Unleashing hybrid power with unmatched comfort

SOME cars feel like they want to put you in the hospital when driving fast, and then there are those that give the impression that you’re on an easy drive to buy bread and milk.

- Willem van de Putte

The BMW MS is one of those cars.

This thing is lightning quick with a sound to match, and after 40 years, BMW have now made the most powerful MS yet.

Big numbers

For what is essentially a family sedan, the numbers are rather intimidating, and because it’s a plugin hybrid, it’s also a new energy vehicle.

And hats off to the engineers in Germany who have slotted in the same technology as the BMW M Hybrid V8 endurance racing car.

This MS combines its twin turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 with 430kW and 750Nm and an electric motor with 145kW and 280Nm. Fitted with a pre-gearing stage that allows effective torque at the transmission input to be increased to 450Nm, the net result is S535kW and 1000Nm.

It will get to 100km/h in 3.5 seconds and has a top speed of 305km/h if you dare. Power is sent to all four corners through an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission.

The 18.6kWh battery can propel the MS up to 140km/h, provide a range of 67-69km and on a 7.4kW charger takes three and a half hours to charge.

Exterior

There’s not much subtlety about the styling either. It has large vents, enormous kidney grille with slots that send air to cool the hybrid system, beefy fenders housing 20-inch front and 21-inch rear alloys and MS logos embossed on the C pillar, bootlid and quad tailpipes.