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BMW M5 vs. Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid: Which Is the Best Hybrid Super Sedan?
With V-8 engines and plug-in powertrains, both are hugely fast, but only one can be the most fun to drive.
Tested By
Zac PalmerPublished: Nov 11, 2025
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Power increases are welcome, weight increases less so. Both of these super sedans sling out more than 700 horsepower thanks to twin-turbo V-8s working in conjunction with plug-in hybrid systems. But both also weigh well over 5000 pounds, thanks to the extra mass of that electrical assistance. Porsche has plenty of experience cranking out high-performance hybrids with both the Cayenne and Panamera, but the BMW M5 is joining the electrified brigade for the first time with this seventh generation. The question is simple: which is the best hybrid super sedan?
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David Bush
The Contenders
2025 BMW M5
- Base Price: $120,675
- Price as tested: $146,225
The M5’s 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 produces less power than the previous generation’s, but that’s more than made up for by the electric motor integrated into the eight-speed automatic transmission. Total output stands at 717 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque, sufficient for a searing 3.0-second 0-60 mph run when
Car and Driver tested it. Power is sent to all four wheels through an adaptive all-wheel-drive system, but there’s a rear-wheel drive mode (which can only be selected in conjunction with stability off) for the brave. Yes, this M5 is also substantially heavier than its predecessor at 5390 pounds, but that barely puts it as a disadvantage in this test. The Porsche is only 79 pounds lighter.
2025 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid
- Base Price: $236,695
- Price as tested: $257,495
Porsche throws its whole arsenal of innovative tech at the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, starting with a heavily revised 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 supplemented by an electric motor working in conjunction with an eight-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission. Output stands at a combined 771 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque, with that delivering a spectacular 2.5-second 0-60 mph time
at the proving ground. Power goes to all four wheels, but unlike the M5, there’s no RWD mode. Porsche typically makes you check all sorts of options boxes to maximize performance, but the range-topping S E-Hybrid comes with goodies, including Porsche’s roll-fighting Active Ride system standard, for a sizeable price.
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David Bush
Where We Tested
The meandering and violently twisting Triple Nickel of southeast Ohio lends itself perfectly to a lithe sports car, which neither of these bruisers is. That’s why it’s perfect for this test: can two weighty, tech-laden sedans feel at home in such an unlikely environment?
This playground is also a four-and-a-half-hour drive from
R&T’s Michigan base of operations, providing plenty of highway to evaluate how these two get on with typical grand touring responsibilities. Missing a couple of exits gave the excuse to test both cars’ competent, but ultimately boring, electric-only drive modes. Yes, that trip through downtown Toledo was
totally on purpose.
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David Bush
On the Road
Can a car be too perfect? That was the question I had to ponder each time I slid back into the Panamera’s Espresso-colored sport seats. The
Active Ride suspension, standard on the Turbo S, defines how this Porsche drives. And, boy, does it rewire your brain. Imagine yourself on a rollercoaster with no banking, a perfectly flat track, no matter which way you’re turning. There are still G-forces in the Panamera, but when you turn, there’s no roll moment.
It’s eerie. And it also felt like an endgame of sorts. Almost completely eliminating body movements from acceleration, braking, and turning might sound like the holy grail for chassis engineers, in that it allows a car to maximize the grip supplied by each tire at all times. But it also eliminates many of the signals a driver typically receives from a car in motion. My brain was telling me the car should be good traveling at a certain speed around a corner, but the Panamera’s suspension sure didn’t telegraph that information back. Instead, there’s a sense of absolute and total calm at any speed. It’s easy to understand the reasoning behind creating such a technical marvel, but it’s not as easy to fall in love with the unnatural way the car drives.
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David Bush
Where Active Ride shone without caveat is on the highway and over any sort of broken pavement. I was often following the M5, watching it heave and toss its way over an abrupt highway-to-bridge transition, only for the same surface change to be completely imperceptible in the Panamera as it maintained a perfectly parallel relationship with the ground. The Porsche was, simply, one of the most comfortable long-distance driving experiences I have had, regardless of the cost of the car. The only nit I can pick is with the secondary ride, wherein small road imperfections are felt only on account of the big 21-inch wheels and limited sidewall thickness of the Pirelli P Zero R summer tires I tested the car on.
The Porsche is effortlessly fast. The peak 771 hp is easily summoned, ready to explode in a tremendous burst at any moment. The Panamera’s power delivery, unlike the M5’s, has no peaks or valleys. The Porsche V-8 makes a good, deep rumble with choreographed crackles on the overrun, but it felt more like a tool than an instrument. Power is doled out so smoothly between the engine and electric motor, the driver never need know it is a hybrid without the obvious sound indicators. Which was a problem for what should be, at least some of the time, a rowdy sports sedan. I found myself wanting an engine that rewards for sticking it out to the redline, one that zings to the top end of its tach. The Panamera’s would rather just do its job without undue drama. It’s buttoned-up and business formal, where I’d rather have more character.
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David Bush
By contrast, the BMW is crass and a bit problematic. Despite the similarity of the two cars’ curbweights, the M5 feels heavier and makes compromises in the way it rides that felt glaring next to the Panamera’s impeccable body control. I’d still say it was acceptable for a sports sedan you can daily, but Michigan’s lumpy highways and Detroit’s pockmarked streets tested my patience. Driving over poor roads had me wishing to return to Porsche’s magic carpet ride.
But when I got to the Triple Nickel, the BMW turned everything on its head. The M5 came alive with a precise, fast-acting front end that chomped up every corner I used the accurate (but numb) steering to aim it at. I know from previous experience that the M5 can be an untidy handful on a racetrack, but it’s in its element at a fast backroad pace. BMW’s suspension tuning is the opposite of Porsche’s; the M5 happy to dive, pitch, and roll through corners—but always maintaining a sense of control. There’s a sense of fun, too - I liked seeing the nose lift as I hammered out of a hairpin, transferring weight rearward to help bring a small slide back into line.
