M5 is big. It’s about 5.1 meters long and about 2 meters wide, not far from S-class size. But the decor is wrong. Instead of placing regular-sized components to maximize space, make all components as large as possible. The steering wheel is fat and huge, the seat is huge, and the M button is oversized. When you sit there, you feel like a child.
And making all of this so large means it actually takes up less space. Rear legroom is OK, but not that big. At 466 liters, the boot is only 34 liters compared to the M5 Touring, which is actually not that big for this class. The road width is narrow, and the intrusion of the wheel arches is noticeable.
What about the driving environment?
Familiar to all BMW owners, the front features a large curved screen with premium graphics and responsiveness to play with BMW’s latest 8.5 iDrive. Good luck. You risk spending more time here than looking at the road. There are 57 app icons on the home page, most of which look pretty much the same. Moreover, it is small and difficult to hit. We’ve tried this before with BMW, but its operating system is horribly complex and even once you get used to it, it’s hard to figure out how to do it. There are too many choices.
Every corner feels luxurious. The sports seats are exceptional, helping to hold the typical body perfectly through corners while not crushing areas you don’t want crushed during long journeys.
How intrusive is the safety system?
Here’s the good news. BMW’s autonomous driving and lane-keeping systems remain among the best in the field, managing the car in a way that feels natural and smooth. Options include a giant heads-up display and Parking Assistant Professional, which allows automatic parking and maneuvering at distances of up to 200 meters. Basically, a smartphone remote control M5 is included.
Please tell me more about the options.
A 30kg lighter carbon roof is available as an option for the panoramic glass roof, and a range of carbon fiber trim options are also available. This light irony will never be forgotten by any of us. Interestingly, while BMW offers most things on their own, they also offer an ‘Ultimate Pack’ which combines most of the good stuff into one £19,500 options package. However, it does include carbon ceramic brakes (gold calipers if you want to get noticed), so it’s not bad value considering the circumstances.
