The new BMW F90 M5 has been put through quite a number of tests so far ever since it was launched. The ‘new kid’ on the uber-sedan block has stirred up quite a lot of curiosity since it’s the first ever M car with all-wheel drive, excluding the already peculiar SUVs, of course. So far, the M5, in its standard guise – not the Competition model – managed to outrun all of its traditional rivals. The more powerful Competition version is supposed to be even faster off the line but what about a more non-conventional rival?
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Tesla cars have been repeatedly compared to BMWs over the last few years. I actually grew tired of seeing the Model 3 being compared to the M3 in various tests out there but I do understand people’s curiosity about the topic. After all, electric cars are widely regarded as the future and it’s interesting to see how the future compares to today’s best offers. That’s why we’re taking a closer look at how the Model S P100D compares to the BMW F90 M5.
From the get go, the numbers game shows a stark contrast. The Tesla comes with 613 HP and 1,074 Nm (792 lb-ft) of torque, all-wheel drive and all that twist delivered from 1 RPM. The American company claims the heavy behemoth will do 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.5 seconds and that makes it one of the fastest accelerating cars on the planet. The M5 on the other hand comes with 600 HP and 750 Nm (553 lb-ft) of torque, and has a claimed acceleration time of 3.4 seconds.
Maybe comparing the Tesla to the Competition M5 would’ve made more sense, as they would’ve been closer. Nevertheless, the M5 posted an impressive run. The Tesla was faster off the line, understandably so, but when reaching speeds over 100 mph, the lighter M5 managed to pull away, showing the Model S what real speed looks like. We’d still like to see this comparison done with the M5 Competition though.
For all those times you do those zero to 100 red light runs. More often the Model S drivers will be watching the BMW’s in their rearview mirrors.
You can dream. BMW didn’t get close to the Tesla until after 220kmh.
Re-read my post – the Tesla is clearly faster.
Where? I live downtown in a city of 7 million, M5 is as gridlocked as every other vehicle & I have yet to see a Model S @ speed anywhere other than on a highway. And I’m pretty sure an M5 will outrun the Tesla on a highway trip of any distance – if there’s anywhere to charge it.
I am a city dweller as well, that is why 0-60 is such a important benchmark: it’s practical! Traveling over 100 MPH for enough time for the M5 to catch up, in most parts of the US, is risky business.
0-60 is ILLEGAL on a city street. And the M5 doesn’t have to break the law to catch up, how long will the Tesla be stopped charging?
Is English your first language? The M5 will need to break the law to catch up. In regard to charging, every couple hundred miles but it is convenient to just plug it in every night .
As with many Tesla fans, you do not live in reality – a Tesla will not be out running an M5 or much of anything else in town, from red light to red light? Ooh, impressive! And any distance trip involves more than a nightly charge, duh.
Who in their right mind races for hours on the highway? For the long trips, I take the luxobarge S8. Like the M5, it is a dinosaur but will serve its purpose until the Tesla can get its range beyond 400 miles.
And again no reality, not only was nothing said about racing for hours across the highway, that’s not even possible with ICE, BEV or human bladder. Not only is M5 not a dinosaur, it’s been an autobahn cruiser for decades, it doesn’t have to race anyone. So even when Tesla range is 400+ miles, you’ll be good with stopping every few hours to charge? So your trip time will still be longer regardless of 0-60. But you don’t care because you’ll just swap out one 6 figure 5,000 lb. short range BEV sedan for another 6 figure 5,000 ICE lb. sedan. Certainly puts a new spin on hybrid, speaking of not being in your right mind.
“Stopping every few hours to charge” with a 400 mile range? Math apparently isn’t your thing. Plus, anything over 400 miles, I am flying – not driving.
In reality, 400 miles=stopping every few hours. For quite some time. Or you can kill that time standing in line in an airport. I’ll take the M5.
To each their own. I do look forward to what the Germans are going to do with EV once they get real serious about it.
Or the paying public do.
Loads of places to charge the Tesla… Unlike all the Tesla Killers… That’s why they sell… Moats and fun levels of performance.
