The quickest car we’d tested is now an AA used bargain
Buying a good, better quality, used car has its advantages. Take this 2020 F90 BMW M5 Competition, for example. It cost R2 million six years ago, but you can pick up a good used one for between R1.1 and R1.6 million today. That’s a hell of a lot of car that the Automobile Association will make a lot easier for you to own, by certifying the car, putting it back into warranty and far more. So, are you sure you still want to buy new?
What we said then
Meet the quickest car we have ever tested. No, it’s not a Ferrari. Nor is it a Lambo or a Porsche – it’s a humble four-door family saloon! There’s nothing wrong with the stock M5, but Munich clearly decided that it was time to stop the bickering and hey pronto – here’s ‘Competition’ – right and ready to see off all-comers.
And not only did M5 Competition deliver our quickest-ever test, it is also the first car to ever break the 3-second 0-100km/h barrier on our run in an astounding 2.97 seconds. Competition also managed 160km/h in a mesmerising 6.6 seconds and blitzed the quarter-mile in another record 10.9 seconds at 208km/h!
That’s partially due to M powering M5 up from 441kW to 460kW, while torque remains the same 750Nm, albeit now spreading 200rpm higher than before courtesy of a small turbo boost hike, a reprogrammed ECU and revised sport exhaust. Add a larger grille for better cooling and a petrol particulate filter.
460 kilowatts on tap
Subtle chassis improvements see it riding 7mm lower on a sportier toe and camber set-up, along with a stiffer rear anti-roll-bar and tauter engine mounts for better response through the driveline for more ‘competition’ feel, but in a harsher ride. Competition may defy its lightweight suggestion, but its 248kW per tonne power to weight ratio is ten up on the stock M5 thanks also to an M carbon roof and an aluminium bonnet.
Set apart by black badging, a Competition logo and black grills, the ultimate M5 is shod with 20” M light alloy Y-spoke wheels to look quite the part too – and it packs all you would ever dream of in that sumptuous cockpit. All very cool, but what about that price – is this really a two-million buck car? Made us wonder?
Until we plugged our VBox into it. M5 Competition thrust me back in the seat, shoved my brain back into the cranium and my eyes aft in their sockets as the 460kW 2-ton monster blasted off the line to cannon down our test strip at record pace. Not only did it lift a crown so long the domain of Ferraris, Porsches and McLarens, but Competition is also the first car to ever break the 3-second mark on our run.
Ferrari eater
This performance also gives further credence to our long-held view that all-wheel drive is an absolute prerequisite at this heady level – this M5 is over a second quicker than the wild and scarcely controllable bucking bronco of a rear-wheel drive car it replaces.
It will keep on delivering that sort of performance all day long too – just switch to bareback, floor the throttle and brake together, release the brake and it trundles on to deliver one sub-3 second 0-100 after the next, as though it was all quite normal!
We can already hear you starting to grumble about it being a 2-million-Rand car. But there’s another side to it – what must you spend to get to 100km/h in a production car in under three seconds in South Africa? We’ll leave that one to you to figure out!
Back to the present. It’s a used bargain!
Ever considered the many advantages of buying a quality used car, rather than a new one? Not least to opportunity of owning far better car for less? A pre-owned BMW M5 Competition today costs less than a new 320d. The Automobile Association empowers used car peace of mind via several unique services. For example, the AA’s unique Monthly Warranty puts used cars up to 12 years old back under mechanical cover for five more years. Even your current car qualifies.
But that’s just the start. Countrywide AA Quality Approved and Auto Centres make that used car purchase a hassle free experience. South Africa’s FIA motoring representative, the Automobile Association has of course provided South African motorists with roadside rescue and emergency services for close to a century since 1930, and nothing’s changed.
Unbeatable AA services include Vehicle Refinancing to alleviate the strain of high repayments, while AA Fuel Pricing and Vehicle Rates, AutoFacts, Road Conditions and Distance Calculators are easy to use. AA Travel offers Quality Assured Accommodation, top Travel Insurance and a Customs Passage Book and International Driving Permit services.
And did you know that your AA membership includes Emergency Medical Services, Armed Response and Roadside Rescue, among so much more? Best of all, it’s all just a click away at aa.co.za. right now!
ROAD TESTED IN 2020 - BMW M5 Competition
Engine: 4395cc biturbo V8
Output 460kW 750Nm
Drive: 8-speed auto AWD
TESTED:
0-60km/h 1.49 sec
0-100km/h: 2.95 sec
0-160km/h: 6.61 sec
0-200km/h 9.97 sec
400m: 10.9 sec @ 208km/h
80-120km/h: 1.87 sec
120-160km/h: 2.56 sec
CLAIMED:
VMax: 305km/h
Fuel: 10.8 l/100km
CO2: 246g/km
Warranty New: 2 years BMW
Warranty Today: 5 years AA
New Price 2020: R2.062M
Used Price 2026: R1.1 to 1.6M
How does it compare?
Check with Auto's Test Data right here