WEEK BEHIND THE WHEEL
BMW M5 TOURING
One to file under ‘not your average company car’, this Bavarian beast is an impressive PHEV proposition, says John Challen
DAY 1
It’s fair to say I’ve always had a soft spot for BMWs – as well as a big respect for the company’s M cars. Now, as a plug-in hybrid with CO₂ emissions under 50g/km (45g/km), this M5 Touring qualifies for the low BiK rates, meaning drivers will pay just 9% for a whole lot of power – and fun. The headline performance figures are impressive: 717hp; 1,000Nm and a zero to 62mph figure of 3.6 seconds. Not that you would want to use that power all the time, of course and actually you can pootle along quite sedately, if you feel inclined.
DAY 2
From the driver’s seat, the first impressions are comfort – the M multifunction sport seats have a load of support – and choice. Some people might find the number of suspension settings and options overwhelming, but at least it means personification is high on the list of priorities for those who do like to fine-tune the car around them. The differences between modes are relatively subtle, with only the most committed drivers opting for the extreme levels of vehicle dynamics. Given the state of some of the roads around the UK, veering towards comfort-biased options is often the best way to go.
DAY 3
Having spent a lot of time in electric cars, I was blown away – which wasn’t always a good thing – by the noise in the M5. The wheels – 20-inch at the front and 21-inch at the rear – and low-profile Pirelli P Zero R tyres might look the part, but no doubt contribute to the tyre roar that enters the cabin when on the move. It’s not overly intrusive, but more noticeable than standard cars, which I guess is to be expected. During a drive out with Mrs Challen, she certainly made a mental – and then verbal – note of it. On the flip side, floor the throttle and it’s a different kind of soundtrack. 'M’ cars are known for emotive and iconic powertrains and the M5’s still ticks that box.
DAY 4
Practicality might not be high on the list of requirements for M5 drivers, but the Touring has it in spades. The boot – all 500 litres of it – enables you to pack everything in you’d possibly need for a road trip. Fold down the rear seats and there’s a whopping 1,630 litres to play with. Elsewhere, there’s plenty of room in the rear and lots of storage options.
Meanwhile, for the first time, BMW is offering a towbar on an M5 Touring. Not something that I took advantage of personally, but should the need arise, then the towing fraternity will be accommodated.
DAY 5
As you might expect, a car such as this one comes equipped with a lot of standard kit. We’ve got a heated steering wheel, four-zone air-conditioning, adaptive LED headlights, ambient lighting, a Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system, wireless charging, head-up display and much, much more. The aforementioned towbar is a £1,200 option, as is the ‘Ultimate pack’, which adds in a panoramic sunroof, upgraded brakes and callipers, rear window blinds, heated and ventilated seats front and rear, anthracite Alcantara headlining and carbon side mirror caps. That pack alone is costed at £18,900, taking the overall price of the model tested to £134,558.32. However, factor in the company car element and it paints the M5 Touring in a different light, one that might appear more palatable.
DAY 6
Spending time with the M5 Touring brings out the car’s ‘Jekyll and Hyde’-type personality. Yes, there is arguably more power on tap than anyone would need – and the ferocious aural soundtrack generated by the 4.4-litre twin turbo – but when stationary, all that changes. It took a while to get used to the serenity of the engine shutting off while the hybrid technology did the heavy lifting. And cruising around on electric power in such a vehicle was a strange but satisfying sensation.
The steering, which can also be adjusted to suit, is – as you might imagine – sharp and direct, giving confidence when cornering or overtaking. The brakes too, carbon ceramic numbers with gold callipers (part of that ‘Ultimate’ pack), look the part and help to make an already striking car stand out that little bit more.
DAY 7
You can’t help be impressed with this car. The performance, the quality interior, the technology – let’s not forget that the hybrid powertrain enables an all-electric range of 42 miles (WLTP) – and the practicality makes it a winner on a number of different levels. The ability to switch between that performance and then to drive sedately purely on batteries is impressive and seamless. A bit like the gearchanges through the eight-speed box.
However the real-world electric range is more like 25-30 miles and it’s debatable as to how often drivers would be able to maximise the potential of those 700+ horses. They aren’t reasons to not get an M5 Touring, in fact in many ways it still warrants the ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’ tagline made famous by BMW. The motoring world might be doing its best to transition to pure EVs, but products such as BMW M cars are making the switch harder to achieve for many driving enthusiasts.