Moats? Having an outlet doesn’t mean you can charge your car, why BEV are pretty much confined to urban. Tim Horton’s parking lots on our Trans-Canada Hwy. are not overflowing with charging BEV. Most people cannot afford Tesla, they are still a niche, regional manufacturer, not even volume Model 3 sells for promoted price.
M5c was slightly ahead all through the power curve then left it dead after 237 kph. Again if you see that on the roads I would like to see the vid.
Problem is they don’t dare to race, cause they’d be scared not to make it home. And also it must be the performance version which are rare. The normal version will be toasted by the BMW. And if it is the the performance version then the battery must be fully loaded, and they have to activate the full power, which will stress the hardware extremly
LOL – keep dreaming. Tesla is just getting started. The roadster will be sub 2 second 0-60. At least the BMW is way better than Detroit’s garbage .
LOL – you’re the one dreaming, no open roof car’s aerodynamics will allow it to achieve those numbers, any more than a Model 3 will ever sell @ it’s promoted list price. A Bugatti runs out of gas if you can even find a road to get it to top speed, how will a range restricted battery be any different? Who’s going to refuse an EV Ferrari, Porsche or McLaren for a 6 figure Tesla?
Again, Tesla roadster or not, it is driven by people who have made it and seem to be on painkillers. They will never get used. Roadster is associated with the awful Gen 3 gutless Toyota of the same name. There is a brand gap as wide as the Canyon in Arizona, here.
It’s true, I live near to the Tesla testing area in Orange County and have seen a lot of Teslas, a lot, on the roads. In 4 years I only ever saw one guy floor a Model S. and it looked choppy at 100 on the bend. My old 330 beats it for handling at least. All the Teslas are driven by CEOs with a broken right foot. They have no road presence as a result.
God forbid if you need to turn the Tesla.
Yeah people always gloss over that, they forget that the handling is rubbish in comparison to the M5.
The Tesla is a one trick pony, imagine Intel came with a CPU with 10 Ghz but you can use the full power only for few seconds and that only once a day.
Your ignorance is clearly shining.
But what can we expect from a BMW guy.
You’re being ignorant not accepting the truth. You fell for the hype like thousand other social media junkies
What truth you Idiot?
That my Tesla smokes your pathetic ICE car at the lights?
That I run my car half of the cost you do?
That my service fees are only a fraction what you pay every year?
That I don’t spew CO2 to the environment so you can breathe more easily?
That I doesn’t noise pollute my neighborhood?
That I don’t have to change my brake pads for 60.000 miles?
Which one is it you low IQ moron?
Easy on the name calling. Please
Sorry.
I always get carried away when I see people who isn’t capable of thinking outside of the box.
The huge difference is that the Tesla can do that at any time
If both cars are driving at 40 mph and they both hoof it the Tesla will be out of sight before the BMW decided which gear it should be in
Really? Where & for how long? And how long until the Tesla needs a charge?
Why do people have to compare Apple vs Oranges. One is fully electric and the other one is ICE. For Tesla fanboys, wouldn’t that be Panasonic vs BMW.
Tesla Advantages :
1. Just quick dash when you need one
2. You don’t need to pay for liquid fuel
BMW Advantages :
1. BMW just fly like a plane, & it just keeps going & going. Tesla will warn you that it really doesn’t have a hyperdrive
2. BMW will be more agile, unlike Tesla, it won’t weigh as much as a Rolls Royce due to the battery vault
3. BMW can refuel in minutes. For Tesla, after you finish shopping, & go to the loo, its still not done.
4. BMW interior makes you want to sit in a car forever, Tesla owners will be busy trying to find an American Brabus
5. BMW is a well made product, everything well thought out, & place, Tesla feels more like an scientific experiment
Could not agree more.
Didn’t you guys just see how Tesla finally informs the driver, that you can’t be serious to treat me like the Ultimate Driving Machine.
I own and love BMWs, but EVs are going to win the long game. The technology is superior, period. In general, EVs will be better performing and more reliable because electric motors are a much better match for vehicular motivation and have much fewer moving parts. Tesla has led the way but that does not guarantee that it will be the arbiter of the future of EVs.
