BMW M5

TO THE POINT: THE NEW BMW M5 IS AN excellent car. It's very fast, confident, endlessly configurable and now offers a not inconsequential 40ish miles of electric-only running for happy tax returns.

£111,405 [£113,405 Touring]

FOR Very fast, very capable, confident. Now with added electric capability

AGAINST Overabundance of control systems/shiny lights. Not a hotrodTO THE POINT: THE NEW BMW MSIS AN excellent car. It’s very fast, confident,

There's a 195bhp electric motor spawned into the middle of the 8spd auto that uses the mechanical gearing for max efficiency, a total system output - when you include the bi-turbo, 4.4-litre V8 - of 727bhp and 737lb ft. Unsurprisingly, it's brutally accelerative even in slippery conditions, thanks to rear biased all-wheel drive and enough traction management systems to anchor a ship. It's intelligent and capable in so many ways. And yet it misses the mark as an M5. Part of the problem is weight.

At getting on for 2.5 tonnes, the M5 has to manage its own bulk, and it does so brilliantly.