2021 (71) BMW M5 M5 Competition 4dr DCT

By Jonathan Crouch

Introduction

BMW's M5 is the yardstick against which all serious performance saloons are judged, a car that in F90 sixth generation form got all-wheel drive for the first time. From this car's launch in 2018, the company insisted that the bespoke 'M xDrive' set-up was compatible with its brand values: it was certainly needed to control the prodigious output of this model's refettled 4.4-litre V8. A trick rear diff gets the power to the tarmac, there's an uprated auto gearbox and a myriad of drive mode settings to make this the most configurable performance car of its period. Here, we consider it as a used buy.

History

BMW invented the executive super saloon with their M5 and though Audi's RS6 and AMG versions of Mercedes' E-Class have offered stiff competition in recent years, for many, this remains the definitive motorsport-bred business blaster. Time to rate this 'F90'-series sixth generation version. From the outset in 1984, the M5 model line was all about straight six power, normal aspiration and rear wheel drive but over the years, all these original staples evolved as BMW sought to reinterpret what the ultimate super saloon should be. A V8 engine arrived for the 'E39' third generation version in 1998. And turbocharging was adopted for the fifth generation 'F10'-series model of 2011. With the launch of the MK6 F90 M5 in 2018, we got 4WD too, though BMW reassure buyers that they could turn it off if they wanted to and slide the back around. The main reason all-wheel drive traction was needed with the F90 version lay with the news that engine output from the twin turbo V8 unit that was carried over from the F10 model had in the F90 reached 600hp - 39hp more than its predecessor. Or, to put it another way, the kind of power an F1 car developed back in the Seventies. In a leather-lined, four-door business-minded saloon that will attract very little pavement comment, but will out-perform some McLarens and Ferraris. You can see the appeal. That power hike required the installation of a tougher torque-converter auto gearbox, just one of the things you've to control via the exhaustive suite of driving modes you'll need to master if you're to get the most from this car. Virtually every dynamic element of this super saloon can be tweaked and personalised to suit your driving style - to an even greater degree, BMW claimed, than was possible with this M5's arch-rival of the period, the Mercedes-AMG E 63. The standard 600hp F90 M5 lasted only until 2019, when it was replaced by the M5 Competition, which got a small power hike to 617hp and a 7mm drop in ride height. There was a light model refresh in 2020, which saw small styling tweaks, a bigger 12.3-inch central touchscreen, a digital dash and new M and Track modes. An even faster limited edition M5 CS model arrived in 2021 with 635hp, a 7mm ride height drop, a new aero kit and a 70kg weight reduction. Across all F90 M5s, only the saloon body style was ever offered here.

What You Get

You'd have to know your BMWs to recognise this F90 M5's exalted status. The wheel arches are gently teased over M Double-spoke 20-inch alloys, through which you glimpse the high performance braking system. In addition, there are M-specific mirrors and M5-branded side gills - but that's about it for the model-specific changes. Unless you happen to be admiring the car from an upper window. Then you'll be able to take in the lovely 'CFRP' 'CarbonFibre Reinforced Pastic' roof. Across all F90 M5s, only the saloon body style was ever offered here. It says a lot about the quality of the seventh generation 'G30' BMW 5 Series that it only took a bit of fairly minor fettling to make this cabin feel entirely appropriate to a car with a six-figure price tag. And to a supersonic saloon with Ferrari levels of performance. The primary contributor to that lies with the M multifunctional sports seats, which grip you tightly, use soft fine grain Merino leather and feature an 'M5' logo beneath the headrest. You also get a red starter button and anthracite-coloured alcantara headlining. And the main controls are nicely finished - the bespoke red-striped stick you get for the eight-speed M Stepronic auto gearbox and the thick three-spoke M leather steering wheel with its important two red Memory-setting buttons you'll want to programme to your preferences at the earliest opportunity. Through it, you view an M-branded set of graphics in the standard 'Digital Cockpit' instrument binnacle screen. And in the rear? Well there's still a fraction less space than you'd get in a rival E 63 or RS 6, but the differences aren't very great and this BMW betters these two rivals when it comes to ceiling height. Raise the aluminium boot lid (rather pointlessly electrically operable) and you'll find a usable luggage area, which for this generation model boasted a small 10-litre increase in size to 530-litres thanks to the longer rear overhang.

