The new M5 Touring is all the talk of the (M) town this month but we shouldn’t be ignoring the traditional sedan. BMW certainly isn’t considering it’s showcasing the G90 alongside its six predecessors. That’s right – all generations of the performance saloon have gathered under the same roof. The complete family portrait is publicly displayed in Munich at the BMW Welt. Since we mentioned the Touring, the latest M5 is not the only one to spawn a wagon version. The E34 also had a more practical body style, but those are as rare as hen’s teeth. Only 891 cars were ever built, and who knows how many have withstood the test of time. The E61 with its naturally aspirated V10 was slightly less exclusive, but with 1,009 units built, it’s not exactly common either.
Having been launched in 1984, the M5 has changed a lot in the four decades since the E28 came out. The 40 years that have passed have added a lot of weight and power, not to mention a huge jump in size. The G90 can easily be labeled as the M7 that never was. This seventh generation is the first to be electrified. Purists can at least take comfort from knowing the V8 lives on, but the added heft is a real concern.
If we were to pick a favorite from those seven cars, the F90 would likely be our choice, with the E28 and E34 rounding off the podium. All of these 5 Series generations went on to receive the ALPINA treatment, plus the E12 not shown here since it didn’t get an M5 variant, although there was an M535i . Sadly, that won’t be the case with the G60. BMW is pushing the Buchloe-based niche brand upmarket to the detriment of lower-tier models.
This generation of the M5 will supposedly last until early 2031 when production is reportedly scheduled to end. The cars manufactured from March 2027 could have the Life Cycle Impulse with BMW’s next-generation iDrive. That would imply a large central display, a dashboard-wide head-up display, and even an optional passenger screen.
Source: BMW Welt / Instagram / Photos: Fabian Kirchbauer ]
