When BMW released the official specifications of the new seventh-generation G90 M5 back in the summer, the internet lost its collective mind over the fact that it now weighs about as much as the moon at nearly 5,400 pounds. Armchair engineers, keyboard warriors, and a lot of industry experts raised hell about the midsize performance sedan’s gargantuan heft, but the most productive thing that came of all the outcry were some grade-A memes, and none of it was unprecedented. Yes, the G90 M5 is a heavy car, but most modern cars in the era of hybridization are heavier than their predecessors. One of the latest MotorWeek Retro Reviews focuses on the controversial 2006 E60 M5, and despite being 1,000 pounds lighter than the G90, its girth was also the source of controversy nearly two decades and three generations ago.
The fourth-gen M5 came to the U.S. in 2006, and it had a tough act to follow after the almost universally praised E39 M5 won the hearts of everyone who drove one. The E39 M5 was the first M5 to have eight cylinders under its hood, weighing in at a then-porky 4,000 pounds, and for its follow-up BMW did what manufacturers commonly did in the early 2000s and upped the naturally aspirated cylinder count.
The E60 M5 had ten snarling cylinders under its hood and it brought an automatic transmission to the party, so it was heavier than its predecessor, but not by much. Only about 80 pounds separated the E39 M5 from the E60, going from just under 4,000 pounds to just over 4,000 pounds, and that weight was frequently mentioned in reviews of the then-new E60 M5.
In this Retro Review, the lucky ducks on the MotorWeek team got to track test an E60 M5 and had a few choice words about the new car’s weight. These reviewers said they could feel the extra weight from the first turn of the steering wheel, which is quite surprising given that it was only about an 80-pound increase over the previous car. The BMW 5 Series is a midsize luxury sedan before all else, and it always has been. To be competitive in the market, midsize cars need to be able to comfortably haul executives and their yuppie families in luxurious decadence, which often calls for added weight and size.
Am I saying the G90 M5 isn’t heavy? No, I’m not. I am saying that, as with many BMWs in modern history, sometimes it takes a few years for things to settle in, and before we know it, folks yearn for the models that they bitched about just a few years ago. I do hope that subsequent new M5s don’t follow the G90s trend of gaining over 1,000 pounds, but I’m sure we’ll realize the error of our gripes and look upon the G90 with kinder eyes soon enough.