Is 600 Horsepower Enough for the 2018 BMW M5?

With the Dodge Charger Hellcat dominating the sedan horsepower wars, can the 2018 BMW M5 still compete with 600 horses under the hood?

A few years ago, the internet was abuzz with speculation about the Hellcat engine that Dodge was going to use in its battle for American performance car market share. When the automaker finally released the supercharged 6.2-liter V8’s output figures of 707 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, it made every automotive enthusiast’s day. At the same time, it made it harder for other automotive manufacturers. As this video shows, not even BMW is immune to the effect that 707 horsepower has on a person.

There was a time when cars such as the BMW M5 were outrageous. The legendary E39 model had nearly 400 horsepower and a six-speed manual when the almighty Ford Mustang GT only had 260 and a five-speed. Its successor, the E60, had a racing-derived 5.0-liter V10. The follow-up F10 went back to eight cylinders, but added twin turbos, which helped it generate 560 horsepower. The newest, F90 version of the M5 still has a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8, but now it pumps out 600 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. Those are incredible numbers, even for a car that starts at $102,600 but they don’t pack the punch of the $67,995 Charger Hellcat’s stats.

Track testing the 2018 BMW M5

The crew at The Fast Lane Car recently went out to a track to break down and evaluate the newest M5. Given that it also happens to be a luxury car, the M5 offers the ability to customize numerous features. There are the usual things, such as the seats, steering wheel, and mirrors. Then there’s the performance hardware. Mica and Miles can tell the all-wheel-drive M5 whether to use all four wheels to accelerate or just the two in the back. The red buttons on the steering wheel act as shortcuts to driver-defined settings for things such as the throttle response and suspension firmness. A button on the shift lever for the eight-speed automatic even allows the driver to adjust the severity of gear shifts.

The new M5 seems to shrink when Mica increases his speed. When it’s time to slow down, the brakes inspire confidence and refuse to fade. He finds the M5 to be fun and tossable…but underpowered. Mica craves another 200-300 horsepower. As he puts it, “In a world of Hellcats, I could use a bit more power.”

Granted, the M5 and Charger Hellcat are two totally different cars. You could say the BMW is meant to be a four-door sports car and the Charger is meant to be a four-door muscle car. Horsepower isn’t everything, but it is important, especially when it comes to high-performance sedans. It raises the question: As powerful as the new M5 is, do you wish M5 would’ve gone even further with it, especially since it has all-wheel drive now?

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Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.