Everything That's Lighter Than the New BMW M5

• The new M5's 5,390-pound curb weight is a serious problem.
• BMW's bloated sedan now weighs thousands of pounds more than the original.
• Some astonishingly large objects still weigh less than the new sport sedan.

Today’s trucks are known for being big, heavy lumps of aluminum and steel. The F-150 King Ranch is the luxury-oriented version of America’s most popular full-size truck. It packs in loads of tech features and acres of leather. The result is a truck with a curb weight of 5,096 pounds. Do the math, and that comes to 294 pounds lighter than that shiny new M5.

Even EVs weigh less than this BMW

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the M5 is heavy, just like its previous iterations. This new one is the heaviest, likely due to significant hybridization. After all, the M5 will do an estimated 25 miles on electric power alone. These batteries are hefty things, as evidenced by some current EVs. Speaking of, did you know a Tesla Model X Plaid weighs 5,248 pounds? That’s still 142 pounds less than this here new M5. The Model X is powered solely by heavy batteries yet manages to be both lighter and more powerful than the M5. 

Not one, but TWO Miatas would still be lighter

Earlier in this piece we said we’d take a more involving driving experience over a faster car. If anything embodies this ethos, it’s the Mazda Miata. The Miata has gone through its own evolution, becoming more modern and fuel-efficient while retaining its reputation as the small sports car. The ND Miata (with the soft top) is a mere 99 pounds heavier than the original 1989 model. The new M5, on the other hand, is nearly a ton (around 1,900 poinds) heavier than the original E28 M5, which totaled 3,504 pounds in 1987. To put it even more starkly you could strap two Miatas (of any generation) together and they would still weigh less than the current M5. It's the definition of bloat.

A freakin' Rhino ...

We’re beset with examples that help lend scale to the M5’s poundage, but many are based on a (loose) knowledge of all things automotive. This one’s for the nature lovers. Per PBS, the average Rhinoceros weighs less than a new M5. That’s right. A Black Rhino, the smaller of the two African species of Rhino, will on average weigh between 1,720 and 3,080 pounds. A world-record-beating unit of a Black Rhino still wouldn’t come within spitting distance of the latest M5’s portly figure. While a grown White Rhino will (they weigh between 3,080 and 7,920 pounds), you’d still have to find a whopper of a Rhino to even come within a thousand pounds of the M5. At least the M5 has a higher top speed …

Even an airplane(!)

Yeah. This whole entire freakin’ AIRPLANE is lighter than the new M5. To be fair, airplanes must be light because they, you know, fly. That said, this Diamond DA42 aircraft is perhaps the most stark example of the M5’s newfound poundage. Unlike like a car’s curb weight, which takes into account the fuel in the vehicle, the DA42’s 4,407-pound max mass for takeoff includes fuel, passengers, and anything else needed for it to shed its earthly tethers. Even with this generous advantage, the DA42 is 983 pounds lighter than our M5-shaped yardstick.

Edmunds says

So what’s the takeaway? There’s another 2,000 words floating around that could be used to discuss why cars need to be lighter rather than heavier, including environmental benefits and performance benefits alike, but for the first time in this entire piece, let’s keep it simple. Math aside, the M5 is one big car. Whether it drives like one much smaller remains to be seen.