THE PLUG-IN HYBRID BMW M5 IS HEAVIER THAN THE ELECTRIC I5 M60
If you think EVs are too heavy, you probably don't want a PHEV.
The 2025 BMW M5 is a plug-in hybrid, great news for those who want instant torque, more power, all-electric around-town motoring and internal combustion endurance. But if you want a lightweight sports sedan, the new M5 isn't for you.
The 2025 M5 rings in at 5,390 lbs, up about 1,000 lbs from the outgoing, all-ICE model. It's even heavier than the all-electric BMW i5 M60, which is built on the same platform as the M5.
But it's not a perfect apples-to-apples comparison. While BMW M5s are built to handle sustained track usage, the i5 M60 isn't. Surviving track work requires bigger brakes, extra bracing and, most importantly, a much beefier cooling system. If BMW wanted to make a full-fledged M version of its i5, it'd surely be heavier. But the weight of the new M5 shows that—if you're worried about EVs being too heavy—plug-in hybrids probably aren't the solution.
Track-ready EVs also can be significantly lighter than this. The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N can handle two laps of the grueling 12.9-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife, and it weighs just 4,861 lbs. It's an SUV, too, though shorter and less luxurious than the M5.
Since it's a luxury car, though, I wouldn't expect the average M5 owner to mind the extra weight. BMW surely beefed up the brakes enough to handle the added mass, and the added stopping power of a regenerative braking system should ease their load. Plus, every generation of M5 has gotten heavier, more tech-laded, more powerful and faster. Every time, enthusiasts call foul, claiming that the M5 is dead. Then it sets another sales record, and two generations later what used to be fat and numb is now "the old one" with its "more analog" feel.
I'm not sure if the same fate awaits this one. There are undeniable benefits of an ICE M5, and inarguable advantages to going fully electric. The PHEV one gets a bit of the magic from both systems, but I wonder if—once the M5 goes fully electric—it'll be remembered as the odd duck, not quite capturing the old school fans while also not fully beginning its next era. I could see it being brilliant, a PHEV super sedan like we've never seen, and I could see it being a compromise. Until I drive it, I won't know. But I'm excited that BMW is trying something new, and hopeful about what could be a perfect bridge into our electric future.
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2024-06-26T18:19:48Z dg43tfdfdgfd