What to Look For

Most of the F90 M5 buyers in our ownership survey were very happy with their cars but inevitably, there were a few that had issues. There were factory recalls in 2018 and 2019 to correct possible shorting in the transmission wiring harness and to rectify an issue with the high pressure fuel pump, which wasn't always correctly attached to the engine, which led to cracks and leaks in some cars. Some owners experienced problems with the low pressure pump as well, which caused their engines to die on restarting, after a drive. Replacing the pump fixed the issue. We've heard reports of strange clunks from the front end, which some owners thought could be down to improperly torqued subframe bolts. There was a recall in 2018 to fix over-reading fuel gauges. And in 2019, some F90 M5s were returned to their dealerships to address the lack of an image from the rear view camera, down to a software problem. Some owners reported that the 4-zone LCD panel could develop unwanted 'lines'. The maintenance schedule is every year or 10,000 miles for an oil change. You'll need a new cabin air filter every 20,000 miles (or every other oil change); and every 30,000 miles (or every third oil change), you'll need to change the spark plugs and engine air filter. Every 50,000 miles (or every fifth oil change), you'll need to change the diff fluid. The oxygen sensor needs changing at 150,000 miles. Other than that, it's just the usual issues to address with a 5 Series from this era. Check all the electrical features work as they're supposed to. Make sure there are no parking scrapes on the alloy wheels as these will be pricey to put right. And as usual, insist on a fully stamped-up service record.

Replacement Parts

(approx prices based on a 2020 M5 Competition ex VAT -autodoc.co.uk) An air filter costs in the £13 to £58 bracket. An oil filter costs around £7-£12. Fuel filter prices vary widely - you can pay up to around £76, depending on brand. Cabin filters sit mainly in the £13-£55 bracket. Front brake pads sit in the £34-£78 bracket for a set; for rears, it's around £23-£75. Brake discs can be very expensive; we came across an SHW Performance front steel disc at £377; rear discs tended to be in the £139-£313 bracket. If you have to replace one of the 20-inch wheels or the tyres, it'll be pricey. We looked at paddock-performance.co.uk. For instance, an Apex VS-5RS Forged Alloy rim in Satin Bronze costs £743. You might want to invest in a set of tyres for track days; a Nankang CR-S Semi-Slick track tyre (200TW) costs £175.

On the Road

We've tested every generation of M5 over the last thirty five years - but nothing quite like this sixth 'F90'-series incarnation. The big news with the F90 model was the addition of 4WD to the package, an M xDrive system that was incorporated in such a way as to only activate additional drive to the front wheels in extremis, so keeping this BMW's essentially rear-driven character. There's a selectable track-orientated 2WD-only driving mode if you really want to throw the back around. Power is provided by what was the most potent engine ever devised by BMW's high performance M division, a revised version of the 4.4-litre V8 unit used by the previous 'F10'-series model. With the F90, thanks to a sharper set of twin turbos, a new cooling system, a revised exhaust and higher injection pressures, it put out 600hp - 40hp more than before - or as much as 625hp in the case of the uprated 'Competition' variant. It was 635hp with the limited edition M5 CS. This powerplant didn't quite have the thundery bluster of the AMG V8 used in this M5's Mercedes E 63 arch-rival, even if - as will be the case with most examples of this car sold - the optional M Sport-tuned tail pipes are fitted. But its output certainly proved to be a match for that Stuttgart saloon, as were the performance figures, which saw 62mph from rest taking just 3.4s in the standard model en route to a top speed that when de-restricted will take you to 190mph. That's Ferrari-fast. But of course a two-tonne super saloon isn't going to change direction with the agility of that Maranello model. Or so you'd think. Actually, the M5 does an astonishingly good job of disguising all that bulk, aided hugely by the Active M differential that varies torque across the M-specific back axle. And by the extent to which you can set the car up to your exact driving preferences via short-cut buttons and an 'M-configuration' that allows you to alter stability settings, engine response, suspension and steering feel and timings for the torque-converter 8-speed 'M Steptronic' auto transmission that was introduced with the F90. Handling was also aided by a slight weight loss achieved with this model - despite the extra AWD hardware - something that also kept efficiency figures at about the same level as before - quoted at 26.9mpg on the combined cycle 241g/km of CO2.

Overall

With this F90-series M5 model, the development team proved that an AWD M5 could still retain a rear-driven, enthusiast-orientated character. And they delivered a super saloon that's as happy collecting your dry cleaning as it is on the Nurburgring Nordschleife. It would in fact be our fast four-door of choice if money were no object - and, we suspect, probably yours too. We wish it wasn't so expensive, but it's more engaging than its predecessor and more real-world usable too. In short, this car is, more than ever, everything an M5 should be.