At 5,390 pounds, the new M5 weighs approximately 400 pounds more than two fully loaded Mazda Miatas. I did the calculations, trust me. The hybrid components alone add nearly 900 lbs compared to the previous model. To make matters worse, the car is significantly larger, adding even more weight. The Internet seems to despise this sports sedan due to its hefty weight. BMW has taken note of the negative social media comments and is somewhat frustrated.
In an interview with Bimmer Today where the next-gen M3 with a gas engine was announced, the M division's boss also discussed the new M5. When questioned about the criticism regarding the car's substantial weight, Frank van Meel advised against drawing conclusions without driving it: "We designed the car so that you don't feel the weight." He argued that people cannot judge whether the car feels too heavy until they experience it firsthand, rather than relying on data from an Excel sheet. Van Meel admitted that the backlash about the M5's weight slightly annoyed him. The M division head explained that BMW invested a lot of passion and made a conscious decision to go hybrid.
Why has the new M5 been electrified? It was essentially the only way to preserve the V-8 engine for another generation while complying with increasingly stringent emissions regulations, particularly in Europe. Van Meel used these points to defend the decision to equip the M5 with a charging port instead of downsizing to an inline-six. As I mentioned in a previous article, the new M5 was always destined to be heavy, considering the 550e xDrive, with its six-cylinder plug-in hybrid setup, already weighed 4,751 pounds. BMW considered making the car fully electric but abandoned the idea because it wouldn't meet the sustained performance expectations of typical M5 buyers. The Bavarians already offer the i5 M60 as an electric M Performance version of the latest 5 Series.
For now, 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 underperforming XM represents the ideal setup for the M5. The M division was aware of the car's weight long before its release but assures that drivers won't feel it. During the same interview, he compared the adoption of a PHEV setup for the "G90" to the xDrive system introduced by the previous "F90" generation. Initially, people criticized the xDrive, saying it made the car less agile and unable to drift. Van Meel urged enthusiasts to trust the process and have faith in the engineers, assuring them that they knew what they were doing. The same applies to the electrified powertrain.
Despite the concerning curb weight, electrification is seen as a necessary step to meet regulations. Optimistically, it could have been worse if BMW M had followed AMG's path. The new E63 hasn't been unveiled, but Mercedes has already confirmed the V-8 won't return, similar to the C63. There is hope that the new CLE63 will feature eight cylinders, so not all is lost.
