Underneath the blazing Abu Dhabi solar,the BMW M5 was howling down the lengthy straights of Yas Marina Circuit, its twin-turbocharged V8 hurling over 700 horsepower towards the horizon, warmth shimmering off the asphalt. The brakes—large M Carbon Ceramics—bit down arduous as I approached the tight left-hander, scrubbing off pace earlier than diving in, feeling the all-wheel drive system working its magic to maintain all the pieces in examine. Then, throttle again on—prompt torque, prompt acceleration, the type of relentless energy that shoves you into the seat and leaves little question that BMW M’s newest tremendous sedan has entered a brand new period of efficiency.
The North Loop of Yas Marina, the place I used to be wringing the M5 out, is constructed for pace. Its extensive, sweeping corners and lengthy straights are a playground for high-horsepower monsters, making it the right place to stretch the legs of each the M5 Sedan and its much more area of interest counterpart, the M5 Touring. A heavy wagon that does 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds? That is the type of insanity solely BMW M might justify.
Then got here the South Loop, a completely completely different beast. Tighter, extra technical, the place finesse issues simply as a lot as brute power. This was the place I swapped into BMW’s smaller, sharper machines: the M2, M3 Touring, and M4 Coupe.
The M2 was an absolute riot, a playful, rear-wheel-drive troublemaker that begged to go sideways at each nook. The M3 Touring felt like the right steadiness—a automobile that would deal with a household highway journey by day and chase lap information by night time. After which there was the M4, an aggressive, high-strung machine that danced between grip and energy, a automobile that made me really feel like a correct racing driver once I obtained issues proper, and an entire beginner once I obtained issues fallacious.
Blasting by way of Yas Marina’s chicanes, underneath the watchful eyes of spectators sipping cocktails on the W Lodge terrace, was surreal. This wasn’t simply any monitor day—this was the BMW M Expertise, a €5,490, invite-only pageant of pace, the place high-performance machines, luxurious, and adrenaline tourism collide.
However how did I get to Yas Marina Circuit within the first place? And what precisely is the BMW M Expertise?
A Chauffeured Journey to Motorsport Heaven
It began at Dubai Worldwide Airport, the place a chauffeur-driven BMW 7 Collection was ready to whisk me away in easy consolation. The hour-long drive to Abu Dhabi was an expertise in itself—slipping into the plush seats, the world outdoors speeding by in close to silence, displaying its magnificence underneath the lights. The vacation spot? The W Lodge Yas Marina, a five-star architectural assertion that actually overlooks the Formulation 1 circuit. That is the place I might be staying for the BMW M Expertise—and the place I might quickly discover out that the occasion was about much more than simply driving quick automobiles.
The BMW M Clubhouse: The place Motorsport Meets Luxurious
The primary cease was the BMW M Clubhouse, a lounge constructed to have fun all issues M. Inside, the BMW XM Label—a 748-horsepower hybrid SUV —sat menacingly in a surprising BMW Particular person coloration, flanked by a BMW M4 GT4 race automobile and partitions lined with BMW Motorsport memorabilia. Classic racing posters, helmets from legendary BMW drivers, memorabilia of M automobiles on monitor—this show was paying tribute to BMW’s racing heritage.
After which there was the BMW life-style assortment, an array of high-end M-branded attire and equipment, good for many who wished to take a chunk of the expertise dwelling. Attendees—a mixture of BMW house owners, high clients, and model insiders from world wide—relaxed over espresso, discussing their dream M automobiles and previous monitor day tales. It was a spot to decompress earlier than the motion, but additionally to soak within the historical past and way forward for the M model.
Because the solar set, the Clubhouse reworked into one thing else solely: the M Evening Membership. What had been a laid-back gathering spot became a neon-lit, high-energy celebration of pace, sound, and spectacle—as a result of why ought to M automobiles have all of the enjoyable?
A Stroll Via M Historical past: The Final M5 Lineup
Proper subsequent door was the true deal with for BMW purists: a BMW M5 exhibition that introduced collectively each era of the world’s most iconic tremendous sedan. There was a E28 M5, the unique tremendous sedan that put BMW M on the map. The E34 M5, a followers’ favourite from the golden period of analog driving. The E39 M5, usually referred to as the best sports activities sedan of all time. The E60 M5, fitted with a Formulation 1-derived V10 that screamed to eight,250 RPM. The F10 and F90, every including turbocharged energy to the combination, earlier than arriving on the new G90/G99 M5, BMW’s strongest M5 but.
For anybody who’s ever obsessed over the M5’s evolution, this was heaven.
Drag Racing the BMW XM: 738 Horsepower of Fury
The following morning, after pushing a number of M automobiles to their limits on the circuit, we moved to Yas Marina’s devoted drag strip. The problem? Launch the BMW XM Label and see simply how briskly a 2.7-tonne SUV can actually be.
Spoiler alert: it’s quick. Ridiculously quick.
Partaking Launch Management, the XM Label squatted down, its hybrid system delivering an prompt electrical increase earlier than the V8 thundered to life, launching us down the strip in low 11 seconds. It was a weird, exhilarating expertise—like getting shot out of a cannon, however in a luxurious SUV with ventilated seats.
Simply above the drag strip, BMW had arrange the M Blended Actuality Lounge, the place we might bounce right into a sim racing setup utilizing the identical Fanatec steering wheels present in BMW M4 GT3 race automobiles. The proper option to quiet down earlier than the following spherical of insanity.
Lunch with a View
The distinction between the high-speed monitor session and the laid-back luxurious of the afternoon was hanging. After the morning’s adrenaline-fueled driving, BMW had organized a boat experience throughout Abu Dhabi’s turquoise waters—an opportunity to sluggish issues down and take within the metropolis’s hanging skyline from a brand new perspective. It was a reminder that the BMW M Expertise was as a lot about neighborhood and life-style because it was about uncooked efficiency.
Blended Actuality Driving
Then got here BMW M Blended Actuality, an idea that merges actual driving with digital racing. Strapping right into a BMW M4, I used to be handed a VR headset, and out of the blue, the Yas Marina Circuit was reworked right into a digital playground. The catch? I used to be nonetheless really driving—each motion, each acceleration, each brake enter was occurring in the true world, however visually, I used to be racing in a gamified universe. Much more spectacular was the multiplayer mode, permitting me to go wheel-to-wheel in opposition to digital opponents whereas nonetheless bodily following the true monitor.
It nonetheless is a mind-blowing expertise, and above all, it was essentially the most futuristic Blended Actuality expertise I’ve ever had since BMW confirmed it to me in 2022.
Dinner on the Pit Lane: The Final Ship-Off
After a full-throttle day, BMW wrapped issues up in fashion: a personal dinner proper on the Yas Marina pit lane. To kick off the night time, a BMW M8 Competitors Security Automobile tore down the straight, its V8 soundtrack echoing off the pit partitions, a last reminder of what M automobiles are all about. And simply once I thought the surprises had been over, Chris Forehead, the face of BMW YouTube movies for twenty years, took the stage—not for an M automobile demo, however to rap an Eminem monitor in entrance of the group.
A wild, unforgettable ending to an expertise that was as a lot about ardour because it was about pace. Would I do it once more? In a heartbeat. Would I like to recommend bringing your chequebook? Possibly go away that at dwelling—as a result of after this, the temptation to purchase an M automobile is sort of inconceivable to withstand.
