1 month ago
34
Did BMW tell a white lie with the new M5's power outputs? One owner may have just outed the German car maker, with his M5 exceeding expectations on the dyno.
The new-generation 2025 BMW M5 has received criticism since it launched, due to the super sedan being slightly slower and significantly heavier than the model it replaced.
But a relatively small YouTube channel may have just caught BMW in a lie about its M5.
The extra weight is due to BMW fitting the M5 with a plug-in hybrid system, rated to deliver up to 69 kilometres of electric-only driving range, and adding 145kW/280Nm from the electric motor to the 430kW/750Nm 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 – for total stated outputs of 535kW and 1000Nm.
However, in a video posted online by IND Distribution – first reported by Carscoops – it now appears BMW may have been under-reporting the performance output of the M5.
The video, which runs at less than three minutes, shows a brand-new M5 being taken to be tested on a dynamometer. Better known as a dyno, these machines are also known as 'rolling roads', and can measure the amount of power being sent to a vehicle's wheels.
It's worth noting that car manufacturers exclusively quote engine power, with mechanical loss typically equating to a much lower power figure at the wheels – sometimes estimated to be as much as 40 per cent in all-wheel-drive models.
Mechanical loss is also far less in electric cars, given the power doesn't typically have to run through as many mechanical links – like gearboxes, differentials, and axles.
But in this case, the M5 far exceeded expectations – laying down an impressive 512kW and 988Nm at the wheels (696hp and 729lb-ft by imperial measures), and suggesting BMW has underrated the official power outputs for the high-performance model.
According to our own calculations, applying a minimal loss of 5 per cent to the electric front axle and a 15 per cent drivetrain loss to the V8, a conservative estimate of the real power output from the M5 could be closer to 575kW.
While BMW has developed a reputation for pulling its punches when it comes to reporting performance figures in its M cars, it's not the only car maker to do so.
Porsche's sports cars have been known to exceed published power outputs, and throughout the 1990s – during the so-called 'Gentlemen's Agreement' period – Japanese car brands often released performance cars that evidently produced well above the claimed 206kW/280PS threshold.
Ben Zachariah is an experienced writer and motoring journalist from Melbourne, having worked in the automotive industry for more than two decades. Ben began writing professionally more than 15 years ago and was previously an interstate truck driver. He completed his MBA in Finance in early 2021 and is considered an expert on classic car investment.
