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Brawned up but slimmed down – BMW’s thumping new M5

BMW M5 V8 auto saloon business car review
Review: Richard Lofthouse
563_new_BMW_M5246x155
BMW M5: brutal power, muscular looks, better mpg

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24 January 2012

New 2012 BMW M5 V8 road test business car review
BMW M5: brutal power, muscular looks, better mpg

 

BMW M5 V8 auto saloon car review

Review: Richard Lofthouse

What is it?

BRAND new, fifth generation BMW M5 slashes CO2 and taxes while increasing performance, doing both with the aid of twin turbos. In all other respects the car remains faithful to the M heritage – the muscular looks are there, the quad exhausts are there, the luxury is there and the dynamic handling is there. The car is on sale now and costs £73,040 on the road, while if you’re thinking of running an M5 through your business, the P11d for company car tax purposes is £72,195.

What’s hot?

 

  • 4.4 litre V8 beats out a lovely baritone sound and lies at the heart of the M5 package
  • Torque up a significant 30%, power up 53hp
  • CO2 slashed to 232g/km, mpg hugely improved over outgoing M5 to 28.5mpg
  • Conservative, classic styling hides a 0-62 time reduced 0.3 sec to 4.4 seconds
  • Active M-Differential allows serious track credentials, as do much improved brakes
  • 7-speed auto/manual transmission now includes stop-start technology as well, and it works faultlessly
  • High levels of standard kit compared to lesser models in the range, includes heated seats and excellent head-up sat nav display

 

What’s not?

 

  • Conservative, classic styling is bland to some
  • Space grey not as convincing as monte carlo blue, unless you are deliberately playing it down
  • Near-two-tonne bulk makes M5 more like a lightweight Bentley GT contender than true track star
  • Internet preparation still costs extra
  • Easy to add £10k in options, which seems wrong at these heights
  • Avoid the optional full merino leather at £5,445…
  • …basic leather is standard and more than adequate
  • Split-folding rear seat is still a £375 option
  • Absence of traditional manual transmission arguably reduces driver involvement…
  • …but greatly enhances ease of use
  • Despite the CO2 reductions, BMW M5’s company car tax is 35%
  • With a benefit in kind rating of £10,107 for a 40% tax payer

 

What you need to Know

P11D Value: £72,195
Monthly Rental*: £1098 + VAT per month upwards
Tax Band when posted: 35%, 35%, 35%
Monthly BiK: Check M5 BIK here
Engine: 4.4 litre, V8 turbocharged petrol
CO2 Emissions: 232g/km
Power/torque: 560hp/ 680 Nm
Economy: 28.5mpg

 

Business Car Manager Road Test Rating

2010, UK sales of the outgoing M5 dwindled to just 17, partly on account of its dreadful fuel economy. BMW has sorted this in one fell swoop, and the new M5 will return early thirties mpg on M-Way journeys, while the excellent stop-start function takes the edge off urban crawls.

Meanwhile, BMW’s decision to bin its traditional adherence to naturally aspirated, non-turbo engines will not be mourned by anyone save a handful of purists. Add CO2 figures of 232g/km, and the M5 is re-accommodated to the real world, albeit it nowhere near as economical as other models in the range. With these basic figures sorted, the rest of the package is very attractive.

The engine is a cracker and the handling and dynamic appeal is undiminished. The ‘sport plus’ steering setting brings back almost old school levels of feel and positive resistance, while ‘comfort’ is perfect for urban twirling.

The only real criticism is that the turbo-charging brings so much power to bear that the stability controls are constantly intervening to stop you accelerating off the road. With these turned off on a track, you find that the easy progression of older, over-steery rear drive BMWs has been replaced by a razor sharp speed machine that is less forgiving of pilot error and in that sense possibly less ‘fun’, despite being so much quicker.

Nonetheless this new BMW M5 is a brilliant package updated for 2012, and the subtle yet emphatic styling cues will please anyone attracted by the big, fast saloon proposition that has always been the M5’s forte.

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Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton is an award-winning journalist and the founder of Business Car Manager (now renamed Business Motoring). Ralph writes extensively about the car and van leasing industry as well as wider fleet and company car issues. A former editor of What Car?, Ralph is a vastly experienced writer and editor and has been writing about the automotive sector for over 35 years.

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