Video: BMW M5 debuts 725PS of hybrid V8 power at the Festival of Speed

The 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged hot-V V8 has now seen service in three generations of M5 over the course of 12 years, though big changes are afoot for the new G90. That’s because the mill is now augmented by an electric motor, sat snug between the engine and eight-speed automatic transmission.

That allows for a total system output of 726PS (534kW) and 1,001Nm (738lb ft) of torque. That potency is fed through all four wheels, which allows for a 0-62mph time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 189mph. The latter, of course, you get with the Driver’s Package, with the standard car getting the ubiquitous 155mph buffer.

When not lunging its way up a hillclimb in West Sussex, the G90’s electrified element allows for a totally new dimension of versatility for an M5: all-electric, plug-in running, good for 40 miles of driving at up to 86mph thanks to the 18.6kWh battery. That means your M5 can now be a silent, emissions-free city commuter in the week and a tarmac-rippling supercar slayer on the weekend.

Heavy though it may be – at 2,449kg, a full 500kg more than the outgoing model – it’s sure to be the most versatile M5 yet, which for a model that’s always traded on being the car for almost all occasions, is surely a good thing.

If BMW has shown us anything over the past few years it’s that it knows how to make heavy cars (think the M3, the M2) handle extremely well and if prototype drive impressions are anything to go by, then they've by-and-large pulled it off. 

Need more reassurance? Well, every part of the drivetrain has been upgraded next to the standard 5 Series. The front wheels have more negative camber and all four sit on wider tracks with uprated suspension hanging from beefier subframes. There’s electronically controlled dampers, an Active M Differential, rear-wheel steer, M Compound brakes, and optional M Carbon ceramic stoppers.

All this performance tech is hidden under one of the more tasteful looks to emanate from BMW M in recent years, with a body kit that will skim under the radar of the uninterested. For those in the know, though, this is most definitely an M5 signalled by its aggressive bumpers, bristling wheel arch extensions, side skirts, new M5 badging on the C pillar and, how could we forget, howitzer-sized quad exhausts. 

The interior is also a sportier take on the standard car with a flat-bottomed steering wheel, heavily bolstered sports seats, and an M-specific instrument display. 

On sale in November, the new M5 is priced from £110,500.

The 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed is underway, and you can watch every moment of the action on our live stream right here on GRR!