Arguably the most controversial M5 to date, both the G90 and the wagon-bodied G99 are polarizing. In addition to the contentious exterior styling, the sheer weight of the first M5 with electrical assistance makes it a hard sell to prospective customers who prioritize handling finesse over straight-line capability.
Be that as it may, the 2025 model has plenty going on for it, beginning with more power than officially advertised. On the dyno, a brand-new M5 with a little over 230 miles on the clock has recently netted 696.13 wheel horsepower and 729.59 wheel pound-feet (989 Newton-meters) of torque. By comparison, the crankshaft numbers offered by the Munich-based manufacturer are 717 horses and 738 pound-feet (1,000 Newton-meters) of twist.
BMW further claims 3.4 seconds to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) in US-market specification for the sedan, putting the G90 well below the F90 M5's 3.2 seconds, the Competition's 3.1, and the 2.9 seconds of the CS. However, Joe Achilles launched the big-boy sedan to 60 miles per hour in 3.12 seconds on a public road in Germany. For a curb weight of 5,390 pounds (2,445 kilograms) in American spec and 2,435 kilograms (5,368 pounds) in Europe, that's hugely impressive.
The question is, can the 2025 BMW M5 hold its own against internal combustion-engined rivals from Audi Sport and Mercedes-AMG? Enter Thomas and James of Throttle House, who raced the Bimmer against the RS 7 Sportback Performance and E 63 S 4MATIC+ at Dunnville Autodrome in Ontario, Canada.
Be it from a dig or from a rolling start, BMW's heaviest M5 to date annihilated both competitors. While it's most certainly not fair due to the lack of near-instant electric torque for the Audi and Mercedes, bear in mind that both of them are considerably lighter. Oh, and by the way, the RS 7 Sportback Performance bettered the AMG in two quarter-mile races.
Photo: Throttle House on YouTube
Not happy with said results, Thomas brought a different Merc for another series of races against James in the BMW. The challenger's name is obnoxiously long: Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE 4-Door Coupe. Actually a five-door liftback, the AMG in question plays in a different league from the M5 and E 63, for it starts at $194,900 (before taxes and extras) in the United States market.
It's quite a bit more powerful, though, and it's also marginally lighter. With 831 horsepower and 1,084 pound-feet (1,470 Newton-meters) of torque on deck, the plug-in 63er easily makes the M5 eat its dust. Thomas had to admit defeat in all-electric mode, which isn't surprising in the least. How come? AMG says the 63er tops 130 kilometers per hour (81 miles per hour) on battery power, whereas BMW quotes up to 140 clicks (140 miles per hour).
At the end of the day, both Thomas and James would take the E 63 first and the RS 7 second over the M5, which – to them – simply isn't sufficiently desirable. As for the GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE 4-Door Coupe, both agree that it's way too pricey for what it wants to be. Speaking of which, the GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE 4-Door Coupe is technically similar to the ICE-only E 63 S.
Although we do not know for certain if the next-gen E 63 will have a V8, the carparazzi did capture prototypes of the RS 6-replacing RS 7. All made unmistakable V8 noises, with all of them also featuring a charging port opposite to the gas door. The successor of the GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE 4-Door Coupe, on the other hand, is a battery-electric car.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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