The BMW F90 M5: The Best Performance Bargain on the Market?
The G90 M5 – and hotly anticipated G99 M5 Touring – are about to start making waves as reviewers get their hands on them. But for the car-buying public, getting one might be a bit tougher. Its older brother, however – the F90 M5, produced from model years 2018 until 2023 – is quite easy to find. And, thanks to a still impressive 600 or so horsepower, xDrive all-wheel drive, and rapid depreciation, it’s becoming quite the performance bargain if you’re shopping for a used super sedan. Throw in practical – and beautiful – proportions and plenty of top-tier amenities, and the F90 M5 is perfect if you only have room for one car in your life.
The Specs
All F90 M5 sedans get a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine under the hood – the S63B44T4. It’s the most refined, potent, and most reliable iteration of the S63 V8 engine. Standard output is 600 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, and cars equipped with the Competition Package developed 617 horsepower. It hardly matters which you choose; thanks to standard M xDrive all-wheel drive, the OG M5 flew from zero to 60 mph in a Car and Driver tested 2.8 seconds. It went on to complete the quarter-mile in 10.9 seconds at 129 mph. That’s around as quick as a McLaren 720S, and half a second quicker from a standstill to 60 than the BMW-quoted time for the new G90 M5.
The F90 M5 also arguably gets the best era of BMW iDrive, too. All models offered Apple CarPlay compatibility, and all utilized iDrive 6 or iDrive 7 – the intuitive “tile” display that quickly made BMW a frontrunner in in-car software UI. Pre- or post-LCI (a mid-life-cycle refresh happened for model year 2021), the F90 M5 had access to all the finest amenities, too; whether you desire hands-free driving assistance or massaging seats, it’s available on the F90 M5.
The Price
As the educated buyer, die-hard enthusiast, or semi-professional window shopper you likely are, you probably already knew most of the highlights the F90 M5 offers. What you might not realize is that you can pick up an early F90 M5 for around $52,000. And if you don’t mind a car that’s had a crash or two, you can snag an F90 for less than a base Dodge Durango. That’s an insane value in a world where the average new car transaction price hovers just under $50,000. There’s value for shoppers at the top end of the scale, too. Examples of the collectible and ultra-desirable M5 CS with a few miles on them – around 20,000 – are trading around the $135,o00 mark. That’s a bit higher than the $120,000-ish the G90 M5 commands, but still shy of the car’s original $145,000 original MSRP.
The drawbacks of getting into this cruise missile of a luxury sedan are the usual pitfalls of buying a used BMW M car. Parts are expensive, and there is no shortage of crappily-modified examples littering the online listing sites – especially if you’re hunting for a particularly good deal. That said: if you can wrench, have the parts hookup, and/or simply know what you’re getting into, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better performance bargain than the F90 M5. Oh, it’s also hardly what we could efficient; expect to fill up with high-test frequently, as the F90 M5 tops out at 21 miles per gallon on the highway, according to the EPA.
The F90 M5: Ultimate One-Car Solution
It’s real easy to say something is a “performance bargain” – but in the F90’s case, it’s ludicrously easy to back up. Thanks to its turbocharged engine, it’s receptive to modifications and is easily capable of churning out 800+ horsepower. If, for some reason, the standard car isn’t enough. The car was the first to offer switchable all-wheel and rear-wheel drive. In fact, the all-wheel drive even makes it a great candidate for daily driver duty even if you live in a snow-prone locale. Throw in a usable trunk, 60/40 split-folding rear seats, and impressive comfort, and you’ve got the perfect one-car solution.
The F90 M5 is a bit too heavy to be the perfect canyon carver or track weapon, and maybe a little dated if you need the latest and greatest tech. Despite being a master of none, its compelling value on the secondhand market – and with prices still falling over time – makes it perfect for enthusiasts that need a one-car solution without feeling like they’re compromising. Keep your eyes peeled as LCI prices start to fall in the coming months and years – you might not find a better overall car.