The question is whether ICE auto manufacturers can come up to speed fast enough. (Pardon the pun.) Certainly some will, but history is not on their side. Companies locked in design/business paradigms usually don’t adjust quickly enough to compete even when the reality of a superior product is undeniable. I can’t imagine an entire organization of hundreds of ICE car designers will simply wake up one day and concede the superiority of EV tech. No – EV enters as a ‘side project’ not fully embraced by the company and therefore not given the needed support until too late. (Didn’t blockbuster attempt to roll out an internet service just before the end?)
This article is just a snapshot of two fine vehicles – one represents an accumulation of ICE knowledge and development from well over a hundred years while the other represents EV technology in its infancy. We can quibble about which one is better but the mere fact that these cars are comparable today should show anyone thinking objectively that EVs are going to win out in the long run. I hope BMW isn’t too late to compete with the Model 3 or 4 or… I would love to see a well executed mainstream BMW EV.
Well, electric is most likely the future, but why others didn’t jump in like Tesla is simply because it’s not as magical as some want you to believe in.
Mercedes has a electric SL prototype like Tesla, looks better than any production Tesla by a mile, with same power, same concept, their engineers hates it, it weighs a ton and refuelling is no stop and go.
Your statement will only be true if current ICE manufactures didn’t do anything, but many are way more forward thinking than Tesla, they explore cells, hydrogen, and combination of 2 propulsion units, in order to get a cleaner drive without having to be bound by city range limits because when the battery runs low, the ICE don’t just take over, it helps to recharge it too.
Even electric can be in and out if Hydrogen is ready. Current EV requires the car to find a parking spot, you can’t just say, I will go to supermarket for a while, and once shopping, it’s done, your charge is still not done, and although there are now charging stations everywhere, it’s not the space that was the problem, it’s the turnovers of vehicles.
ICE and Hydrogen powered vehicles, will have much higher turnovers than current battery vehicles. Every ten minutes, it can serve 3 to 4 vehicles. As for Tesla and others, it will take 30 mins to hours, so ICE is way more efficient, and it won’t overheat because the old dinosaur has more tricks to keep it going, like advance electronics, coolant and radiators. Yes, it’s not rocket science, but it works brilliantly, look at the M5.
The battery also weighs a ton making the vehicle more cumbersome to drive, that’s why BMW rather works on the battery tech front rather than just shoving a big one in. That’s a easy and a less thoughtful approach.
So all in all, I won’t worry too much on what Tesla is going to do, I will worry what they won’t be able to offer
When Bimmer finally goes full EV, they don’t want a battery that weighs as much as a bank vault, they want to get more per unit of whatever measurement, that’s why it’s better to make sense for not rolling out with an incomplete product.
I appreciate your civil reply.
I agree that Tesla is not as magical as some want us to believe. Tesla followers are often too “culty” and that’s a turn off for me.
You’re right that ICE manufacturers are rushing to catch up (as I also said) but I think your example of the Merc electric SL being hated by their engineers is exactly the kind of thing I expect to happen at a company locked in an ICE design paradigm. Investigating different electric storage options is also commendable but if those investigations continue to end without committing to a development they aren’t really useful.
I’m not even saying that ICE manufacturers were acting irrationally from their standpoint. Why would they spend the R&D to develop a completely new EV and bring it to production when they can continue designing and building ICE vehicles? It’s similar to the decision we face as car buyers when our current car is broken but repairable – the rational choice (cheapest) is almost always to fix the current car and keep driving it but sometimes we buy the new car anyway because we are driven by other considerations – better looks, better performance, etc.
Applying the analogy, the “other consideration” to motivate the ICE manufacturers to produce EVs is consumer demand for EVs. Where did consumer demand for EVs come originate? The only place it was ever going originate, a company like Tesla, standing completely outside the ICE industry. A company where attention is undivided – where every day every engineer working there wakes up thinking only of how to improve an EVs.
We can’t deny that Tesla has earned consumer demand with their products. Tesla is way past big promises of a revolution that never materializes. Tesla is not Segway. Even if we strip away the hype factor, there is a genuine underlying product that people want. Haters will persist, just like some people hate iPhones, but that didn’t stop them from becoming ubiquitous because in the end far more people like iPhones than hate them.
