BMW says M5’s massive weight is ‘the best we can do’

BMW has just unveiled the new M5and while it’s significantly more powerful than the car it replaces, the new M5 is also heavier. A lot heavier. With its plug-in hybrid system borrowed from the BMW XMIt weighs 5,390 pounds, nearly 1,000 pounds more than its predecessor. That’s not ideal for what’s supposed to be a sports sedan, but as Frank van MeelDirector of BMW M Division, told CarBuzz recentlyadding a heavy-duty plug-in hybrid system was the only way to keep the M5 around.

According to van Meel, BMW isn’t ready to make the M5 all-electric yet. So to meet emissions regulations, it had to go hybrid. And while 70 kilometers of range won’t get you very far on the road, it should be enough for everyday driving. “(An electric M5) needs more than just batteries. You need the whole architecture, the electronics, the high-voltage system,” he told CarBuzz. “So this is actually the best we could do at the moment.”

Despite the new M5’s incredible weight and hybrid nature, Van Meel insists it still feels like an M5. “You don’t notice the difference,” he says when asked how it feels to drive in electric mode. “It’s the perfect combination of adrenaline-pumping driving dynamics and sophisticated everyday usability,” he tells CarBuzz.

While Americans are still concerned about the M5’s weight, residents of other countries will likely appreciate the tax advantage the hybrid system offers them. Given that its CO2 emissions are rated at 50g/km according to the WLTP, in some countries the M5 will end up being more affordable than the gas-only M3.