Thomas and James of Throttle House are back with an excellent review of the new M5, which is both similar yet a bit different from its predecessor. The big news is electric assistance in the guise of a plug-in hybrid system, which adds a lot of weight to the already ponderous CLAR-based M5.
Thomas and James aren't sure the G90 has that standout characteristic that redeems its shortcomings, yet both agree that it's ridiculously fast. Their review includes a drag race between the newcomer in sedan form versus the F90, namely the standard version with 591 horsepower and 553 pound-feet (750 Newton-meters) of torque on deck.
Incorrectly listed with 600 horses, which becomes correct in metric vernacular, the 591-hp F90 tips the scales at 4,370 pounds or 1,982 kilograms. By comparison, the electrified G90 weighs a staggering 5,390 pounds or 2,445 kilograms. Pretty ridiculous, isn't it?
While it's hard to understand how the Munich-based automaker created a mid-size sports sedan that weighs almost as much as the 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe body-on-frame sport utility vehicle, this fellow is no slouch. Combined output for the S68 engine up front and the transmission-integrated electric motor is 717 horsepower and 738 pound-feet (1,000 Newton-meters), therefore besting every single version of the S63-engined F90.
In terms of acceleration, BMW says that's not the case. The US-market G90 sedan is listed with 3.4 seconds by the Bavarian manufacturer, with the F90 coming in at 3.2 seconds to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) in base specification, 3.1 seconds for the Competition, and 2.9 for the M5 CS.
Photo: Throttle House on YouTube
In the real world, however, the G90 had the upper hand over the F90 in a good ol' quarter-mile drag race, but only just. With James behind the wheel, the 2025 model launched with a bit of wheel spin and hop off the line. Be that as it may, it was constantly ahead of the old M5 in the quarter mile. The Canadian duo also raced from a rolling start, with the 2025 BMW M5 annihilating the non-electrified forerunner.
Although weight is going to hurt in the corners, there is no denying that near-instant torque from the electric drive unit makes the G90 a stupidly fast machine. It's also fast in the other sense of the word, with BMW quoting 155 miles per hour (250 kilometers per hour) by default or 190 miles per hour (305 kilometers per hour) with the M Driver's Package.
Love it or hate it, the G90 is the shape of things to come from Audi Sport's RS 6 Avant-replacing RS 7 line and the AMG division's E 63. While the RS 7 has already been spied making the right sounds while also sporting a charging flap on the left rear quarter panel, it's not clear if the next E 63 will receive an improved version of AMG's M177 V8.
With the CLE 63 caught by the carparazzi on video making eight-cylinder noises, there is hope for a V8 in the E 63 after all. On the other hand, we also have to remember that AMG badly dropped the ball with the four-cylinder C 63. By comparison, M division boss Frank van Meel confirmed that the next-generation M3 will soldier on with an inline-six engine. It will be joined by a battery-electric sibling based on the Neue Klasse platform.
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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