The latest BMW M5 doesn’t exactly suffer from a lack of power. With 727 hp from its hybrid-assisted V8 drivetrain, the G90 sedan and G99 Touring already have enough performance to make the idea of tuning one seem slightly unnecessary.
AC Schnitzer disagrees.
The German tuner offers a performance upgrade that takes output to 810 hp, while torque increases from 1,000 to 1,100 Nm. That’s an additional 83 hp from a car that was already considerably more powerful than most owners will ever fully exploit on a public road.
The interesting part isn’t simply the final number, though. It’s how AC Schnitzer approaches getting there.
Rather than presenting the upgrade as an attempt to extract every last horsepower from BMW’s 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8, the company makes a point of saying that durability remains part of the engineering process. AC Schnitzer says it deliberately avoids chasing the maximum possible output because it wants to maintain engine robustness and long-term reliability.
That may sound like tuner marketing, but it’s a sensible philosophy when the starting point is already 727 hp.
The package consists of a dedicated control unit, vehicle-specific wiring and software calibration. AC Schnitzer recommends using at least 98-octane fuel and also advises owners to complete BMW’s 2,000-kilometer break-in period before installing the upgrade.
There’s another detail that makes the package interesting: the warranty.
AC Schnitzer includes a 36-month warranty from the vehicle’s first registration, with its installation guarantee extending for three years in Germany and up to five years internationally under the applicable conditions. That’s quite different from buying an anonymous ECU tune and hoping BMW never asks awkward questions.
It isn’t cheap, naturally.
The German-market version of the performance upgrade is currently listed at approximately €7,990 including VAT, while an export version is listed at €7,290.
Then there are the other parts AC Schnitzer would be delighted to sell you.
Its M5 program includes suspension components, aerodynamic upgrades and several wheel packages. One of the most distinctive options is the 21-inch AC6 forged wheel, developed specifically for the G90 M5 sedan and G99 Touring. Each wheel weighs around 14.3 kg and is available in gloss black or a ceramic-compacted natural aluminum finish.
Complete wheel-and-tire sets can cost close to another €8,000, which means transforming an M5 into the full AC Schnitzer interpretation quickly becomes a serious investment.
But there’s something appealing about the restraint of the engine upgrade itself.
The modern tuning world loves four-digit horsepower figures because they make excellent headlines. AC Schnitzer could probably have pushed harder and produced a more dramatic number.
Instead, 810 hp feels almost sensible.
Admittedly, we’ve reached a strange point in automotive history when an 810-hp family sedan or station wagon can be described as sensible, but that’s where the BMW M5 has taken us.