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David Bush
Behind all the complex, weighty hybrid system and electronic aids, the M5 still felt playful, particularly when contrasted with the Panamera. The “MDM” mode for the all-wheel drive system is configured in such a way to make it easy to overpower the rear tires to an amusing, non-scary extent. And, if the hooligan bug strikes, you can indeed turn all the aids off and make the BMW exclusively rear-wheel-driven to toast the back tires.
By contrast, Porsche would rather things remain on the straight and narrow. So while the eight-speed automatic in the BMW has been programmed to deliver an emphatic kick in your backside with every full-throttle upshift, Porsche’s PDK stays smooth like warm butter, no matter the drive mode. I found it easy to smack into the rev limiter in the Panamera, too - on account of what felt like its perfectly flat torque curve. Meanwhile, the more charismatic V-8 in the BMW had me reaching for the redline just to hear it soar past 7000 rpm again and again. The electric motor adds invisible assistance, but it is the mighty engine that dominates the M5. Despite the Panamera’s half-second advantage on the timed 0-60 mph run, both Executive Editor Mike Austin and I would swear the BMW feels as if it pulls harder than the Porsche as speeds climb on road.
In the Cabin
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David Bush
The M5's interior is all about the technology.
There is a big difference in price between these two cars. The Porsche is over $100,000 more than the M5, and that is obvious in the beautifully appointed and cosseting cabin, which combines top-drawer luxury with refinement. I didn’t take any decibel readings on the highway in either car, but I didn’t need to, as the Porsche is the clear winner here. It is relaxing to drive pretty much everywhere, and the Panamera’s driving position and cabin layout feel far more sports car-like and driver-oriented than the M5’s gussied-up 5-Series interior, with strong 911 vibes in the design of dashboard and control layout. I felt like I sat
in the Panamera, but the sensation of being high up and far away from the road never went away in the BMW.
There’s also something understated about the Panamera’s cabin compared to that of the M5. Individual taste in trimmings will determine which is preferable, but the Porsche radiates quiet luxury while BMW prefers a glitzy, glass-heavy lightshow with gobs of shiny carbonfiber to accent it – please, spec the aluminum trim to tone it down. I preferred Porsche’s approach, and also the corresponding attention that has been given to the user interface and screen strategy. Porsche wraps the digital instruments in a traditional curved binnacle, and separates these from the principal infotainment screen in the center of the dashboard. BMW smushes everything together with an XL display which wins on sheer size, but also features irritatingly complex menus alongside hard-to-read cluster layouts. Not that the Porsche is perfect; I can’t believe the need to alter air vent position through the touchscreen made it into this generation.
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David Bush
The Panamera's cabin is more traditional, and feels more expensive.
Both sound systems are positively banging over a long-haul, Bowers & Wilkins in the BMW and Bose in the Panamera. BMW and Porsche require expensive packages tacked on to enjoy the full breadth of available driver assistance systems, and as equipped, the BMW stands tall as the most competent, with better lane discipline and even auto-lane changes via the tap of the turn indicator. Your friends will be happy riding in both thanks to a plethora of connectivity options (four USB-C ports in the BMW and four in the Porsche alongside wireless chargers in both). The BMW is a smidge more accommodating, however, with more room in the rear and better headroom, plus a slightly larger trunk: 17 cu-ft to the Porsche’s 15 cu-ft when its rear seats are in place.
You'd think the $236,695 starting price of the Porsche would come with everything, but Porsche managed to stack over $20,000 in options on top, with big-ticket items being the gorgeous $3090 Oak Green Metallic Neo paint, $2210 Espresso Club leather, $3620 Sport Exhaust, and $5370 Premium package that nets you all sorts of lovely goodies. BMW is equally as guilty with a $120,675 starting price – the total in options rang up to $25,550. Santorini Blue paint tacked on $5000, the M Carbon Ceramic brakes $8500, and packages like the Driving Assistance Professional ($1700) and Carbon Package ($3100) caused the price to keep ballooning from there. Both cars are mighty luxurious to start from a standard equipment perspective, but every buyer will want to dig into the options sheet to ensure you don't order a car with something as basic as heated seats missing, a real possibility with the BMW.
David Bush
And the Winner Is...
This contest is close enough that victory could go either way. But this is
Road & Track, so one critical metric decided things: I simply had more fun driving the M5 than the Porsche. I’d be the first to admit that BMW has made a few missteps with the M5, which has become heavier and more complex than it probably needs to be - certainly for American tastes. I wouldn’t be surprised if the result were different had we put a Panamera GTS, riding on normal suspension, against the M5.
That’s because the Turbo S E-Hybrid’s Active Ride system, despite being perfect on paper, felt weird in practice, removing the sort of sensation that sports sedans are supposed to maximize in the interests of luxury. The result is a car that is very luxurious indeed, but with the BMW’s more fiery engine and playful driving character, this accessed at lower road speeds, I can’t help but choose the M5 as the winner.
That’s without considering the difference in price. Anyone looking at the M5 is already going to be comfortable with spending six figures on a car, but although the Panamera feels more special, it is also much more expensive. For the gulf between the two cars, you could have both an M5 and a
718 Boxster GTS 4.0, a car that would be truly sublime on the Triple Nickel. Despite the Turbo S E-Hybrid’s position at the top of the Panamera range, it couldn’t muster the sense of connection of the cheaper rival. It’s the driving that truly matters, which is why, given the choice, I’d be snagging the M5’s keys first.
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