In their never-ending chase of the best performance and fastest 0-60 mph sprints, manufacturers have forgotten to pause for a moment and look at what they achieved. For some people, cars like the BMW M5 Competition might be just a bit too much. Looking at one won’t tell you just how quick it is and, to be frank, this car is scary fast in the first place. That’s probably why the guys from Cars in South Africa decided to take the Competition model out for a spin and see whether it’s worth the extra over the standard M5.
When the F90 M5 arrived, it wowed the Internet and the whole world with its performance claims. With 600 HP and M xDrive all-wheel drive, this car instantly rose to the top of the sedan food chain, giving the Mercedes-AMG E63 a proper spanking. And while we were all watching drag races of the car and checking out acceleration runs, BMW launched the Competition model which was even crazier. But what’s the difference between the two, though?
Well, a look at the spec sheet will tell you that an M5 Competition has 25 extra horsepower, the same amount of torque and some changes done to the suspension. Namely, the Competition model has more negative camber up front, rides 7 mm lower and has 10% stiffer dampers. All that combined means the Competition should be faster especially in a series of tight bends. Is that enough to justify the extra money? It depends on what you want from the car.
According to the review below, no. The M5 Competition is slightly stiffer and that will become obvious especially around town where potholes and uneven edges might give your back a bit of a jog on occasion. But that’s not necessarily the biggest problem in my book. The biggest issue with these two is that the difference in performance is so small, you’ll probably never notice it unless you track these two.
Thus, the M5 should be fast enough for everyday usage, while the Competition might be recommended if you actually go to the track.
