arguing with its effectiveness. This four-door sedan could get to 100 km/h in as little as 4.2 seconds and keep going to a top speed of 305 km/h.

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8

Power: 600 hp

Weight: 1,855 kg (approx.)

Drive: All-wheel drive

Notes: Once again, fans were initially upset about something. This time it was the switch to all-wheel drive. We were skeptical too. But after driving it, even diehard fans admitted it was actually pretty great. The clever all-wheel drive system allowed the car to be more playful, and less conservative in its setup, while also finding more mass-market appeal as a year-round daily-driven vehicle in wintery climates like Canada.

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 plug-in hybrid

Power: 717 hp

Weight: 2,445 kg (EU)

Drive: All-wheel drive

Notes: Here in Canada, the new 2025 BMW M5 will cost $135,000. For that you get 717 hp, 738 lb-ft of torque, 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds, a top speed of 305 km/h, and roughly 40 miles of electric-only driving range. It’s also wider, lower, stronger and meaner than the regular 5 Series. This time, fans will surely be up in arms about the switch to plug-in hybrid power with a single electric motor integrated into the gearbox. M Division has a good track record of winning over its fickle fans simply by having them drive the cars they’re so upset about. The driving experience speaks for itself. We’ll find out later this year whether or not that’s the case for this new seventh-generation M5.