There is no doubt that ICE vehicles will remain the best choice for anyone who makes regular trips exceeding the vehicle range without an overnight stay. They will hold the advantage in refueling speed. However, the reality is that the vast majority of drivers don’t have such a requirement. (I drive weeks without refueling, so it’s definitely not a consideration for me.) And this is just one factor behind vehicle choice; the balance of factors still tilts strongly to EVs in the future.
I think you are also right that weight is another factor against EVs but only as part of a given design balance because a big chunk of EV weight (batteries) can be traded with range. Apparently, the Model 3 has about 1K lbs of battery. Personally, I’m thinking of the possibility of a modular battery design for an EV that could temporarily drop 500 to 750 lbs for a track day or for a user who had only short range needs. The battery module left at the house could also be recharged in the meantime. (It’s interesting to consider the full weight Model 3 is delivering 0-60 times well under 4 seconds – what can it do when it lightweights the fuel cell?)
Like you, I do hope that BMW (and others) gets in the game soon and delivers something amazing. I would love to see BMW handling merged with EV acceleration in a mainstream production model, not just science projects (i8) and novelties (i3).
I don’t have much to add, but just to ensure u get my point, BMW is not behind. It’s the approach, very heavy electric or reasonable size, that’s it.
Tesla is not Apple, far from it, because Apple doesn’t have to rely on others, if PowerPC roadmaps get stuck, they rewrite MacOS to Intel along with PowerPC apps emulator which will instantly work. Even packaging, they don’t go with the norms, their Macs keep shrinking in size but they will go as far as other battery producers not to ship them with existing sizes, Apple will reshape them.
Tesla is actually a one trick pony, someone else mentions it here, I 100% agree. They are heavily rely on Panasonic, they knew people don’t like the size and the weight, but because the vehicle is so much bigger therefore, they make it work.
You can count on other automakers, they will execute their future products better without having to affect their driving dynamics, and they will ensure battery tech comes first, instead of just rolling out a chunky car.
If BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Ferrari, Nissan, and Toyota wants a Tesla equivalent, they will have those out by now. They don’t want it, they want to do better.
The Merc, Ferrari, Renault and Honda are all in current F1, look what they did with battery propulsion in a small frame, and how they are able to get the battery to push out 160 horses, as well as charge them on the fly, they know what they are doing.
BMW, Audi, Honda also working on Hydrogen, their early works are all great, just waiting for economy of scale to transit between ICE to water pump, so it’s going to be great once the public infrastructure is ready, it’s quite exciting, nobody is asleep, so you are saying that BMW needs to hurry up, but I will say, Tesla better watch out, because the one trick pony will only get you so far, before the market will overcome you with much finer products in the near future
Again, I do appreciate the civility of your response and I appreciate the opportunity to have real discussion without devolving into name calling. Even if I disagree with you on points, I respect your thoughts and opinions.
I’m not certain that I understand you when you say “BMW is not behind” and “It’s the approach, very heavy electric or reasonable size, that’s it.” I assume that you mean that BMW is not behind because they just don’t want to make a “very heavy electric” like Tesla but they could? If so, I must disagree. Not making a product (even if you could make it) is the definition of putting yourself behind others that actually make the product. I think that this is especially true if the product has a fundamental difference from the products you ordinarily make –EV vs ICE.
I’m also not sure I understand your argument about Tesla not being like Apple. But I never said Tesla was Apple. (I said Tesla was not Segway.) I mentioned iPhone haters to describe how some people will always hate Tesla but it only matters that far more people like the product than hate it. And I did imply that Tesla had challenged convention and was ushering in a revolution. I do think that’s true. It doesn’t matter how similar or dissimilar they are to Apple in their detailed operations. (Incidentally, I would also credit Apple with ushering in a revolution with the iPhone but I don’t think they challenged convention; there was no dominate alternate smart phone technology market to displace. Maybe Mac vs PC, but they didn’t exactly win that war.)
