My Weekend With BMW's New Hybrid M5 Turned Into A Winter Rally Stage, Driving Snow-Covered Mountain Passes Made Me Fall In Love With A Car I Expected To Hate

There are certain things in life we never see coming. A cheap bourbon that punches way above its weight. A motel with threadbare sheets and unexpectedly perfect water pressure. And sometimes, a car. Not just any car, the car. The one that shows up for the weekend like a blind date arranged by a friend with questionable taste, and leaves you reeling in the afterglow. 

That’s exactly what happened to one BMW enthusiast who recounted his alpine night with the G90 M5 on BimmerPost. The whole thing reads less like a review and more like a man trying to make sense of an emotional betrayal, of his own expectations.

Let’s be clear,  this wasn’t supposed to happen. He was a former M5 Touring owner, a self-confessed BMW traditionalist. 

“Biased. I. Am. Of course I'm biased,” 

He wrote on the BimmerPost forums. 

“However, I'm going into this with an open mind. I didn't hate the G82 M4, so I'm confident I won't hate the G90 M5.” 

He picked up the new hybrid M5 for the weekend, drenched in Isle of Man Green.

From the first glance, the experience was defined more by curiosity than chemistry. 

BMW xDrive AWD System Explained: Electronic Multi-Plate Clutch, Dynamic Performance Control & Stability Integration

• Unlike traditional AWD systems, xDrive employs an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch to dynamically distribute torque between the front and rear axles. This allows the system to proactively adjust power delivery, ensuring optimal traction and stability across varying road conditions. 
• Introduced with the BMW X6, DPC enhances xDrive by enabling torque vectoring between the rear wheels. This means the system can send more power to the outer rear wheel during cornering, improving agility and reducing understeer, resulting in a more responsive and engaging driving experience. 
• xDrive works in harmony with BMW's Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) systems. By continuously monitoring wheel speed, steering angle, and other parameters, xDrive can preemptively adjust power distribution to maintain grip and control, even before wheel slip occurs.

Too tall, too heavy, and wearing a face that would get it rejected from most red carpets. 

“Is it classically handsome, as the F90 was? Definite no.” 

It stood there like a linebacker in a tuxedo, threatening, but surprisingly composed.

The drive began not in some sanitized, pre-cleared press route, but in the frigid reality of a 19°F Swiss winter. He brimmed the tank and headed toward the Julier Pass, navigating motorways and icy switchbacks with only Hankook winters beneath him and several hundred electrified horses at his disposal. 

First Impressions: BMW M5 Hybrid Tackles 19 °F Swiss Winter on Julier Pass

The M5 started in electric mode, quiet, clinical. But something changed as the journey unfolded. 

“It's cold, it's wet, and I can turn into corners almost as if in the dry in summer.” 

That sentence carries weight. There, amid the snowbanks and mountain air, the M5 stopped being a hybridized executive sledgehammer and started being something far more interesting, a partner.

By the time he reached the summit of Flüela Pass, a high-altitude stretch of asphalt masquerading as a WRC stage, the tone had shifted. 

“What lies ahead of me is nothing short of a WRC stage, just better… THIS IS AMAZING!” 

The road was deserted, the sun shining, the grip miraculous. 

“I don't like winter, I don't like winter tyres, I don't like AWD.” 

He confessed. 

“And yet, put all of that in the right situation and you end up having the time of your life!” 

The G90 M5, with its over-the-top tech and hybrid heft, danced, not just competently, but joyfully. It didn’t just perform, it inspired.

2025 BMW M5 Plug-In Hybrid Powertrain: 717 HP V8 + Electric Motor, 43-Mile EV Range & 3.4 second 0-60 MPH

• The M5 features a plug-in hybrid system combining a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine with an electric motor, delivering a total output of 717 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. This setup enables the M5 to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds, with an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph, which can be increased to 190 mph with the optional M Driver’s Package. 
• The 2025 M5 sedan measures 200.6 inches in length, 77.6 inches in width, and 59.4 inches in height, with a wheelbase of 118.3 inches. Its curb weight is approximately 5,390 pounds, making it the heaviest M5 to date due to the addition of the hybrid system. 
• Equipped with an 18.6 kWh battery, the M5 offers an estimated electric-only range of up to 43 miles under the WLTP cycle. This allows for short-distance, zero-emission driving, enhancing its practicality for daily use.

This isn’t the kind of car that greets you with a wink and a flick of the hips. It’s a machine you have to live with for a few days to understand, especially when compared to other cars such as the Porsche Panamera. You have to dig past the artificial light shows, the endless drive modes, and the fat touchscreen that replaced the clean logic of analog controls. 

“Everything's a bit more complicated,” 

He noted, 

“But I'm willing to concede that the iDrive knob helps.”

It’s a lot to absorb, especially for someone whose idea of a perfect BMW was a short-wheelbase, rear-drive M2 Competition. Yet when the road demanded brilliance, the G90 delivered it, reliably, repeatably, and with unexpected charm.

292-Mile Weekend in BMW M5 Hybrid Yields 24 MPG

And that charm extended beyond the corners. After 292 miles, the final refueling showed a respectable 24 miles per gallon, achieved despite aggressive driving and a dead battery.  It’s not just fast; it’s capable, economical, and, dare we say, sensible. 

“Not bad all in all.” 

He concluded, surprised. For a car that outguns supercars and outweighs Range Rovers, the G90's versatility felt almost unfair. It had no business being this good, but there it was, composed in traffic, feral in the mountains, and dignified outside a kebab shop in St. Moritz.

In the final stretch, the car returned to BMW looking cleaner than when it left, the only remaining traces of the weekend affair tucked away in memory and forum posts. 

“Time to return the Hulk to Avengers HQ.” 

He wrote, with a hint of melancholy. 

“Should you replace any of the previous M5s with the G90? Probably not.” 

He added. 

“But I'm relieved to report that in 2025, the M5 is still alive (in its very own, unique way).” 

Sometimes, we fall in love with the car we least expect. Not the lightest, not the purest, not the one with the manual gearbox or a carbon fiber roof.

But the one that meets us where we are: cautious, skeptical, maybe even a little jaded. 

Why the 2025 BMW M5 Hybrid Rekindles Driving Magic

And then proves, mile by mile, corner by corner, that it still matters. That driving can still feel like magic. In that snowy alpine weekend, one enthusiast was reminded of that truth. And for the rest of us, it’s a real good reason to keep driving.

Would you fall for a 717-hp, 2.4-ton hybrid M5 in the snow? Turns out, maybe you would.

Let us know what you think about the BMW M5 in the comments below. 

Image Sources: BMW Media Center, Sphygmomanometer from G90.BimmerPosts

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.