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TAKE 5.

TAKE 5.

3 min reading time

An overview of every generation of the BMW M5.

The benchmark in its segment: In 1985, the premiere of the BMW M5 E28 series laid the foundations for an automotive legend. Since then, the BMW M5 has been setting the standard in the high-performance business sedan segment. Combining elegance with breath-taking performance and technical innovation, it continues to delight generations of enthusiasts to this day.

26 June 2024

BMW M5 Sedan [1] :
Fuel consumption weighted combined in l/100km   1.9; with depleted battery: 10.7
CO2 emissions weighted combined in g/km   43
Energy consumption weighted combined in kWh/100 km   26.8
CO2 class   B; with depleted battery: G
Electric range in km   63

#1 BMW M5 (E28)

  • Max. output: 210 kW (286 hp)
  • Max. torque: 340 Nm
  • Displacement: 3,453 cm³
  • 0-100 km/h in 6.5 seconds
  • Vmax: 245 km/h

ALL Models

of the BMW M5 E28 were entirely handmade until the end of production.
The BMW M5 E28.

The BMW M5 E28.

Until the BMW M5 emerged in 1985, the M535i had been considered the benchmark in the business sedan class. From the moment it was launched, however, the M5 mastered the balancing act between high performance and elegance like no other car had before it. Dispensing with the M535i’s large spoiler – but of course retaining the M logo on the front grille and boot lid – its 3.5-litre inline 6-cylinder produced 210 kW (286 hp), having originally been developed for the legendary BMW M1.

#2 BMW M5 (E34)

  • Max. output: 232 kW (315 hp) to 250 kW (340 hp)
  • Max. torque: 360 to 400 Nm
  • Displacement: 3,535 cm³
  • 0-100 km/h in 6.3 to 5.9 seconds
  • Vmax: 250 km/h

VERY RARE.

Less than 1,000 units of the BMW M5 E34 Touring left the BMW M factory
The 1988 BMW M5 E34.

The 1988 BMW M5 E34.

After the success of the first generation, expectations for BMW M5 E34 series were even higher. It took barely any time for all to see that the second generation M5 more than met those expectations. Its free-induction inline 6-cylinder engine developed 315 and later 340 hp – an absolutely incredible amount for this class.

#3 BMW M5 (E39)

  • Max. output: 294 kW (400 hp)
  • Max. torque: 500 Nm
  • Displacement: 4,941 cm³
  • 0-100 km/h in 5.3 seconds
  • Top speed: 250 km/h

S62B50

The BMW Z8 from the year 2000 was equipped with the same engine as the BMW M5 E39.
The BMW M5 E39 from 1998.

The BMW M5 E39 from 1998.

When it was launched in 1998, the BMW M5 E39 set a completely new benchmark for BMW M. It was the first time that a V8 engine with a displacement of five litres had been used, which generated 294 kW (400 hp) and a tremendous torque of 500 Newton metres. This made the E39 the most powerful M automobile in the model range.

#4 BMW M5 (E60)

  • Max. output: 373 kW (507 hp)
  • Max. torque: 520 Nm
  • Displacement: 4,999 cm³
  • 0-100 km/h in 4.7 seconds
  • Top speed: 250 km/h

8,250 RPM.

The maximum speed generated within the BMW M5 E60’s V10 engine.
The BMW M5 E60 from 2005.

The BMW M5 E60 from 2005.

From the racetrack to the road: in 2005 the fourth-generation BMW M5 was presented as a sports sedan with a harder edge. This was backed up by its engine – a high-revving, naturally-aspirated V10 producing a remarkable 507 hp. Since Formula 1 was also running with ten-cylinder engines at that time, the M5 E60’s engine blocks came direct from the F1 foundry of BMW.

#5 BMW M5 (F10)

  • Max. output: 412 kW (560 hp) to 423 kW (575 hp)
  • Max. torque: 680 Nm
  • Displacement: 4,395 cm³
  • 0-100 km/h in 4.3 to 4.2 seconds
  • Top speed: 305 km/h

TWIN-SCROLL

Twin-turbocharging in the ‘hot’ V-cylinder provides the BMW M5 F10 engine with a torque never before reached in the model’s history.
The BMW M5 F10 from 2011.

The BMW M5 F10 from 2011.

When it arrived in 2011, the fifth generation M5 heralded a new era for the propulsion of M automobiles. The naturally aspirated V10 engine of its predecessor was history. In its place came a newly developed and turbocharged V8 engine. The power it produced was immense: up to 423 kW (575 hp) in the Competition model.

#6 BMW M5 (F90)

  • Max. output: 460 kW (625 hp)*
  • Max. torque: 750 Nm
  • Displacement: 4,395 cm³
  • 0-100 km/h in 3.3 seconds*
  • Top speed: 305 km/h*

*BMW M5 Competition

PROGRESSIVE M DESIGN.

7:35.90 min.

The time german „Sport Auto“ magazine took to complete a lap of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife in the BMW M5 Competition F90.
Start video

With the new BMW M5 F90, the iconic high-performance sedan shows itself in its sharpest form to date. The latest version of the M5 F90 series, which was first introduced in 2017, demonstrates the sovereignty of a business sedan with the dynamism and maximum performance of a high-performance sports car in the most compelling way. The 4.4 V8 engine with BMW M TwinPower Turbo technology develops 441 kW (600 hp) in the BMW M5 and an impressive 460 kW (625 hp) in the BMW M5 Competition. And in terms of breath-taking, the latter reaches 100 km/h in just 3.3 seconds.

BMW M5 Sedan [1] :
Fuel consumption weighted combined in l/100km   1.9; with depleted battery: 10.7
CO2 emissions weighted combined in g/km   43
Energy consumption weighted combined in kWh/100 km   26.8
CO2 class   B; with depleted battery: G
Electric range in km   63

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