The previous issue of the xBhp Magazine carried our driving experience of the BMW M4 Competition xDrive Convertible. After that, we went to Europe once again and among other things, got to experience quite a few ‘Beemers’ and here we are going to talk about the most powerful of them all. 

Four wheels, four doors, 625 horses, and 0-100 km/h in less than 3.5 seconds; a scabbard that can engulf the sharpest of drivers in a comfy cocoon and a sword that can slice through the sharpest of bends. You don’t even have to make a noise for this one as it does that better too. BMW likes to call it the M5 Competition but we simply chose to call it a menace. 

After landing in Munich and carrying out some other ‘work’ that you’ll get to read elsewhere in this issue, we asked BMW to help us top the driving experience of the BMW M4 Competition xDrive Convertible. With a grin, they told us that they had just the thing. One look at the BMW M5 Competition and its duality was right there for us to see. 

There are big cars and then there are sporty cars. The BMW M5 Competition is one of the best at being both. It has four doors, the insides are spacious and luxurious, and it is loaded with the latest tech and all the creature comforts one can ask for. Then you look at the blacked-out kidney grille, the side gills, that tiny spoiler and the quad tailpipes at the rear and you know that the thing is meant for more than luxury cruising. 

Fortunately for us, we had just the right idea about putting it to the test. From Munich to Stelvio to Innsbruck, we had all kinds of driving conditions to see what kind of a car the BMW M5 Competition really is. City driving in Munich, sporty feels towards Stelvio and backroads fun in Innsbruck. With all that set, it was go-time. 

Push the starter button and the mighty engine comes to life. It was a bit too muted for our liking but that is what the new norms dictate. Even then, Sport and Sport+ modes enhance the sound a bit more but even then, it is hard to tell that there’s a twin-turbo V8 burbling under the hood. But find an empty stretch of road and send it… that should not leave any room for doubt that there is, in fact, a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 under the hood. 

In addition to the mind-boggling 625 horses and 750 Nm of torque, the blistering acceleration is a result of the xDrive system and the 8-Speed M Steptronic transmission that changes gears in a flash. Among the many benefits of four-wheel drive systems such as making a powerful car idiot-proof and providing neck-bending grip, the launch and acceleration tower over all of them. A few launches are enough for one to be slack-jawed in disbelief wondering how a Saloon (Sedan) can move like that. 

The fun aside, once you let the child within you have a fill of the brutish performance, you can dial things back and the BMW M5 Competition turns into a comfortable city car that you can drive every day. The ride is plush, the engine response is sedate, the soundtrack is muffled, and the steering is smooth; driving it around in Munich, it felt like a car that wants to chauffeur you wherever you want to go in supreme luxury. The clever transmission can make it impressively fuel-efficient too. 

Continuing with the interiors, we loved the sporty seats. Despite their intent, they offer a lot of support and other functions such as ventilation and even massage. You get a heated steering wheel, heated seats, customizable ambient lighting, power-adjusted steering, four-zone climate control and so on. In terms of storage, you get nearly 400 litres in the trunk and a fair few cubbies in the cabin. 

In terms of tech, the BMW M5 Competition gets a 12.3” touchscreen powered by the latest iDrive infotainment system. There’s Apple CarPlay, there’s Android Auto, and a truly sonorous 16-speaker 600-watt Harman/Kardon audio system. Furthermore, in addition to the various driver aids adjustable via preset and custom modes, the M5 Competition also gets automatic high-beam, blindspot monitoring, forward collision warning system with automated emergency braking, lane departure warning with lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control. Phew. Put simply, everything one can ask from a luxury sedan. 

That though, is stuff for number nerds and people who are more drawn to being passengers in the rear. What we wanted to do was to head to Stelvio and see this Beemer’s other, more sinister side. And it does not take much to bring that side out. Put everything in Sport and you have on hand a completely different car. Stiff, responsive, sharp and tantalizingly quick. The transformation is terrifying and terrific; the quiet and comfortable luxury sedan transforms into a taut sportscar. 

A few purists might complain about the lack of a manual gearbox and all-wheel drive. To be honest though, the automatic felt wonderful and about the all-wheel drive, well, you can send all the grunt to the rear wheels. That should be enough to keep the purists satiated as, in this mode, the BMW M5 Competition is seriously playful. Be too generous with the throttle and it is happy to kick things sideways. That though is for people who have honed this particular craft called drifting. 

In the sportier modes, all-wheel drive mode works just fine, minimizing understeer and providing absolute grip in all kinds of conditions. Despite the large body and almost 1,800 kg of heft, the BMW M5 Competition can turn on a dime and feel confident even in the scariest of corners. Historically, steering feel has been a forte of BMW M cars and the  M5 Competition is no different. It is not quite analogue but still meaty, direct and responsive. Finally, the M5 Competition gets carbon-ceramic brakes… need we say more? 

Overall, the BMW M5 Competition is a wonderful car and quite a cocktail of luxury and performance. We feel that the looks and the exhaust note are a little too understated and muffled but regardless, the duality of this Beemer is formidable. If your weekdays are spent being driven to the office and your weekends on the racetrack; now you know what you need to get. We mean money… a fair bit of it. 

This article was published in the Dec’22-Jan’23 Issue of the xBhp Print Magazine. Order your copy here, or read it online here.