A new spy video captures the next-generation BMW M5 testing at the Nurburgring race track. It isn’t the M5 Touring wagon that BMW told us last year to watch out for at the iconic race track. However, the video shows off the upcoming sedan, which the company still covers under a camouflage wrap.
The camo continues to hide the M5’s new design, which looks evolutionary instead of revolutionary in its styling. The model won’t adopt the oversized kidney grille of other models, retaining the smaller design of the current performance car. However, that reserved approach won’t apply to the interior.
We got our first look at the M5’s new cabin last year, with spy photos revealing its screen-packed cabin and flat-bottom steering wheel. A wide, curved display containing the digital instrument cluster and the infotainment system will sit on the dash. The screens should run the latest version of the iDrive8 software from BMW, giving the vehicle the newest connectivity features. The center console will also get a makeover, gaining a minimalist gear selector.
Styling and creature comforts matter to any car, but the M5’s powertrain makes it what it is. The next-generation version will arrive as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, borrowing the setup from the BMW XM, which can make up to 738 horsepower in the XM Label Red trim.
Adding the electric motor and lithium-ion battery, which will increase power and performance, will add weight. However, the plug-in powertrain is expected to make around 700 hp, far more than the 617 hp offered in the M5 Competition, and should help motivate all that extra weight down the road. The standard XM makes 644 hp for comparison. The heart of the M5’s powertrain will be the brand’s twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8.
The next-generation BMW M5 won’t be debuting anytime soon. The German automaker is revamping the entire 5 Series lineup, so we’ll see the regular versions break cover – and the electric i5 – before the hotter M5 launches, which likely won’t happen until sometime in 2024. BMW is also preparing the BMW M5 Touring, which could come to the US as an answer to the Audi RS6 Avant and Mercedes-AMG E63 Estate. Yes, please.
