Defence mechanisms in nature are a common method for species to evade predators and for the Cuttlefish their defensive tactic is to use ink to create a cloud in the water to confuse their adversaries. Cuttlefish ink from the Sepia officinalis also has homeopathic benefits, particularly for women.
Sepia is mainly used in home prescribing to treat issues surrounding hormonal imbalance and exhaustion from over work. I am sure I’m not alone among women when I say there are times when I feel pessimistic, easily moved to tears, irritable and fantasise about running away. But rather than a homeopathic remedy, my preferred treatment is driving.
Enter this seventh generation BMW M5 finished in Sepia Violet Metallic paint, a legendary high-performance sedan with 40 years of history behind it. The combination of a high-revving V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology and an electric motor, results in a family sedan capable of evading most of its competitors while using less fuel doing it. The bold exterior design turns heads and at night the kidney grille is illuminated to ward off adversaries. Under the skin there’s double-wishbone front and five-link rear suspension, all controlled by adaptive dampers that can be electronically adjusted.
The 4.4 litre V8 engine, with the traditional high-revving character of a M car produces a combined 535 kW (727 hp) of power and a whopping 1,000 Nm of torque and it sounds great in its most aggressive driving mode under hard acceleration. Thankfully this is paired with four-wheel drive, so the M5 can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds, 0 to 200 km/h 10.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 305 km/h, as all Australian-delivered examples are fitted with the M Driver’s Package.
The M5 does have a neat party trick that allows you to engage a ‘boost’ mode while driving by pulling on the left wheel mounted paddle shifter for a few seconds, the dash flashes and you disappear down the road. This doesn’t actually provide more power, but rather it’s a pre-conditioning of the drivetrain that enhances acceleration between 30km/h and 150km/h by dialling everything to the sportiest settings.
The new M5 is actually two-tenths slower than the outgoing M5 Competition and this is due in part to the new M5 tipping the scales at 2435kg, a massive 540kg gain compared to the M5 Competition, attributed largely to its battery pack, and from a dynamic driving point of view the M5 does feel this weight. That’s because the 2025 BMW M5 has a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain with an electric motor integrated with the eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission and an 18.6kWh battery. The claimed electric driving range is 69kms and the Type 2 connector for charging is located on the passenger side from quarter panel, which has a blue light to indicate charging and a green light when the battery is full.
The official combined fuel consumption for the PHEV M5 is 1.9L/100km and when the battery is depleted, this increases to 10.7L/100km and for my week of driving including some escapism down the Hume Highway, I used 8.2L/100km. One downside of the PHEV powertrain though is the M5 only starts in EV mode, so you miss out on that initial V8 pick me up when you press the start button, and just have the noise of many fans spinning up.
The BMW M5 is a complex piece of kit with multiple setup menus available including M-Hybrid, which allows you to select how the hybrid system works for you and depending on your selection this does recharge the battery slowly while driving. Then you have the M-Mode button, which is a quick selection menu for the driver assistance features on the M5. Road – has all of the driver assistance features on, Sport – for sporty driving and deactivates the lane departure warning system, and Track – that deactivates all driver assistance including lane departure warning and brake assistance.
From the setup menu you can also configure the M1 and M2 drive mode buttons, which are red and located on either side the newly designed thick M leather steering wheel that has a sporty flat-bottomed rim, decorative stitching in BMW M GmbH colours and a red centre marker in the 12-o’clock position. The configuration options available include Drivetrain, M Hybrid, Transmission, Energy Recuperation, Chassis, Steering, Brake, DSC (traction control), M xDrive (4WD), and M Sound. Once you’ve got that sorted the only decision you need to make is where you’re driving too next.
On entry into the M5 you are greeted by a light and sound show that dances across the dash, digital driver’s cluster and the infotainment screen. The cabin of the M5 is quite a beautiful place, especially with this Dark Silver M accent trim with carbon fibre infused with high-gloss silver thread on the dash. The interior smells pleasant and there’s ample room for four adults to sit and enjoy the comfortable ride thanks in part to the higher side-walled tyres fitted. While the Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System in the M5 features unique acoustic technologies to deliver the ultimate in immersive audio performance and it’s certainly impressive.
The anthracite-coloured M Alcantara fabric runs from the headliner over the pillars and sun visors offering a timelessly elegant look and it also improves the acoustics in the vehicle, but the M5 could use a little more insulation to lessen the road noise in the cabin. The seats are upholstered in Merino leather trim, which has been specially developed for the new BMW M5 and used for the first time on this model.
