[Auto] 2021 BMW M5 gets fresh look and new technology

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BMW’s M5 performance saloon has been updated to bring it into line with the recently facelifted 5 Series. The Mercedes-AMG E63 rival receives a number of revisions, including tweaked styling, new in-car technology and a retuned chassis.

The exterior changes for the M5 are mostly focused on the front end, where a new double-bar grille design features alongside a reprofiled bumper with new air intakes. The headlights have also been redesigned, bringing new L-shaped LED tubes and incorporating BMW’s Dynamic Laser Matrix Beam for extra brightness on full beam.

At the rear, there’s a new apron and diffuser design, alongside fresh 3D LED taillights and a new tailpipe shape.

The updated M5 is covered in new black detailing, including on the grille and intake mesh, bootlid spoiler, mirror caps, tailpipes and rear apron. Five new paint finishes and a new 20in wheel design also feature.

 

The changes to the cabin reflect those in the standard 5 Series and include a larger 12.3in infotainment display running the latest, seventh-generation iDrive system. Efforts have been made to improve ergonomics, with two new buttons on the centre console taken from the M8.

One allows the driver to switch quickly from Road mode, wherein all the safety systems are operational, to Track mode, which disables all bar the collision warning and Evasion Assistant. It even stops the hazard lights from coming on under hard braking. The other button quickly takes you to individual configuration modes for the engine, chassis and standard eight-speed automatic ’box.

Although there were suggestions that more power would be extracted from the M5’s 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8, there are the same two powertrain options as before. The standard M5 (which isn’t offered in the UK) produces 592bhp, while the M5 Competition gets 616bhp.

Performance is identical, with the M5 Competition able to sprint from 0-62mph in 3.3sec and onto a top speed of 189mph when the optional M Driver’s Package is specified.

The M5 Competition has received chassis revisions, however, in the form of new shock absorbers from the M8 Gran Coupé. These are claimed to improve comfort by reducing body movements over bumps and ruts. The M Compound brakes are unchanged, but new colour options for the calipers are now available.

The updated M5 Competition is priced from £98,095 in the UK, which is actually £40 less than the quoted on-the-road price of today’s model. Deliveries are expected to start in the third quarter of 2020.