The previous iteration of the BMW M5 has come and gone despite only being launched in early 2018, when BMW thought a 591bhp executive saloon “ought to be more than feisty enough for the majority of customers”, says Matt Saunders on AutoCar. “But, of course, it wasn’t.” When it comes to the modern luxury car market, more is always more. And so the “extra-hardcore” M5 Competition was born.
On the road, the M5 remains one of the most dynamically ambitious performance cars of its kind. It tries to be as “taut, agile and playful” as a sports car, but also as fast as a supercar. Importantly, it succeeds, and it does so “against that backdrop of high-speed stability and real-world touring comfort on which the lumpiest German autobahn specials have been trading for decades”. The eye-watering six-digit price tag risks making it out of reach of “people of remotely ordinary means”, but the lucky ones who drive it will quickly learn there’s no other car quite like it.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
-
What is Rachel Reeves’s plan for growth?The UK’s modern industrial strategy was published this week. How does chancellor Rachel Reeves hope it will grow the UK economy, and how successful will it be?
-
The best cities to live in for quality of life, salary and rentThe best city to live in is difficult to determine, but using myriad measurements it looks like it is certainly not London or New York. We find out what it is.
-
Take a look under the bonnet of the classic car marketDearer money has taken the momentum out of the classic car market, says Chris Carter
-
Global car shares slide amid lower demand in China – what happens now?Has the car sector run into trouble? Britain’s Aston Martin and Germany’s Volkswagen are among the key automobile brands that have issued profit warnings.
-
Volkswagen mulls closure of German factoriesWhy is Volkswagen considering the closures and how is the carmaker performing?
-
Is China winning the electric car race?China now sells more electric cars than conventional ones within its territory. Western countries seem determined to stop them from crossing their borders. Why?
-
Val d’Isère is a valley of delightsMoneyWeek Travel Matthew Partridge reviews Airelles Val d’Isere and Hotel Mont-Blanc in the famous French ski resort
-
Review: The Ozen Collection – a dream stay in the MaldivesMoneyWeek Travel Ozen Life Maadhoo and Ozen Reserve Bolifushi, where luxury meets nature, are almost too good to be true, says Nicole García Mérida.
-
Review: An odyssey through Sri LankaMoneyWeek Travel Merryn Somerset Webb explores the South Asian country’s ruins, jungle and fabulous food.
-
Flexjet review: the only way to flyMoneyWeek Travel Chris Carter flies with Flexjet, a provider of fractional ownership of private jets, to St Moritz in Switzerland for the Snow Polo World Cup.