Both front seats have powered adjustment for recline, forward/back, seat height/tilt front and rear, four-way lumbar support and two memory positions, and were comfortable even after a long drive. The badge in the seats illuminates at night and the front seats are also heated and cooled, with the latter working on par with other vehicles that have this feature, although they were quite noisy when operating. The steering column also has powered adjustment and the driver gets a coloured head up display as well.
The 14.9-inch central infotainment touchscreen runs BMW’s iDrive 8.5 software, which comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with the Android Auto working well for me. To avoid finger marks, you can navigate the screen via the buttons and rotary controller on the centre console, but this leads to finger marks on this gloss black surface instead. The other option is to use the voice control, which worked well for me for changing the radio station and setting a destination on the sat nav, but was not up to BMW standard for making phone calls as the system didn’t recognise the contact that I asked for on multiple occasions. One feature I found to be a bit gimmicky for a BMW was the internal camera that allows you to record photos and videos from within the cabin, why is this needed?
At the front of the centre console there are two phone cubbies with grippy plastic bases and one of these has a wireless phone charger for compatible devices. Adjacent to the two cup holders in the centre console are two USB-C ports and under the split folding arm rest there is space for a wallet or phone and one 12V socket. The cubbies in the front doors fit larger drink bottles, but they are on a bit of an angle.
There’s ample head and leg room in the rear seats and I liked the reclined position as well as the heated outer rear seats. For younger passengers there are two ISOFix/three rear tether child seat restraint points, but only room for two car seats due to the contoured nature of the rear seats. The centre seat can be folded down as an arm rest and has two shallow cup holders in it with grippy sides. While the cubbies in the rear doors are large, they are not suitable for tall drink bottles.
The rear windows have manual blinds, which in a car of this nature should have powered operation in my opinion, and the small blind at the rear window flicks back quickly and makes a loud noise, which I don’t like. The blind on the rear windscreen does have powered operation and the button is located near the driver’s window controls. One thing I do like is the ambient light behind the rear speakers that illuminates them at night.
Rear seat passengers get dual temperature control with joint air speed and mode controls that can also be adjusted from the front screen as well. There two central air vents and air vents in the B pillar and these can be closed off individually. I didn’t like the positioning of the B pillar air vents though as they created a wind noise right at my ear level and this annoyed me. There are two USB-C ports above the climate controls and another located on the back of each front seat behind a flip down cover and there appears to be a latch point for some type of device mount also, which keeps cords off the ground, avoiding a potential trip hazard.
The boot lid is adorned with a low carbon fibre rear spoiler and has gesture open and close or can be operated from the boot, key fob or a button in the cabin. The boot space is deep, but narrow and if more room is required the rear seats do have a 60:40 split fold mechanism with the release in the boot, but they do not lie flat. Alternatively the centre seat can be folded down separately so that longer items can be transported while the rear seats are in use.
The boot space would be large enough for a pram and the family shop or for luggage for a family weekend away, maybe to a regional town like Goulburn where I photographed the M5. There are two hooks and four substantial tie down points in the boot space and you can hook the power cord bags to them so they don’t move around in the boot. the tyre repair kit bag and the excellent first aid kit have Velcro on their base so they stay in place as well.
Unlike the current BMW 5-series range the BMW M5 is unrated by ANCAP. It is fitted with dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags as standard and a centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard. Autonomous emergency braking as well as a lane support system with lane keep assist, lane departure warning and emergency lane keeping, is also fitted, along with blind spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control. For convenience you also get auto lights with auto high beam and auto wipers and an excellent reversing camera with 360-degree view, 3D walk around and a camera that looks down as you approach something to closely with front and rear parking sensors.
All new BMWs have a five years/unlimited kilometre warranty and a six years/100,000 kilometres battery warranty for battery electric and plug-in hybrid models like the BMW M5. BMW Roadside Assistance, with Accident Management is complimentary for three years. The service interval is every 12 months or 16,000kms, whichever occur first and a basic service package for this period for the BMW M5 is $4,599.
Similar to the claimed benefits of Sepia, for me driving a vehicle like the BMW M5 has mood-elevating properties that can help reduce anxiety, depression, and irritability, so why not give it a try for yourself? As tested the driveway price for this BMW M5 including the service package is $285,051. You can Build & Price your BMW M5 online or visit your preferred BMW dealer for more information.
| Pros | Cons |
| The power and efficiency of the PHEV powertrain | The added weight from the PHEV powertrain |
| The luxurious and comfortable cabin | Needs some more insulation from road noise |
| The Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System | Rear window blinds should have powered operation |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine