Bavarian Supersaloon. All new BMW M5 officially launched in Malaysia!

You could almost hear it coming. The all-new, 6th generation, F90 BMW M5 is finally on our shores! Launched earlier today at the Sepang International Circuit, the M5 is priced at RM942,759.86 on-the-road without insurance. Many options are of course available for the car but more on that later.

Let’s get the juicy bits out of the way first. The new M5 is powered by a potent, 4.4 liter, twin-turbo V8 that produces an impressive 600hp at 5,600 to 6,700 rpm. Even more impressive is the 750 Nm of torque available from a low 1,800 rpm that remains constant all the way to 5,600 rpm. All that translates to a 0-100kph time of 3.4 seconds which is supercar territory. BMW also recently revealed a more powerful variant called the M5 Competition with 625hp and bespoke chassis tuning. Perhaps BMW Malaysia might bring that in one day.

Power is useless without control. The new M5 has that covered with its M xDrive AWD system that transmits power to the front wheels should the car detect loss of grip from the rear. Even better is the option to switch the AWD system between 4WD, 4WD Sport, and 2WD. In 4WD Sport setting, the car will allow for a bit of fun with easily manageable drifts, while in 2WD mode you get pure RWD fun. 

Besides the AWD system, the power also goes through an 8-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic. There’s three Drivelogic settings available: Mode 1 for efficient and comfortable shifts all up to Mode 3 for lightning quick shifts suited for track use. As one would expect, the driver could also choose from a few familiar driving modes such as Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus to adjust the dampers according to driving conditions.

With an almost endless combinations of driving settings available, BMW included two bright red buttons (M1 and M2) on the steering wheel where the driver could save a combination of settings into one button. For example the M1 button could be set to everything in its most comfortable and tame setting, while M2 could be the one where all settings are turn up to eleven for track use.

The BMW M5 is fitted standard with M compound brakes, which are lighter than the conventional grey cast iron which takes us nicely to the options available for the M5. BMW Malaysia offers the M Carbon Ceramic Brakes upgrade which are 23kg lighter overall and comes with gold-painted calipers. What’s not so lightweight is the price of the upgrade as one would have to fork out RM95k for those.

Other options includes the Performance Pack (RM30k) which gets you M carbon fiber engine cover, M seat belts, and M Sport Exhaust system. Additionally, there’s the Advance Safety Pack (RM15k) in which you get the Driving Assistance Plus safety system, and finally the Premium Entertainment Pack (RM55k) which upgrades the existing Harman Kardon system for the Bowers and Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System while also adding the rear seat Entertainment Professional system.

At almost a million ringgit (over a million if you tick all the options), the new BMW M5 not only competes with the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, but also the Porsche Panamera 4S and Sport Turismo.

You can’t go wrong with any of those, but if you want to know more about how the new M5 felt from the passenger seat, not to mention video of the M5 burbling its V8 engine, one of our colleagues wrote about his M5 experience during the BMW X Tour in Canada, so click here to check it out!