The article was originally produced on October 9, 2019, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

The horsepower race between the three big German brands continues and now BMW is at the top of the podium with the new M5 Competition, which we have of course experienced.

The car brands that are mainly at issue in this constant fight for the strongest family cars are Audi, BMW and Mercedes. In this case, it applies to the BMW 5 Series against the Audi RS6 and Mercedes AMG E63. The fight has also concerned the smaller family models of the respective brands with the BMW M3, Audi RS4 and Mercedes AMG C63. One could also say that this competition is found in the highest segment for luxury sedans, but there BMW has not produced an M version of its 7-Series, as Audi and Mercedes have done with the S7 and AMG S63 respectively. When it comes to these luxury loaves, Mercedes stood at the top of the throne with an AMG model based on its primordial twin-turbocharged V12 engine (AMG S65). However, a model and engine that has gone out of time and is now a memory in the Mercedes group. Now, however, it wasn’t Mercedes we were talking about but the BMW M5 Competition!

Regular M5s have 600 horsepower, and the M5 Competition has 25 more horsepower

BMW M or BMW Motorsport GmbH, is a subsidiary of BMW just as AMG is to Mercedes and Audi Sport is to Audi. BMW M has produced models such as M2, M3, M4, M5, M6 and M8. A model that some people sometimes think is made by BMW M is the M1 model, but this was not the case and it was Lamborghini involved in a corner. A 1M Coupé, however, has existed but was later replaced by the M2. One M5 to miss is the E60/E61 from 2005-2010 as it was fitted with a high-revving and well-howling 507bhp 5-litre V10.

If it wasn’t for the colorful ”Snapper Rocks Blue” color that the test car is equipped with and you have a trained eye for this type of car, it’s easy to miss what’s lurking under the skin. Of course, a lot of details gossip on the outside about what it is about, such as the large air intakes in the front, the gigantic brakes, and the classic four pipes at the back. But it’s still discreet and easy to miss if you’re not paying attention. There are also M5 emblems everywhere and in this case they are black to mark that it is a Competition and not a regular M5. Because that’s exactly what makes this M5 a little special, the Competition add-on.

Regular M5s have 600 horsepower, enough to hang on to most things at a red light. The M5 Competition has 25 more horsepower and thus measures in at 625 horses. And as if that weren’t enough, BMW has actually understated its numbers a bit. American Car and Driver had an M5 Competition properly tested and when the power was measured on a so-called rolling country road, it turned out that the real figure was closer to 690 horses and 900 Newton meters. But if we now talk about the official figure and in comparison with the other two competitors, Mercedes was at the top of the throne with the E63 s AMG with its 612 horses before the M5 Competition came. The new Audi RS6 that was just presented stepped in at 600 hp, but if I know Audi correctly, a Plus version will surely appear with more horses.

Despite its weight of nearly 2.5 tonnes, the M5 Competition is blazingly fast even when the road turns

We will now go into exactly what 625 horses and 750 Newton meters do with a car like this. In short, it makes it insanely fast! So fast that it actually takes some time to really understand this. Because with all the technology and comfort, you are easily blinded by how fast it actually goes. Just getting to the hundred mark, the M5 Competition wastes only 3.3 seconds and if you don’t release the gas pedal for another 7.5 seconds, you pass 200 km/h. Normally, the German cars with Porsche as an exception are electronically speed limited at 250 km/h. If you choose the optional M Driver’s Package, this figure increases to 305 km/h.

The power reaches the wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission named M Steptronic. What is new about the latest generation M5 is that it is four-wheel drive. But so that no previous M5 owner will be disappointed who prefers all the power to be delivered to the rear tires in the classic way, this can be set so that the new M5 becomes rear-wheel drive.

During the week I got to know the M5 Competition, I met a lovely group of BMW M car owners from the RSR (Ready Steady Run) club. One sunny Saturday they took me out on a fun ride through the winding roads in the eastern parts of Stockholm. One of the leaders of the club drove an M2 Competition with an ounce of optimization. The day offered fantastic driving and it was both interesting and fun to see how the M2 and M5 Competition behaved against each other. The M2 obviously had an advantage when the road turned thanks to the position weight, but as soon as it became a bit of a straight line, the M5 Competition gulped down the distance in no time. But despite its weight of nearly 2.5 tonnes, the M5 Competition is blazingly fast even when the road turns. It really sucks in the stomach when the tires grip the asphalt and the g-force makes itself felt. There are two large red controls on the steering wheel, these are the so-called M buttons that have been around for a while now in M cars. With it, you can pre-program the car’s system for quick access when you want to change the driving program. Very convenient instead of sitting and looking in menus or buttons elsewhere in the car. The controls work in both directions, so to speak, when the road becomes straighter and you want to let your pulse calm down, you press one of the red buttons and the car returns to the position it was in before and you can exhale. 

Cars like the M5 Competition and its competitors are small wonders in many ways. That they succeeded in making such a potent and powerful car that at the same time does not consume significantly more petrol than other cars in normal driving despite so much performance. Then with a single push of a button, the car turns into something you can have fun with on a racing track. Of course, the technology will change in these cars and in step with electrification, that technology will also find its way into cars like the M5. Something I don’t see as a problem as long as I get to enjoy this amount of power when it is offered. 

BMW M5 Competition

Basic price	SEK 1.2 million
Engine	4.4-liter V8, 625 hp. Torque 750 Nm. Twin turbo
Transmission	8-speed M Steptronic automatic, four-wheel drive
Acceleration	0-100 in 3.3 seconds
Top speed	250 km/h (limited)
Fuel consumption mixed driving according to the manufacturer	1.06 l/mile
Weight	2,440 kg
Guarantees	New car 2 years, carriage damage 3 years, rust protection 12 years
Web	www.bmw.se