BMW Takes Issue with Perception of the M5 as Overweight

The new M5 tips the scales at 5,390 pounds, which is approximately 400 pounds heavier than two Mazda Miatas in their heaviest trim. Trust me, I did the calculations. The addition of hybrid components alone has contributed nearly 900 pounds compared to the previous generation.

To complicate matters further, the vehicle’s dimensions have increased, resulting in even more mass than before. Consequently, the sports sedan seems to have attracted a wave of online criticism. BMW has noticed the backlash on social media and is not taking it lightly.

In an interview with Bimmer Today, where he announced the upcoming gas-engine M3, the head of BMW M, Frank van Meel, addressed the weight concerns surrounding the new M5. When questioned about the vehicle’s substantial mass, he urged skeptics to refrain from forming opinions before experiencing the car firsthand: “We designed the car in such a way that you don’t actually feel it [the weight].”

Van Meel emphasized that assessing the vehicle’s weight should come from driving it rather than just “relying on data in an Excel table.” A valid point, indeed. He admitted that the criticism regarding the M5’s weight “annoyed him a little bit.” The M chief conveyed that BMW invested a “lot of passion” into the design and made a conscious choice to embrace hybrid technology.

What prompted the electrification of the new M5? Essentially, it was the only feasible way to keep the V-8 engine viable for another generation while adhering to tightening emissions standards, particularly in Europe. Van Meel provided these reasonable justifications to support the decision to equip the M5 with a charging port rather than opting for a smaller inline-six.

As previously noted, the new M5 was always destined to be heavier, given that the 550e xDrive, featuring a six-cylinder plug-in hybrid system, already weighed 4,751 pounds.

BMW initially contemplated creating a purely electric version but scrapped the idea, fearing it wouldn’t deliver the sustained performance that typical M5 customers expect. The company already has the i5 M60, which serves as the electric M Performance variant of the latest 5 Series.

For the moment, Frank van Meel is confident that the combination of a twin-turbo, 4.4-liter V-8 engine and an electric motor, adapted from the less successful XM, represents an ideal setup for the M5. The M division was well aware of the new performance sedan’s anticipated weight but insists that drivers won’t notice it.

During the same discussion, he likened the adoption of a plug-in hybrid system for the “G90” to the introduction of the xDrive system in the previous “F90” generation. Initially, there was skepticism, with critics suggesting that the car could “only drive in a straight line, it’s no longer agile, it can’t drift anymore, that’s boring.”

He encouraged enthusiasts to trust the engineering process, assuring them that the team knew what they were doing, mirroring the current situation with the electrified powertrain.

Despite the concerning curb weight, one could argue that electrification is a necessary compromise to meet regulatory requirements. Viewing the situation optimistically, things could have been much worse had BMW M chosen a path similar to AMG’s.

Although the new E63 has yet to be revealed, Mercedes has already announced that the V-8 will not return, mirroring its demise in the smaller C63. However, there is still hope that the upcoming CLE63 will feature eight cylinders, suggesting that not all is lost.