It suits anyone travelling with colleagues, family or guests who needs proper rear doors rather than a coupé. It is the only plug-in hybrid in the Masons fleet: around Prague it can run silently with the petrol engine off, and on the motorway the V8 is there when you need it.

What the M5 Hybrid is good for

Vienna for four. Two couples or a group of colleagues set off on Friday after work with bags for two or three nights and are in a Viennese café by evening. The adults in the back get their own doors and proper legroom instead of squeezing into a coupé. On Sunday they come back the same way.

A working week in Prague. You are staying in Vinohrady, with meetings in Pankrác, Karlín and Smíchov and dinner in the centre. Electric mode is enough for these short hops, so you pull up at the office without any engine noise. On Friday, switch drive modes and head out of town for the weekend.

Collecting guests from the airport. A business partner or your parents are flying in and you want to pick them up yourself. The M5 Hybrid takes four passengers and their luggage, your guests climb into the back through proper rear doors, and the cabin is quiet enough for conversation on the way to the hotel.

In practice: seats, luggage and drive

The M5 Hybrid has 5 seats. Two adults sit comfortably in the back even on a long run; the middle seat is better for shorter trips. The boot is a conventional saloon boot: for a few days with four people it takes medium suitcases and soft bags, but if everyone brings a large hard-shell case, space will run short. The driver has the BMW Curved Display with navigation and a head-up display, and phones connect via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. On a long motorway run, the Bowers & Wilkins sound system comes into its own.

M xDrive all-wheel drive helps when pulling away on wet cobbles or a snowy road. The car weighs about 2.4 t, though, so allow for longer braking distances on slippery surfaces and keep a bigger gap. Power comes from a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 plus an electric motor, 727 hp combined. The car is long and wide. Prague's blue zones allow limited paid visitor parking; check the sign and time limit and pay online. For longer stays, choose a suitable garage or P+R car park. On electricity alone it covers about 67 km under WLTP, less in winter or at a brisker pace. Once the battery is flat, it simply carries on using petrol from any ordinary filling station.

Where to take the M5 Hybrid from Prague

Vienna is a natural destination for this car: the D1 motorway to Brno, then south past the Pálava hills and the town of Mikulov, and across the border through the Weinviertel wine country into the city, about 3 h 45 min in total. Most of it is motorway, where four people travel at an easy pace and the rear passengers still have plenty of room after two hours. Mikulov makes a good stop: the square below the château is close to the road, with places to eat and stretch your legs. In Vienna, leave the car in your hotel's garage or a public one; street parking is paid and time-limited, and the Hofburg and the Ring are best explored on foot anyway. The trip to Austria has to be agreed with the manager in advance, and Austrian motorways require a vignette.

M5 Hybrid or Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S?

Both have four doors and all-wheel drive and are built for long distances, but they suit slightly different groups. The M5 Hybrid has five seats and an electric mode, so it makes sense when there are four or five of you, your working days are in Prague and you want to drive quietly around the city. The Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S is a four-door coupé for four, with Burmester sound and a large rear tailgate that makes loading bags easy. Four adults wanting a more striking, sportier-looking car for a weekend should take the Mercedes. If you need a fifth seat, a discreet saloon for meetings or quiet early-morning drives, take the M5 Hybrid.