**Editor’s Note: This year’s BMW CCA Dream Car Raffle Grand Prize is a custom 1-of-1 BMW CCA Edition 2025 BMW X5 M Competition. Learn more about the model in this article and visit bmwcca.org/raffle for more information about this year’s Grand Prize.**
While the upcoming BMW M5 Touring (G99) wagon has been the hot topic as of late, are we overlooking an equally impressive and capable car that’s already available from BMW? Will Sabel Courtney from Road & Track thinks so, and his argument is thought provoking, even for a hot hatch and wagon enthusiast like me.
The initial argument against the G99 M5 wagon lies in it’s powerplant – the hybrid, turbocharged V8 that it coincidentally shares with another large BMW SUV, the XM. “While I haven’t driven the new M5 yet, I have driven the vehicle that uses the same powertrain: the BMW XM. That giant SUV is confounding for many reasons, but perhaps the most vexing is how, well, unpleasant it is to drive. It defaults to electric power in Hybrid mode, and feels reluctant to engage the V-8 — and when the eight-pot does fire up, either because the battery runs low or because you goose the right pedal, the transition often feels jerky and unpleasant. It only feels coherent when being driven at max attack — something that happens rarely, given the power and mass involved. After experiencing the XM, my concern over the G90 M5 is quite palpable.” – Will Sabel Courtney, Road & Track
He continues, “The X5 M, on the flipside, never feels inconsistent from behind the wheel. M’s master craftsmen have done a mighty job of turning the X5 – which, to be fair, is already one of the more enjoyable crossovers to drive — into a full-throated performance product.”
BMW X5 M Competition
The G99 M5 wagon weighs in at a hefty 5530 pounds, while the F95 X5 M Competition is nearly identical, but lighter at 5,498 pounds. The G99 M5 offsets its weight with a whopping 717 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque, the F95 X5M 617 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque.
The data is that, just data. How does that translate to seat-of-your-pants feel and which side are you on? Read more of what Will has to say here.
Tags: F95 X5M G99 M5 Review Road and Track Wagon
