2021 BMW M5 packs brute force into an extremely usable package

It seems as if some of the shine has faded as late from the legendary M5 of BMW. That’s not because the car isn’t good — it’s spectacular — but people’s tastes have changed, and if it’s not an SUV or a coupe-like stretched-out, low-roofed thing, they ‘re just not buying it.

However, shifting away from sedans hasn’t stopped the Bavarians from sharpening their vicious, continent-crushing luxury missile, making us happy because the 2021 M5 is still an amazing machine worth thinking about.

The M5 ‘s bones are pretty much the same as they were for the 2020 model year. You still get a V8 twin-turbo 600-horsepower (or 617 if you choose the Competition trim) along with an xDrive all-wheel-drive mounted on the rear. An eight-speed automatic Steptronic transmission is still the only available transmission which is perfect for us to do.

The M5 Competition is getting a few changes that ought to add up to an improved driving experience. Specifically, it gets new shock absorbers and the adaptive damping mechanism has also been completely recalibrated by BMW. The M5 Competition is also getting a new dedicated Track driving mode to go along with that.

So, if you haven’t really modified any of the fancy M material, what has it? Actually, a few items that can go towards making the M5 more livable for normal people on a daily basis. The infotainment system now has a bigger screen — 12.3 inches, to be exact — and in addition to Apple CarPlay, it now supports wireless Android Auto. The move away from multiple M buttons is also noteworthy, and instead of using a single button, just like on the M8.

The M5’s front and rear styling have been changed by BMW — and we say “updated” because the changes aren’t major — to make it a little more violent, particularly on the competition. There are a new bumper design upfront and some headlights with a laser.

The M5’s front and rear styling have been changed by BMW — and we say “updated” because the changes aren’t major — to make it a little more violent, particularly on the competition. There are a new bumper design upfront and some headlights with the laser. Outside there are some brand black-framed tail lights as well as a brand bumper. Lots of gloss-black trimming is now also standard in the Competition series.

The M5 will be available in five new colors for 2021 including Brands Hatch Grey Metallic, Motegi Red Metallic, Tanzanite Blue II Metallic as well as an individual color called Aventurin Red Metallic and a Frozen Bluestone Metallic matte-finish.

The best news is that these upgrades are not coming with a huge price increase. BMW has agreed to bump the non-competition M5 base price by just $800 to $104,495, including destination. The upgrade alone to the infotainment screen is probably worth so much.

Also good is if you want a new M5, you won’t have to wait long before you can get one. BMW plans to enter its worldwide market in August 2020.