I absolutely agree with you that until now BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Ferrari, Nissan, and Toyota have not wanted to build a Tesla equivalent but they could have. However, I think that is merely a direct consequence of the ICE design paradigm that has driven and continues to drive these companies. I disagree that their reason for not doing it is because “they want to do better.” They haven’t done it so far because there was no need (no consumer demand) for them to do it. And they only want to do it now because Tesla has created that consumer demand. So now they can’t risk not making products for that market because they may not have a role in what may become a sizable piece of the future.
And I wouldn’t hold my breath for hydrogen to come around. (Another bad pun.) Hydrogen was always going to be a tough sell because it requires separate fuel delivery infrastructure to exist BEFORE people will even consider it. I don’t believe the will or money to build hydrogen infrastructure exists now if it ever did. If Hydrogen ever had a shot, the desire (and money) to build that infrastructure just sped off in a Tesla.
I assume the point about Tesla being a one trick pony is meant to imply that a Tesla only delivers extreme acceleration and nothing else. (Or is it that it only delivers ridiculous mileage (130+ MPGe) and nothing else? Or is it that it is delivers cutting edge self-driving vehicle tech and nothing else? Sorry, for getting a little snarky here. I’m just joking.) If we limit our view to driving performance, then I agree that this is a fair criticism. However, this “one trick” is where most regular driving occurs whenever we get in the car: stop…wait…GO…stop…wait…GO. Few of us are lucky enough (or have the time) to regularly drive winding roads, but we ALL have to stop and accelerate repeatedly. A whole category of racing exists around straight line acceleration from a stop. At the end of every block, we have the opportunity to feel this thrill in a Tesla (and show up anyone in the next lane).
But to characterize this as just “one trick” really undervalues the “trick.” Years back I remember people saying the same thing about American V8s (e.g. Mustangs, Camaros, and Corvettes) compared to our beloved BMWs. Those American V8s had that off the line power but our BMWs had top end power and also amazing handling. I think it was valid then. 0-60 comparisons were tenths of a second apart. The stock dual motor Tesla Model 3 is delivering 0-60 times at 3.3 seconds. If those American V8s and Tesla are both one trick ponies, then those V8s were asking “is this your card?” at a child’s birthday and Tesla makes the Statue of Liberty disappear.
It may be hard to believe based on what no doubt appears to be endless praise for Tesla but I really don’t own a Tesla. I own two BMWs (an M3 and a 335i) and a Toyota Camry. I have driven a Model X that a friend bought. I was interested and impressed by it (particularly the self-driving functions) but I wasn’t ready to run out and buy one. I thought the acceleration was remarkable for its size but I’m not into SUVs anyway. However, my brother bought a Model 3 a month ago and I drove it. (This is what informs my response above to the “one trick pony” comment.) I didn’t get to take it on windy roads (where I assume that I would have been underwhelmed) but just driving it around my town experiencing the “one trick” over and over was so far beyond the range of anything else I’ve experienced I can only say that it completely reset the bar for me when it comes to acceleration.
Reiterating my comment above, I do hope that BMW and others get in the game soon and deliver something amazing. I would love to see BMW handling merged with EV acceleration in a mainstream production model.
Hemp supercapacitors
This is not an either/or story, Tesla do not have the capacity to facilitate the needed global change to BEV (also no evidence existing grid can support it). And pls. explain to me how a 5,000 lb.+ sedan carrying usually only a driver is “green”? Are you a pedo in your submarine hyperloop to Mars? Or just high? The superior technology had 1/4 of the market a century ago, today it’s 1/40th, people are unwilling to pay the BEV premium.
I didn’t say or suggest “green” anywhere in my statement. You assume because my post is pro-EV that I must be another “green at any cost” Musk sycophant. I’m not. (I don’t even own a Tesla. I own two BMWs.) Whatever “green” value there is, it’s a lesser factor to me. Your arguments are misguided. Remember them as history unfolds and makes you eat your words.
Because I’m old I’ve witnessed a lot of history, BMW were going under year I was born. If green is not implicit with BEV, what’s the point? We’re already consuming ourselves off the planet. Isn’t that why Elon wants to spacex/hyperloop/bore/tunnel/pedo submarine us to Mars? I agree with you, but I want to see it. Hype, conjecture & speculation are not reality, people already die when our grid is overextended.