Staff Photo by Mark Kennedy /
Two-tone leather seats are an upscale flourish in the 2019 BMW M5 Competition. Our 17-year-old son is not normally excitable. In fact, it takes something out of the ordinary to pry him off the couch.
Last week, the Blue Metallic BMW M5 Competition sedan in our driveway at home did the trick. Our son immediately asked if he could go out and sit inside the car - fully aware that I could never let him start it, much less drive it.
View other Test Drive stories by Mark Kennedy
Looking for a used or new car?
"Sure," I said. "Just make sure your shoes are clean."
He returned to the house a few minutes later, dazzled.
"Dad, what's a gas-guzzler tax?" he asked.
"Well, it's a check you have to write to Uncle Sam if your car doesn't meet certain fuel economy thresholds," I explained.
He had noticed the $1,000 gas-guzzler fee on the BMW's sticker. Honestly, I told him, if you are spending $132,095 for a car - the asking price of our tester - what's 1,000 bucks?
The 2019 BMW M5 Competition, a tweaked version of the performance-oriented M5, is a breathtaking automobile. It can launch from zero-to-60 mph in about 3.1 seconds, or about the time it takes to take a deep breath. Warning: That inhalation will almost certainly turn into a gasp under full M5 acceleration.
BMWs are available locally at BMW of Chattanooga, 6860 East Brainerd Road, and as of late this week there was one 2019 M5 listed in the dealership's digital inventory.
Staff Photo by Mark Kennedy /
Quad exhausts emit lusty exhaust notes on the 2019 BMW M5 Competition.
WHAT IS IT?
The 2019 BMW M5 Competition is the top performance trim of the company's M5 sedans. The Competition label represents a basket of upgrades that add about $7,500 to the cost of a regular M5. The upgrades include a firmer suspension, more horsepower (617 vs. 600), and special badging.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Our tester has an asking price of $132,095. This includes an $8,500 premium for carbon ceramic brakes (ouch!), $3,400 for a Bowers and Wilkins sound system, and $4,000 for an executive package that includes four-zone climate control, massaging front seats and 3D surround-view cameras.
WHAT WE LIKED
The M5 Competition has all-wheel-drive, which makes it feel planted and safe. This is a key virtue in a car with 200 miles per hour on the speedometer. The two-tone leather seats make for one of the most beautiful interiors we've ever seen in a production automobile. The melodious exhaust notes release endorphins in the brains of auto enthusiasts.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Just one caution. The taut suspension makes this more of a track car than a cruiser. If it's highway comfort you crave, spend your $130K on a Mercedes S-Class, instead. Also, it's the 14-miles-per-gallon city fuel economy rating that pulls down the average mpg and earns the modest gas-guzzler tax.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
There's no way to safely test the limits of a 617-horsepower automobile on streets of Chattanooga, so we didn't try. It does make your commute more interesting, however, to know you can point and shoot the M5 Competition any time you please. A back massage on the way home after a stressful day is not bad either.
BOTTOM LINE
If European engineering and raw power push your buttons, there are few finer cars to own that the BMW M5 Competition. Good look finding "competition" for this car, though, because there isn't much.
Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFP COLUMNIST.