2021 BMW M5 review: Born to be mild

Singapore

I HAD exactly one hour to get to know BMW's new M5 Competition (talk about speed dating), so it's just as well that it isn't all that new. BMW gave the main 5 Series lineup a facelift last year, and finally got round to doing the same to the M5, so it has a wider front grille, new headlamps with BMW's Laserlight technology (which is hopeless at slicing your enemies in half but brilliant at lighting a dim road), that sort of thing.

Inside, the salient change is a smarter entertainment system. It has a bigger touchscreen than before, but more to the point, it can do a mind-meld with your Android or Apple phone without messy cables.

That's a better feature than it sounds, since it means you can simply climb abroad, start up your M5 and have your favourite apps appear on the screen before you even slip the car into gear.

But this being an M5 (and the extra brawny Competition version at that), the real entertainment system is the engine. It's a 4.4-litre, twin-turbo behemoth that fires the BMW to 100km/h in a scarcely believable 3.3 seconds. In that respect, this feels more like a two-tonne cannonball than a car - except atop a cannonball you'd only be along for the ride, whereas in the BMW you can deflect it sharply left and right with some deft work on the steering wheel.

For such a big, heavy and powerful car, the M5 is ludicrously well-composed, so much so that after a few corners you're left wondering what it would feel like at Sepang. And yes, in other countries at least, people do take them to the racing track for kicks.

One of the car's more obvious charms is the smooth, bass-heavy rumble from its V8 engine. Hearing it go from a low growl to a menacing snarl as the M5 picks up speed is one of modern life's highlights.

Yet, in other ways the M5 is curiously undramatic. Apart from some scarlet buttons specific to BMW M, the interior is a plain place, and the exterior is similarly understated. In contrast, its direct rival from Mercedes-AMG, the E 63 S, is a car of no little exuberance. It's louder, looks meaner, and conducts itself in a wild, untamed sort of way that could stop a weak heart.

My hour with the M5 left me with the impression that it's an extremely fast 5 Series, rather than a different kind of 5 Series.

I might be wrong, but that's speed dating for you.

BMW M5 Competition

Engine 4,395cc, V8, twin-turbocharged Power 625hp at 6,000rpm Torque 750Nm at 1,800-5,860rpm Gearbox 8-speed automatic 0-100km/h 3.3 seconds Top Speed 250km/h Fuel Efficiency 11.3L/100km Agent Performance Munich Autos Price S$540,888 with COE Available Now