The Generation Game: BMW M5

[Liquid]

The Generation Game: BMW M5

1984-1988 BMW M5 (E28)

Bodystyle: 4-door saloon
Engines: 3.5L I6
Drivetrain: FR
Weight: 1,410kg / 3,109lbs

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1988-1995 BMW M5 (E34)

Bodystyle: 4-door saloon; 5-door estate
Engines: 3.6 - 3.8L I6
Drivetrain: FR
Weight: 1,745kg / 3,847lbs

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1998-2003 BMW M5 (E39)

Bodystyle: 4-door saloon
Engines: 4.9L V8
Drivetrain: FR
Weight: 1,795kg / 3,957lbs

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2004-2010 BMW M5 (E60 & E61)

Bodystyle: 4-door saloon (E60); 5-door estate (E61)
Engines: 5.0L V10
Drivetrain: FR
Weight: 1,900kg / 4,180lbs

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2011-2016 BMW M5 (F10)

Bodystyle: 4-door saloon
Engines: 4.4L twin-turbocharged V8
Drivetrain: FR
Weight: 1,990kg / 4,387lbs

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2017-2023 BMW M5 (F90)

Bodystyle: 4-door saloon
Engines: 4.4L twin-turbocharged V8
Drivetrain: 4WD
Weight: 1,982kg / 4,370lbs

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2023-present BMW M5 (G90 & G99)

Bodystyle: 4-door saloon (G90); 5-door estate (G99)
Engines: 4.4L twin-turbocharged V8 PHEV
Drivetrain: 4WD
Weight: 2,510kg / 5,553lbs

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Results & Nominations Thread

 

[05XR8]

I’d love the E34 as per below, but the USA-spec E28(although I love the Euro-spec’s smaller inner headlights) will forever have my heart. Every M5 after is too extreme and overweight to be more executive and less playful as the original. The greenhouse of the E28 feels like it opens the driver up to the world, connecting the driver to the environment and later models cocoon the occupants.

In my mid-fifties opinion, the E28’s performance would be more accessible in today’s climate. While the newer cars get you in trouble before selecting third gear.

 

[Nexus]

E60 because of that glorious V10, though the E39 is a very close second.

 

[lilcat89]

The E39 M5 will always have my heart, mostly because of the BMW Films short "Star". The E34 M5, though, has overtaken it in the last few years. The E34 is so elegantly simple in its design. The E60 is close behind, just because that V10 is sublime. After the E60, none of the M5s have intrigued me in the slightest. The newest one is an absolute overweight pig.

 

[Blade_Rudder]

E60 because it was magnificent and I was lucky enough to own one for a couple of years. I only parted with it because saloons are not compatible with my lifestyle. I still miss it…

 

[Greycap]

E34, modern enough to be useful as a daily driver but classic enough to not give the instant aura of a rich ****er who drives a BMW simply because those kind of people always do and acts like the king of the road. Touring of course.

 

[ScottPuss20]

I'm not the biggest fan of the M5 and therefore don't have very strong feelings about it. However if I was to pick one, it would be the E39. It's a better ownership experience compared to the E60 and looks the best out of all M5s. The F10 and F90 don't interest me that much and the G90 is quite the fatty with an identity crisis. Tell me BMW - is it a luxury car, an economy car or a performance car? Pick a lane! You can't be all three without making compromises! Thankfully, the E39 doesn't have this issue.

OK perhaps what I said about strong feelings was a lie.

 

[Liquid]

The E34 might be an all-time top 5 best looking car for me. It's inexplicably stunning from every angle and has the quad-headlights in a way that is just so menacing.

I'm not surprised by the love for the E39 but I am surprised by quite how much. I have nothing against it at all, I do rather like it, but it's astonishingly popular.

In fact, most of the M5s look really nice which is a rarity for me. Only the current one is bleh and that's mostly because it's caught up in this awkward ICE/PHEV crossover period. Can't believe the E60 was so 'ugly' when it came out. Loved it then and it's aged rather nicely with an awesome engine.

 

[lilcat89]

I'm just going to drop this here. I honestly believe that this is most of the reason why the E39 is so beloved @Liquid.

 

[Liquid]

Just one more thing - I think the 2011 F10 looks more like the successor to the E39 than the actual succeeding E60 does. The E60 looks more like the F10's replacement and explains its "ahead of its time" sharp styling.

 

[AerodyManiac]

Out of all the generations my vote was only ever going to be cast on the E39, E60 or F10, and since I find the F10 quite unappealing (generic? I wouldn’t say it looks generic even though I do think so; it’s more about its bloatedness) it’s really just a two-horse race to me. To me E39 and E60 score roughly the same in the beauty-o-meter, maybe E39 looks a smidge better, but these 2 are very different types of pretty. The E39 emanates beauty in a classical form, consistent with BMWs of past and also stylistically with BMWs of that period. The E60 is much more avant-garde in terms of styling, at least in the motifs (like the headlights). I remember it looking so different that I disliked it in the ‘00s, but now I find the M version decent-looking. In terms of engine sounds, I prefer the staggered, non-linear, V8 roar that the E39 makes, but the E60’s V10 sounds great too, in addition to it being F1-derived.

But I went for the E60 in the end, because it’s rare when a car manufacturer takes a different approach to exterior styling (even if it’s only the motifs) and actually nails it, even if it’s years down the line.


(As always I’m only judging from looks and feelings, since I haven’t really driven/ridden in any of these and I’m as knowledgeable as a Neanderthal when it comes to technology/engineering.)